Financial Planning and Analysis Lead

Northland Waters is the entity bringing water services together for Whangarei, Kaipara and Far North District Councils ahead of a July 2027 go‑live. We have a highly capable, professional establishment team who are underway with creating this new entity from scratch. Right now, it exists as a plan, a target operating model and a list of ambitions to be fulfilled.

We are seeking a Financial Planning and Systems Lead who can take ownership of the financial planning, modelling and pricing work that will be the foundation for the new Northland Waters company. You will work closely with the Finance, Funding and Commercial Lead but will make this your own.  You will bring structure, clarity and momentum to a complex, fast paced and evolving environment.

You will develop financial planning models, build scenario‑based analysis and lead the planning processes. You will be adept at surfacing the operational, customer, regulatory and funding assumptions to ensure collaborative and robust financial forecasts. You will also lead the development of pricing and revenue models for Day 1 and provide finance SME input into ERP configuration and implementation, ensuring financial data and system requirements are understood and embedded.

You will work across establishment workstreams to coordinate inputs, test assumptions, reconcile dependencies and produce clear financial analysis and recommendations for governance forums. You will ensure models and planning outputs are well controlled, transparent, version‑managed and ready for transition to the BAU finance function.

We need someone who has done this before. Experience in an infrastructure or utilities environment, waters sector or council is a bonus but not essential. What matters more is that you have strong financial modelling capability, experience leading planning and budgeting processes, and the ability to work with evolving data and assumptions in a fast moving establishment environment. You will pick up context quickly and run with it without needing to be managed line by line.

WHAT YOU WILL BRING

• CA (or equivalent) with 5+ years’ commercial experience
• Strong financial modelling capability, including scenario based planning across multiple time horizons
• Experience leading end‑to‑end planning, budgeting or forecasting processes
• Ability to translate operational assumptions into financial forecasts (opex, capex, revenue, depreciation, funding)
• Solid understanding of management reporting, cost centre structures, chart of accounts and financial system requirements
• Experience preparing clear financial analysis and recommendations for senior leaders or governance forums
• Ability to work directly with non finance stakeholders to obtain inputs, test assumptions and explain financial implications
• Collaborative, commercially curious and pragmatic, with strong judgement and ownership of deliverables
• An understanding of Te Ao Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi concepts, and the ability to build respectful relationships with iwi, hapū and Māori communities (highly valued)

Contract term

September 2026 start for a 9‑12 month term.  Must be available to work in Whangarei 2-3 days per week.

Applications close Monday 31st August.

If you have the expertise to help shape the future of water services in Northland, we’d love to hear from you.  Please apply online via Seek attaching your CV and cover letter.  For queries about the role or to request a position description, please contact Joanne Ashby at [email protected].