Senior External Communications Advisor

He kōrero mō mātou | About Watercare
 

Ki te ora te wai, ka ora te whenua, ka ora te tangata
When the water is healthy, the land and the people are healthy

Now is an exciting time to join Watercare, we're planning to spend $14 billion over the next 10 years to ensure we can continue to support our growing city in a climate-resilient way. When you average that out, that's an investment of $3.8 million every day!

Watercare is looking for a dynamic, fast‑paced Senior External Communications Advisor who thrives in a busy environment and knows how to create bold, engaging content that cuts through.

If you’re equally comfortable crafting compelling stories, managing high‑stakes media queries, and jumping into fast‑moving situations at any hour, this is the role where you’ll shine.

He whakamārama mō te tūranga mahi | About the role

As our Senior External Communications Advisor, you’ll be a key driver of Watercare’s external narrative helping shape how Aucklanders understand the work we do and the impact we have.

This role blends media leadership, content creation, strategic thinking and real‑time response. You’ll be responsible for:

• Leading 24/7 media management
• Responding quickly, calmly, and confidently to breaking issues
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with national, local, and industry media
• Creating high‑quality, engaging external content across social, digital, and public‑facing channels
• Acting as a trusted advisor to senior leaders and stakeholders
• Running our media training programme
• Coaching the team and lifting our storytelling capability
• Bringing fresh ideas, new technologies, and a growth mindset to help transform how we communicate

We are looking for someone with energy, pace, enthusiasm, and initiative. You’ll help elevate the tempo with setting standards, sharing knowledge, and inspiring others to move fast and deliver great work.

Ngā pūkenga e rapu nei mātou | About you

You’re an adaptable, confident communicator ready to contribute quickly in a fast‑paced environment. You’ll bring:

• A tertiary/professional qualification in communications, journalism, or similar (10+ years’ experience)
• Advanced media management experience
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex information into simple, engaging messages
• Strong emotional intelligence and mentoring experience
• A calmness under pressure, with proven ability to manage diverse workloads
• Content creation expertise including video, digital and social storytelling
• A collaborative style, strong relationship‑building skills, and active listening
• An ability to quickly adopt and champion new technology
• Proven success creating engaging, high‑impact content in a dynamic environment
• A genuine growth mindset and willingness to try new tools, formats and approaches
• A strong understanding of social media and how to leverage it for storytelling

Ngā hua mōu | What's in it for you

We offer a competitive salary and staff benefits package including:
•    Training and development opportunities
•    Life and income protection insurance plans
•    Generous parental leave
•    Employee discounts at a range of large retailers

Me pēhea te tono mai | How to Apply

Come and join our team! If you are looking for an exciting career opportunity with a fantastic team then please apply online today - careers.watercare.co.nz.