Automation Engineer - 12 Month Fixed Term

Company Description

Mai te hiku ki te taurapa, whitikina e te rā

From the tail of the fish to the tail of the waka, shines the sun

Meridian is Aotearoa’s largest renewable electricity producer, generating power from 100% renewable sources—wind, water, and sun! We also retail electricity to more than 400,000 homes, businesses and farms across New Zealand through our Meridian and Powershop brands. 

Job Description

Mō te tūranga | What you’ll be doing   

As an Automation Engineer, you will be instrumental in supporting control systems across our iconic hydro generation assets, ensuring reliable and efficient operation of these critical renewable energy resources. Your expertise will help drive operational efficiency, reliability, and innovation in our generation infrastructure. You’ll work collaboratively to design, implement, and maintain automation solutions that support sustainable energy generation and safeguard communities and the environment.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Designing, developing, and deploying automation systems for hydro, wind, solar, and battery sites.
• Supporting the integration of new technologies and digital solutions to enhance asset performance.
• Troubleshooting and resolving automation-related issues to ensure system reliability.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to identify opportunities for process improvement and automation.
• Ensuring compliance with safety standards and regulatory requirements.
• Providing technical advice and support for automation projects and upgrades.

Ngā pukenga kei a koe mō tenei tūranga | What you’ll bring

We’re looking for an experienced engineer with a passion for automation and innovation. You’ll hit the ground running with a strong understanding of automation systems and their application in the power/utility industry, coupled with a broad range of general automation experience.

Other desirable experience and skills include:

• A bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Engineering (Electrical, Automation, Mechatronics, or related field).
• Work experience at a hydro generation (or similar) site, including construction, testing and commissioning. 
• Experience of automation design for industrial sites (Hydropower preferred).
• Excellent collaboration and influencing skills.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical abilities.
• Familiarity with the Allen-Bradley PLC Family is a bonus.

Additional Information

He aha koe i hono mai ai ki a mātou? | Why join us?    

We help reduce carbon emissions and support communities in doing the same, supplying electricity to over 400,000 homes, businesses, and farms through Meridian and Powershop.

• At Meridian, we embrace diversity and inclusion, knowing that different perspectives make us stronger. We encourage everyone to bring their whole selves to work, creating a welcoming and empowering environment for all.
• Be gutsy, be in the waka, and be a good human – our three principles. We work hard and celebrate connection through quizzes, morning teas, and cultural events, both in person and virtually. We respect each other and have each other's backs to achieve our goals. 
• Sustainability is in our DNA. We proudly support KidsCan and Kākāpō Recovery and work side-by-side with our generation communities.

What we can offer you!

We value work/life balance, so our working from home and flexible work options (where possible) make things easier for you and your whānau. We also offer:

• An attractive and competitive salary package.
• Three company-paid days (over the Christmas holiday period)
• Enhanced KiwiSaver contributions
• Excellent learning and development opportunities, we want you to be the best version of yourself and will help you get there!
• Award winning wellbeing programme that provides support whenever and wherever you need it

Tono mai ināianei tonu | Apply now 

All in all, we’re an awesome place to work. If this sounds like you and you want to bring your energy and use your power to make a difference (pun intended), then apply today and tell us why!

We encourage you to apply for this role — even if you don’t meet every requirement. At Meridian, we value diverse perspectives and believe that potential, passion, and a willingness to grow are really important. If you’re excited about this opportunity, we’d love to hear from you!

To view the full Position Description, please click here. 

If you’ve got any questions, please email careers@meridianenergy.co.nz. We're committed to becoming more accessible and providing support if needed. Please get in touch if there are parts of our process you would like assistance with (process found here meridianenergy.co.nz/careers), we’re more than happy to help. 

Advertising closes 3rd October 2025 (please note this is subject to change)