Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Chartered Civil Engineer : Contract Manager at Wharehine Construction I am a Chartered Civil Engineer and Contract Manager with a strong record of delivering high-value, high-risk, and technically demanding projects across transport, energy and water sectors. At Wharehine Construction, I lead end-to-end project delivery — from early contractor involvement, tender strategy, and commercial modelling through to construction execution, stakeholder management, and completion. My leadership style is grounded in clarity, collaboration, and accountability. I work closely with clients, consultants, and supply chain partners to align strategic objectives, unlock design efficiencies, and deliver outcomes that stand up commercially and technically. I’m motivated by roles where I can shape strategy, influence outcomes, and drive continuous improvement across a wider portfolio of work. As I continue to grow in my career, I’m focused on opportunities that allow me to contribute at a broader organisational level and help deliver infrastructure that genuinely improves our communities and the way we live.
As Contract Manager, I hold responsibility for the commercial, operational, and strategic delivery of multiple civil infrastructure projects across the region. My role extends beyond individual project oversight — I provide leadership, direction, and commercial governance to other Project Managers within the business, ensuring consistency, quality, and high performance across all workstreams. I oversee projects from tender through to delivery, working closely with senior client representatives while steering internal teams toward safe, efficient, and commercially successful outcomes. Leadership & Management Responsibilities Provide guidance, mentoring, and technical oversight to Project Managers and Project Engineers across multiple live projects. Support PMs in developing construction methodologies, programmes, risk registers, and procurement strategies. Lead commercial reviews including variation strategy, EoT assessments, forecasting, and margin protection. Standardise reporting and delivery processes to improve consistency and reduce project risk Facilitate cross-project problem-solving, helping resolve technical challenges, resourcing issues, and stakeholder constraints. Provide escalation support for contract negotiations, complex client discussions, disputes, and high-risk decision pathways. Key Achievements Strengthened business-wide project governance by establishing more robust commercial reviews, forecasting practices, and reporting standards. Elevated capability within the project management team through ongoing coaching and structured guidance. Improved consistency in contract administration, reducing exposure to disputes and commercial leakage. Increased margins across the project portfolio through early risk identification, smarter staging, and tighter cost control. Recognised for leadership that supports both operational delivery and broader organisational improvement.
As a Section Manager on the Pūhoi to Warkworth Northern Expressway (NX2), I was responsible for leading the end-to-end pavement delivery on one of New Zealand’s most significant transport projects. Working within a complex PPP environment, I coordinated multidisciplinary teams, supply chain partners, and commercial stakeholders to ensure the successful execution of all pavement works. Key Responsibilities & Achievements Pavement Delivery Leadership: Managed the full physical delivery of the pavement scope—from aggregate sourcing through to final construction—ensuring quality, programme, safety, and commercial objectives were achieved. Supply Chain & Materials Procurement: Led the strategic procurement of aggregates, negotiating with quarries, material suppliers, and logistics partners to secure reliable supply, manage demand profiles, and maintain consistent production and delivery performance. Contract Management & Commercial Setup: Established and managed subcontract and supply agreements for pavement construction, ensuring clear scope definition, commercial alignment, and strong performance from delivery partners. Subcontractor & Workforce Management: Directed subcontractor teams responsible for placement and construction of aggregate layers, ensuring delivery aligned with design standards, quality expectations, and programme targets. Integrated JV & Stakeholder Collaboration: Worked within a complex joint venture environment to coordinate with design partners, client representatives, and maintenance stakeholders. Design & Technical Integration: Ensured pavement designs were practical, constructible, and compliant with PPP performance criteria by leading coordination between design and construction disciplines. This role strengthened my leadership in large-scale infrastructure delivery, particularly in environments where commercial strategy, procurement, design integration, and supply chain performance are critical to achieving successful outcomes.
I worked as a Senior Project Engineer on the southern section of the Pūhoi to Warkworth Northern Expressway (NX2), where I coordinated construction delivery across a complex, multi-stakeholder environment. Leadership & Delivery Oversight Provided structured oversight across multiple work fronts, ensuring construction activities were sequenced, resourced, and executed safely, efficiently, and in line with project objectives. Commercial & Programme Management Took ownership of forecasting, programme development, and cost control, using data and trend analysis to make proactive decisions that protected programme integrity and optimised commercial outcomes. Subcontractor, Supplier & Labour Management Managed the procurement, planning, and delivery performance of specialist subcontractors and suppliers. Ensured scope clarity, commercial alignment, and quality outcomes through decisive leadership and hands-on package management. Operational Performance, Monitoring & Reporting Monitored site operations, resource utilisation, and productivity data daily. Used this intelligence to make timely operational decisions, adjust resourcing, mitigate risks, and improve performance. Produced clear, concise reporting to maintain delivery accountability and drive action. Environmental & Regulatory Compliance Designed and implemented erosion and sediment control systems, ensuring full compliance with consent conditions. Embedded environmental risk management into planning and execution through practical, decision-led controls. Delivery Outcomes Maintained a strong focus on quality, safety, and commercial performance, contributing to the successful completion of a nationally significant transport project. This role cemented the high-performance delivery mindset I now apply in my senior responsibilities at Wharehine.
I worked as a Junior Agent at RJ McLeod, playing a key role in delivering complex civil construction projects across earthworks, structures, and horizontal infrastructure. Despite the title, I operated with a high level of autonomy, leading teams, driving technical outcomes, and making key decisions that shaped project performance. Key Responsibilities & Achievements Construction Leadership: Led crews across multiple design-and-build work fronts, ensuring safe, efficient, and high-quality delivery. Design & Value Engineering: Directed design development, challenged assumptions, and drove cost-saving, constructible solutions. Stakeholder Coordination: Acted as a central liaison with clients, subcontractors, and design teams to maintain momentum and resolve issues quickly. Contract Management: Managed and analysed NEC3 contracts, ensuring clarity of scope, commercial alignment, and compliance. H&S & Environmental Oversight: Enforced robust health, safety, and environmental standards across all work fronts. Technical Coordination: Managed TQs and design clarifications to keep design and construction aligned. End-to-End Delivery: Oversaw construction phases from planning through to completion, making operational and commercial decisions to support project success. I consistently focused on efficient delivery, strong stakeholder engagement, and high safety and environmental standards — foundations that continue to shape my leadership style today.
From starting out as a graduate I honed my initial engineering skills to achieve the position of civil engineer. Some of the projects I worked on included: construction of water infrastructure and capital projects, waste water treatment plant upgrades, clean water treatment plant upgrades and more. These initial projects allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of engineering theory and practice and how ultimately these are utilised on site.