Graduate Development Programme (Feb 2025)

Pre Register now to join the Contact Energy Graduate Development Programme in 2025.

Applications officially open April 22, 2024

Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunity

Our Graduate Programme is committed to providing a great foundation where you’ll be trained, supported, and mentored along with providing exciting challenges for you to reach your full potential. You will work with passionate members of the Contact Energy team who are excited to share their knowledge of the energy industry with you, we can guarantee no two days will be the same!

Our Graduate Programme commences in February 2025 and is an 18-month rotational programme. Graduates will complete various rotations across areas of the business unit they’ll be working in. At the conclusion of the programme, you will transition into a permanent role within the business.

We will be hiring graduates for the following roles:

• Drilling Engineer Graduate, Taupo - Mechanical / Chemical / Process engineering students who want to work in a dynamic environment with large machinery including a mix of field and office based work. Prepare drilling projects using known project management methodologies, design wells and monitor progress of daily drilling activities.
• Mechanical Engineer Graduate, Taupo - Mechanical or Mechatronics students working as part of our Engineering Team will be suited to those who enjoy working with teams to solve problems and challenges. Provide engineering support to asset managers and project teams with the opportunity to lead small upgrade projects and assist with the commission of new power stations.
• Electrical Engineer Graduate, Taupo - Electrical or Mechatronics engineering students who have a passion for distributed control systems (DCS) and Operational Technology (OT). Joining our engineering team you will be challenged to creatively problem solve and troubleshoot any problems that may arise with our plant. Provide engineering support to asset managers and project teams. You may get opportunities to lead small upgrade projects and assist with the commission of new power stations.
• Optimisation Engineer Graduate, Taupo -  Process engineer / Data science / modelling expert if you love analysing data to find improvements then this is the role for you. As part of our optimisation team you will help design, implement, and optimise processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness across our generation sites. Extracting insights and data using a variety of techniques such as statistical analysis and machine learning.
• Electrical Engineer Graduate, Clyde - Electrical or Mechatronics engineering students who have a passion for control and instrumentation. Joining our engineering team you will provide engineering support to asset and project teams. You will be involved in replacement, enhancement upgrade projects. Involvement with our asset strategy and lifecycle management activities.
• Geochemist, Taupo - Chemistry / Geoscience / Geology students interested in working as part of our reservoir operations team, this is a varied role and can range from analysing geochemical data to taking chemical samples out at our steamfields. You will also have the responsibility over a few projects to call your own that will add value to Contact Energy.
• Platforms ICT Graduate, Wellington - IT / Computer Science students you will have the opportunity to work across our Cloud Engineering, People Technology (UX) and Networks teams. Developing technical skills in (but not limited to) Python, AWS, Linus, Windows, PowerShell, InTune, networks (LAN, SDWAN etc) and firewalls.
• Geology Graduate, Taupo - Geology / Geoscience / Engineering Science student working with our Geothermal Reservoir and Development teams utilising a large array of geology, geophysics, geochemistry and reservoir engineering to build a conceptual understanding of our geothermal system to ensure long term sustainable development.  You will be involved with geological modelling using Seequent Leapfrog Geothermal, the management of downhole / geological data, to support geological interpretations while drilling.

What types of degrees are we looking for?

• Engineering - Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Process, Data.
• Science - Geology, Chemistry, Earth, Data, Computer.
• Mathematics - Modelling, Statistics.
• Commerce - Information Systems, Finance, Economics.
• ICT - Programming, Networks, Systems, Development.

We look for

Diversity of thought is vital to our success along with the right behaviours so it is important to just be yourself. We can teach you the skills, it is more about attitude and team fit for us. 

• Have a keen interest in the energy sector and our strategy to decarbonise Aotearoa
• Demonstrate resilience and a willingness to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in
• Bring excellent communication skills, including verbal, written and listening
• Be able to build effective relationships and collaborate well with others
• Have a curious nature, analytical mindset and explore possibilities to solve problems

What Contact will offer you

Check out our employer profile for a full rundown of our company benefits and programme details!

Next Steps

So, have we got your attention? If you like the sound of what we’re offering and want to play a role in Contact’s commitment to renewable energy, register your interest now and we will touch base in July with the next steps!

Ko wai mātou | About us

Ko tō mātou kaupapa nui ko te tuku atu i tō mātou pūngao ki te wāhi e tika ana, kia whakahaukino kore ai i te rāngai pūngao o Aotearoa me te whakatairanga atu i te #changematters. E kaingākau ana mātou mō tō mātou whāinga matua, ā, e whakahīhī ana anō mātou i te iwi tangata kei muri i a mātou e whaiwhai ana i te whāinga kotahi.  Nā runga i tēnei whāinga teitei, tērā pea ka ui ake koe ki a koe anō--

Our purpose is to put our energy where it matters, to decarbonise the New Zealand energy sector.  We are passionate about our mission and proud to have a tribe of people behind us working towards a common purpose. 

Contact Energy is committed to being an inclusive employer. We want people to be themselves, after all, they can't be anyone else!

Please note, only candidates with the right to live and work in New Zealand will be considered for this role