Co-Lab is a council-controlled organisation owned by 12 councils across the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions. Its Road Infrastructure Measurement & Use (RIMU) unit is an emerging Centre of Excellence. Established in November 2025 and operating in partnership with REG (Waka Kotahi NZTA, Local Government NZ, and the RCA Forum) to oversee consistent road condition data collection nationally. This is a genuinely foundational career opportunity in a function that is shaping how infrastructure investment decisions are made across New Zealand.
The Role
As Contract Specialist, you will be the primary relationship holder between Co-Lab's RIMU team and over sixty Road Controlling Authorities across New Zealand. Acting on behalf of the contract Principal (REG/NZTA), you will oversee the survey management and surveillance (MSQA) of local road condition data collection contracts, managing key stakeholder relationships with our data collection contractors across multiple geographic contract areas, as well as the Professional Services Contract with our independent certifier.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Key relationship holder as Contract Manager and Engineer's Representative under NZS3910:2013
- Organising and conducting survey planning meetings with multiple local councils per session
- Building and maintaining relationships with sixty seven RCAs nationally
- Managing the monthly contract cycle — claims, payments, H&S tracking, activity progress recording
- Reviewing Traffic Management Plans (TMPs) and coordinating with RCAs on compliance
- Monitoring QA processes across all data collection contracts
- Responding to out-of-hours operational issues during survey periods
- Providing clear, timely reporting to the RIMU Manager and wider stakeholders
To be successful in this role you will bring:
- A Diploma of Engineering or equivalent
- 5+ years of contract administration or management experience, ideally in transport, infrastructure, or local government
- In-depth practical knowledge and application of NZS3910:2013
- Solid roading sector knowledge and familiarity with asset management systems (AWM, RAMM, ThinkProject/linear referencing)
- Demonstrated experience working with or alongside Waka Kotahi NZTA and/or Road Controlling Authorities
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Full New Zealand driver's licence
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Outlook, Teams)
- Comfort working on-call during survey periods, which can include some evenings and weekends
- Competitive salary
- Autonomy to make this role your own within a small, high-trust team
- Cambridge, Waikato based but with national scope
- Agile, open-plan, paperless environment with on-site parking, kitchen, and shower facilities
- A growing function with real scope to shape how RIMU develops over the next 3-5 years
- Make a difference through work that directly influences infrastructure investment across New Zealand
For a confidential enquiry feel free to call Matt Love-Smith on 0221017007
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