An opportunity for an experienced process/project engineering professional to take a key technical role on a major $85m expansion of an established food manufacturing facility.
The project will significantly increase production capacity and involves new processing plant, packaging equipment, utilities and associated infrastructure, all being integrated into an existing live manufacturing operation.
With major equipment and contract packages now progressing, we're looking for a Design & Commissioning Manager to provide technical leadership across design and integration, before seeing the project through installation, commissioning and start-up.
The Role
Working alongside an established team of Project Engineers managing individual work packages, you'll take the broader technical view across the project – making sure the various systems, equipment and scopes come together as an integrated, operable plant.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Lead and coordinate multidisciplinary design, with a strong focus on process and mechanical systems
- Review plant layouts, specifications, equipment designs, drawings and technical documentation
- Ensure new processing equipment integrates effectively into the existing manufacturing facility
- Manage technical interfaces and battery limits across contractors, OEMs and individual work packages
- Identify design gaps, clashes and scope issues before they become problems during installation or commissioning
- Ensure operability, maintainability, hygienic design and Safety in Design are properly considered
- Provide technical support and direction across the wider project engineering team
- Coordinate and participate in FAT and SAT activities
- Develop commissioning strategy and readiness
- Support installation, commissioning, start-up, ramp-up and operational handover
This aligns with the formal position scope, which spans processing, packaging, automation, utilities and buildings, with particular responsibility for design assurance and managing interfaces between contractors and OEMs.
About You
We're interested in experienced process, mechanical or project engineering professionals who have delivered complex capital projects within dairy, food & beverage or other process manufacturing environments.
Ideally, you'll bring:
- Strong process/mechanical engineering and capital project delivery experience
- Experience coordinating multidisciplinary design and multiple project packages
- A good understanding of process plant, pipework and utilities
- Experience delivering brownfield projects within operating manufacturing environments
- The ability to work effectively across contractors, OEMs, engineers and operational stakeholders
- Exposure to installation, commissioning and start-up
- Knowledge of hygienic design and food manufacturing environments would be highly regarded
Dairy or food-processing experience would be ideal, but isn't essential if you can demonstrate strong transferable experience from another complex process environment.
We're also more interested in the complexity and relevance of the projects you've delivered than simply their dollar value.
Just as importantly, you'll be someone who can step back from the day-to-day noise, see where the technical gaps and risks are, and bring a calm, structured and practical approach to solving problems.
The Opportunity
This is an 18-month fixed-term position based in Palmerston North, joining the programme at an important stage as major packages progress through design and procurement and into site delivery.
You'll have the opportunity to influence key technical decisions now and then see those decisions through installation, commissioning and start-up.
A strong senior-level remuneration package is available, with flexibility for candidates bringing particularly relevant dairy, food-processing or major process-project experience.
While the initial appointment is for 18 months, the organisation has an ongoing capital programme which may create further opportunities for the right person.
Interested?
Apply online or contact Peter Henderson on 027 441 9300 at RobLawMax Recruitment for a confidential discussion.
