Manufacturing Manager

Meadow Fresh Christchurch is New Zealand's largest dairy manufacturing site, proudly producing and supplying iconic brands such as Meadow Fresh Milk, Quick Brekkie, and Calci Strong.

From our fresh milk plant to our UHT export operations, we play a vital role in delivering high-quality, trusted dairy products to Kiwi households every day and to customers around the world.

The Opportunity

As Manufacturing Manager, you will be a key member of the Site Leadership Team, accountable for the performance of our manufacturing plants and leading a team of Production Managers. Your focus will be on safe, reliable and efficient production, delivering daily customer requirements while building a high‑performance culture grounded in accountability, continuous improvement and care for our people.

Key Responsibilities

• Health, Safety & Environment – Champion a ‘Never Walk By' safety culture; ensure compliance; drive zero harm.
• Quality & Food Safety – Lead quality assurance; ensure GMP and food safety compliance; drive quality improvement.
• Operational Excellence – Deliver the daily manufacturing plan. Reduce waste; optimise resources; lead root cause and corrective action.
• People Leadership – Develop leaders and teams. Drive engagement, succession planning and wellbeing.
• Continuous Improvement – Embed CI mindset and initiatives supporting productivity and cost management.

What You'll Bring

• Senior manufacturing leadership experience with demonstrated outcomes in achieving results (DIFOT, HSE, cost management, waste reduction, FSQ compliance).
• Broad background in the dairy manufacturing industry is highly advantageous but not essential.
• Understanding of end-to-end value chain and the ability to identify and leverage opportunities to transform and improve.
• Strong stakeholder management.
• Proven people leadership.
• Analytical and improvement capability.
• Degree in Science or Engineering-related discipline.

Why Join Goodman Fielder?

Goodman Fielder is a purpose‑led organization demonstrating a values‑driven culture. We offer an opportunity to lead at scale and make a real impact at a critical Goodman Fielder NZ site.

We might be biased but we believe our team here at Goodman Fielder is an amazing place to work, and a great team to be part of! We're driven by our values - We Grow Together, We Keep Things Simple, We Get Stuff Done.

You will be joining a driven team of professionals who genuinely enjoy working together, resulting in a highly collaborative and flexible work environment. In return for your passion and success, we will reward you with a competitive remuneration package and help you to achieve personal and professional growth and development.

At Goodman Fielder, we aim to be a destination employer in the food industry where we don't just offer jobs - we offer long-term careers.

What are you waiting for? Apply now.