Engineering & Facilities Manager

Role overview

Westland Milk Products is seeking a seasoned Engineering & Facilities Manager to take charge of the safe, dependable, and compliant running of manufacturing equipment and site facilities across Canary Foods and EasiYo.

In this influential leadership position, you will help shape how the site performs, oversee capital work, build engineering capability, and embed a strong continuous improvement mindset. Reporting to the Operations Manager, you will be central to making sure the facilities and assets enable excellent food manufacturing outcomes.

What you will do

As the Engineering & Facilities Manager, you will own the strategy for engineering, maintenance, facilities, and capital projects across the business. You will lead a dedicated engineering function to keep plant and facilities safe, efficient, reliable, and aligned with production, quality, food safety, and commercial goals.

• Direct preventive and corrective maintenance across all machinery and plant assets
• Improve reliability, asset performance, and continuous improvement outcomes
• Oversee site facilities such as utilities, buildings, grounds, HVAC, refrigeration, compressed air, water, steam, and electrical systems
• Maintain compliance with statutory and regulatory obligations, including BWOF, contractor control, and building services requirements
• Lead capital projects from business case preparation through commissioning and final handover
• Manage maintenance and facilities budgets, CAPEX planning, and spend performance
• Use structured problem-solving and root cause analysis to lift plant performance, reliability, and OEE
• Work closely with Production, Quality, Health & Safety, Supply Chain, and Finance to support operational excellence
• Grow a strong engineering team through coaching, accountability, and capability development

You will also provide engineering oversight for EasiYo-owned assets operated by external manufacturing partners, helping ensure the same standards for safety, reliability, and asset care are upheld.

What we are looking for

The right person will be an established engineering leader who can balance strategic planning with hands-on delivery. You should be comfortable in a manufacturing setting, well organised, and able to manage competing priorities across maintenance, facilities, operational support, and project execution.

• A trade qualification or tertiary qualification in Engineering, or equivalent industry experience
• Extensive background in a senior engineering, maintenance, or facilities leadership role in manufacturing
• Demonstrated success with preventive maintenance programmes, asset management systems, and engineering team leadership
• Experience taking capital projects from concept through to commissioning
• Strong working knowledge of facilities management, utilities, and statutory compliance
• Good understanding of health and safety legislation, contractor management, and machine safety principles
• Experience handling budgets, CAPEX planning, and financial performance
• Knowledge of food manufacturing, GMP, HACCP, and quality systems is highly valued
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management ability

Above all, you will be someone who takes ownership, builds trusted relationships, drives accountability, and is committed to a safe, high-performing workplace.

About the business

Canary Foods and EasiYo sit within the Yili Oceania Group, alongside Westland Milk Products, Oceania Dairy, and Pure Nutrition.

Backed by Yili Group, one of the world’s leading dairy companies, the New Zealand operations produce high-quality food and nutrition products shipped to more than 40 countries worldwide. Across the Yili Oceania businesses, production exceeds 170,000 tonnes of finished product each year and revenue is more than $1.3 billion.

The business is driven by innovation, operational excellence, and a commitment to delivering world-class products for customers in New Zealand and overseas. Its values are Excellence, Accountability, Innovation, Win-Win, and Respect.

Why this role stands out

This is a chance to make a real difference in an organisation investing in its people, plant, and future capability. You will join a collaborative leadership team, contribute to meaningful improvement work, and help shape engineering performance across the manufacturing operation.

Additional information

Applications are encouraged even if you do not meet every requirement listed. The employer notes that many strong candidates hesitate to apply unless they match every point, and invites interested applicants who feel their experience is relevant to get in touch.

Applications will be assessed as they are received, and the position may close earlier if a suitable candidate is found. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply promptly.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in New Zealand.

Application deadline: 26 July 2026.

Application method: submit an application via the company careers site.