Packaging & Canning Machine Operator

**Experienced Machine Operator – Brewery Packaging

b.effect | Wanaka | Full Time**

Know how to get a machine humming?

b.effect is looking for an experienced machine operator to join our brewery team in Wanaka and take ownership of our growing canning and packaging operation.

We're investing in new equipment and progressively automating our packaging line. We need someone who understands how to operate production machinery well – setting it up, monitoring performance, making adjustments, troubleshooting faults and keeping production moving.

You don't need brewery experience. You might currently work in food or beverage production, packaging, manufacturing, engineering, plastics, timber or another production environment.

What matters is that you've operated production machinery before, you're mechanically minded and you're good at getting machines running at their best.

About b.effect
We're an independent craft brewery based in Wanaka, producing beer and kombucha.

Our Purpose – Bring people together and help build better communities.
Our Mission – Produce the best quality beverages, deliver unmatched service and rewarding experiences.
Our Vision – To be the best craft brewery in the South Island.

Our values guide how we work:

Care for it – Our people, our community and our place.
Embrace it – Change is our only constant.
Own it – Show integrity, take responsibility and remain humble.
Simplify it – Strive to do more with less.
Deliver it – Work hard to deliver tangible value.

What you'll be doing

You'll take responsibility for the day-to-day operation of our canning and packaging line, including:

• Operating our can filler/seamer and associated packaging equipment
• Setting up, starting, operating and shutting down the packaging line
• Completing changeovers and machine adjustments
• Monitoring machinery and keeping the line running efficiently
• Troubleshooting faults and stoppages and getting machinery back up and running
• Routine maintenance, cleaning, lubrication and basic mechanical repairs
• Identifying recurring faults, bottlenecks and opportunities to improve performance
• Monitoring fills, seams, carbonation and finished product quality
• Managing production run completions, records and associated inventory movements
• Championing our quality, Food Safety and Health & Safety programmes
• General warehousing, packaging, kegging and movement of finished product
• Helping install, commission and optimise new machinery as we automate

What we're looking for

We're specifically looking for someone with previous experience operating production machinery, you could be an engineer and you're definitively a mechanically minded person.

You'll bring:

• Experience as a machine operator, production operator or similar
• Strong mechanical aptitude and practical problem-solving skills
• Experience setting up, adjusting and troubleshooting machinery
• The ability to recognise when something isn't running correctly and work out why
• Confidence with basic mechanical adjustments and maintenance
• An interest in machinery, automation and technology
• Strong attention to quality, safety and detail
• A hands-on attitude and willingness to get involved
• The ability to take ownership of a production line and its performance

Experience with automated packaging, preventative maintenance, food or beverage production, canning or bottling would be an advantage.

Brewery experience is useful, but machine operating experience is more important to us.
Where this role can go

This is bigger than simply operating our canning machine.

As we introduce more automation, you'll help commission it, learn it, troubleshoot it and optimise it. We want you to become the person who understands our packaging equipment and knows how to get the whole line humming.

For the right person, there's an opportunity to grow into b.effect's packaging and automation specialist.

We're looking for someone who wants to live in Wanaka, build a career here and become a long-term part of what we're building.

If you're an experienced machine operator who enjoys fixing problems, improving equipment and getting a production line humming, we'd like to hear from you.

Applicants must be legally entitled to work in New Zealand.

Please send your CV and a short cover letter to [email protected]