Process Project Engineer (Senior)

About the role

You will develop sold concept designs into practical, coordinated detailed designs and see them through fabrication, installation and commissioning to effective plant operation. You will take ownership of both the design and its delivery against the customer's operational and business requirements. Projects predominantly involve existing dairy manufacturing plants, where integration with operating equipment and short shutdown windows demand practical design, careful planning and coordinated delivery. You will bring together engineering disciplines and trades to deliver these outcomes.

Key responsibilities

• Design for the required outcome: Understand the project's business objectives, performance requirements and commercial commitments, and use these to guide detailed design decisions.
• Design for fabrication and operation: Develop 2D concepts into practical solutions that reflect good manufacturing practice and can be efficiently fabricated, installed, operated and maintained.
• Coordinate the complete design: Bring together process, fabrication, mechanical, civil, electrical and automation disciplines, resolving interfaces and ensuring a complete, consistent design. This includes preparing Level 1 process descriptions and functional requirements to guide automation design and programming.
• Connect design with day-to-day operation: Understand operators' perspectives and translate technical knowledge into clear, practical operational guidance. Link the project's intended performance outcomes to how the plant is run, working effectively with client teams at every level—from operators and maintenance staff to engineers, project teams and management.
• Coordinate trades and installation: Work with fabricators, contractors and trades to plan and execute installation within the available shutdown window.
• See delivery through to effective operation: Follow through on commissioning, operational support and outstanding issues until the plant operates effectively. Take responsibility through commissioning, take over and achievement of the agreed operational performance and acceptance requirements.
• Maintain documentation discipline: Follow established procedures and precisely document design decisions, changes, reviews and project activities.
• Improve future delivery: Capture lessons learned and develop practical improvements to design standards and project procedures.

About you

• A tertiary qualification in chemical or process engineering
• A minimum of five years of experience in process engineering
• Strong process engineering capability, practical knowledge of fabrication and installation, and the ability to coordinate multiple disciplines
• Understand how design decisions affect plant performance, project cost and shutdown delivery
• Communicate effectively with technical and operational teams
• Able to work on-site for extended periods of time across a project
• Current New Zealand driver's licence
• Ideally 10+ years of dairy experience