Project Engineer / Manager – Solution Projects

About us:

GEA is one of the world’s largest systems suppliers for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical sectors. Our portfolio includes machinery and plants as well as advanced process technology, components and comprehensive services. Used across diverse industries, they enhance the sustainability and efficiency of production processes globally.

The GEA Nutrition Plant EngineeringDivision are specialists in design and engineering of processing equipment and integrated solutions. We provide support to our customers in the dairy, beverage, food, chemical and home & personal care industries across the full product lifecycle including design, installation, commissioning and lifetime service.

Project Engineer / Manager

We are looking for a motivated and technically proficient Project Engineer / Manager to join our high performing team.  The role entails leading and supporting front-end engineering primarily within the dairy industry.  This hybrid role is critical to delivering technical excellence and project success for our key clients.

The position is responsible for conducting customer process audits, identifying opportunities for improvement within existing Dairy & Food process systems, and translating these insights into actionable project scopes. The role will also oversee project planning, budgeting, scheduling, and cross-functional coordination to ensure timely and effective project delivery occurs. This is a dynamic role that requires frequent travel within New Zealand.

Key Responsibilities:

Dairy Process Engineering (Front-End Focus)

• Conduct on-site process audits within the dairy industry facilitating current performance with the intent to identify optimisation opportunities.
• Collaborate with clients to understand pain points and define engineering solutions to enhance process efficiency, reliability, and product quality.
• Develop engineering scopes, process flow diagrams (PFDs), and initial design concepts for process improvements.
• Analyse production data and system performance to support recommendations with sound technical justification.
• Engage with subject matter experts (e.g., heat treatment, evaporation, drying, powder handling) to develop tailored solutions for our customers.
• Understand and clarifying customer requirements by proposing changes in equipment, or materials, discussing benefits of different options as well as technical challenges.
• Undertake on site commissioning for solution projects, including assisting on site with service upgrades as required.

Project Management

• Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans, schedules, and budgets from concept through to commissioning.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams including mechanical, electrical, automation, and process engineers.
• Manage stakeholder communications, ensuring alignment of scope, cost, and timeline with client expectations.
• Monitor project progress and implement corrective actions where necessary to keep projects on track.
• Prepare and deliver technical and progress reports to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure all projects comply with safety, quality, and regulatory standards.
• Perform Risk Management to mitigate and minimise project risks.
• Supporting continuous improvement initiatives to improve internal process and templates.

About you:

• New Zealand recognised tertiary qualification in engineering preferred
• Strong self-leadership, with the ability to independently prioritise tasks.
• 5+ years’ experience in a project engineering environment
• Demonstrated project management skills in a range of project types and sizes on time and to budget
• A strong interest in working on diverse and complex projects
• A positive, problem-solving attitude to project delivery
• Proactive in identifying potential issues and providing solutions
• Exceptional interpersonal skills to interact with our wide range of stakeholders and hold difficult conversations when required
• Ability to manage contractual obligations
• Technical ability to prepare reports, schedules and contract documentation
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Project or equivalent scheduling tools
• Able to frequently travel within New Zealand

We Offer:

• Competitive remuneration commensurate with experience
• Eligibility to participate in the global bonus scheme.
• Southern Cross Medical insurance
• Employee assistance programme
• Employee health and well-being initiatives
• Birthday and Company Day off
• Exposure to a variety of dairy technologies and potentially the broader GEA portfolio
• Opportunities for professional growth and career advancement in a multi-national company … and much more.

Our Values. At GEA we stand for Responsibility, Integrity, Diversity, Passion and Excellence. If you share the same values, we would like to hear from you. We will consider all equal and we welcome all applications.

Applicants with an energetic and fresh-thinking approach to their profession, who are looking to be part of a high performing team that exceeds expectations, should not hesitate in applying for this role.

To be successful for this role you will have full working rights and be required to undergo background checks as well as drug and alcohol testing.