Design and Engineering Manager

Wyma; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Wyma NZ is seeking a Design & Engineering Manager to lead a 28-strong engineering team across New Zealand and the Czech Republic from Christchurch. Based at Wyma's NZ product development centre, you will shape engineering strategy, governance and capability to deliver high-quality, innovative post-harvest equipment.

This senior leadership role requires practical problem-solving, strong technical credibility in machinery, and the ability to balance technical and commercial outcomes while aligning

Qualifications

• Strong engineering judgement and leadership capability across mechanical, automation, and integrated systems.
• Experience leading engineering teams in capital equipment or machinery environments.
• Commercial awareness to balance customer requirements with manufacturability and margin.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a high-performing engineering team across NZ and the Czech Republic.
• Provide technical leadership on complex mechanical, automation, and system decisions.
• Deliver engineering projects on time, within budget and to quality standards.
• Drive design standards, reuse, documentation, governance, and capability development.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Product & Innovation, Sales, and Aftermarket.
• Develop future engineering leaders and retain critical knowledge.

Job description

• Senior Leadership Role - People, Commercial and Technical Management focus


• Established NZ Company with Global Market Focus


• Market Leading Products in Capital Equipment / Machinery sector


• Renowned reputation for product innovation and development


• CHRISTCHURCH based role

THE OPPORTUNITY

Wyma, www.wymasolutions.com, has established a global reputation for reliable, high-performance post-harvest equipment and processing systems, and is a world leader in the global fresh produce sector. This reputation has been built through practical innovation, customer-driven product development, and the ability to turn new concepts into repeatable, commercially successful products. In this key technical leadership role, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring Wyma continues to deliver high-quality, innovative products and solutions, while lifting engineering capability, execution discipline, technical systems and leadership depth for the future.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As the Design & Engineering Manager, you will be part of Wyma NZ’s senior leadership team. Based at Wyma’s Christchurch manufacturing, engineering and product development centre, you will lead a multidisciplinary engineering team of 28 staff across New Zealand and the Czech Republic. The team delivers standard products, configured solutions and customer-specific engineering projects, while supporting product development, product release and lifecycle improvement.

You will be responsible for:

• Building a high-performing engineering team through leadership, coaching, succession planning, and capability development.


• Providing technical leadership and engineering judgement across complex mechanical, automation, and integrated system decisions.


• Ensuring engineering projects are delivered to quality, budget, and schedule commitments.


• Driving improvements in engineering standards, design reuse, documentation, governance, and resource planning.


• Providing engineering input to support product release, lifecycle improvement and customer-specific requirements, while balancing technical and commercial outcomes.


• Collaborating closely with Manufacturing, Product & Innovation, Sales, Project Delivery, and Aftermarket teams to achieve broader business objectives.


• Developing future engineering leaders and ensuring critical technical knowledge is shared and retained across the business.

WHAT WE ARE SEEKING IN THE RIGHT PERSON

Leadership capability is important, and success in this role will be built on strong engineering judgement, practical problem-solving capability and the ability to earn the confidence of experienced engineers, manufacturing teams, project delivery teams and senior stakeholders. You will bring strong technical credibility from an engineered-products, machinery or capital equipment environment, together with the commercial judgement to balance customer requirements, manufacturability, serviceability, project risk and margin.

You will be comfortable operating in a practical engineered-products environment where standard products, configured solutions and customer-specific development often overlap.

• Leadership through leaders: able to develop engineering managers, senior engineers and technical specialists rather than being the sole technical problem-solver.


• Strong technical capability: credible engineering leader with the judgement to guide complex mechanical, automation or integrated equipment/system decisions, particularly in a project delivery or engineered-product environment.


• Commercial delivery and execution: proven ability to deliver engineering outcomes to quality, budget and schedule commitments while balancing customer expectations, project risk, manufacturability, serviceability and margin.


• Strategic systems and continuous improvement: able to lift engineering performance by improving systems, standards, design reuse, documentation, resource planning and technical governance, while building scalable capability without losing responsiveness.


• Cross-functional influence: works effective with Manufacturing, Project Delivery, Product & Innovation, Sales, Aftermarket and global stakeholders, with a strong whole-of-business mindset.


• Customer and market orientation: understands how engineering decisions affect customer outcomes, product competitiveness, serviceability, reliability and long-term value.


• People judgement and accountability: creates a constructive, high-accountability culture where expectations are clear, performance issues are addressed, and good people are coached, retained and developed.

THE COMPANY

Wyma is a world leader in the design and manufacture of post-harvest vegetable and fruit handling equipment. The business operates internationally, with Christchurch as its manufacturing, engineering and product development centre, supported by operations in Australia, the UK and the Czech Republic.

Wyma has continued to grow and develop over the past 27 years and is recognised for innovation, high-technology equipment and practical engineering solutions that help customers improve post-harvest handling performance. Its products are highly regarded in global fresh produce markets, supported by a strong focus on product development and continuous improvement.

Wyma is part of Fortifi Food Processing Solutions, a global food processing solutions group that also includes MHM Automation, Bettcher and Frontmatec. Through Fortifi, Wyma has the backing of a broader international group with complementary capability across food processing, automation and equipment solutions, while continuing to focus on its specialist strength in post-harvest vegetable and fruit handling equipment.

This is an opportunity to lead a capable engineering function in a growing international business, with real influence over how engineering capability, systems and product delivery continue to develop.

NOTE: FOSTERRA is exclusively managing this recruitment assignment on behalf of Wyma.