Electrical and Instrumentation Lead

Abbott; Pokeno; On-site; NZD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Abbott in New Zealand is seeking an Electrical and Instrumentation Lead to oversee operations at the Pokeno site. You will ensure equipment safety, reliability, and cost-effective maintenance to meet manufacturing targets, fostering a world-class maintenance culture.

Lead technical and maintenance teams, drive planning and scheduling of maintenance activities, and collaborate across departments to optimize site performance. Abbott values growth, diversity, and a strong safety culture.

Qualifications

• Mechanical or Electrical NZQA Level 4 trade or equivalent.
• Proficient in CMMS software.
• NZ qualified electrician.
• Arc flash and/or hazardous area qualifications preferred.
• Desirable dairy/engineering qualifications.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor maintenance staff to uphold safety and quality.
• Deploy maintenance strategy including preventive and corrective work.
• Collaborate with other Leads, Schedulers and Leads to plan site work.
• Own resource coordination for rapid equipment breakdown resolution.
• Identify and eliminate maintenance-related losses across the facility.
• Build relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Skills

Team leadership

Maintenance planning

Preventive maintenance

Equipment troubleshooting

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder management

Continuous improvement

Education

NZQA Level 4 trade (Mechanical or Electrical)

NZ qualified electrician

NZCE / Diploma in Engineering

Tools

CMMS software

Job description

Abbott is a global healthcare leader, creating breakthrough science to improve people’s health. We’re always looking towards the future, anticipating changes in medical science and technology.

Our nutrition business develops science-based nutrition products for people of all ages, from helping babies and children grow, to keeping adult bodies strong and active. Millions of people around the world count on our leading brands, including Similac®, PediaSure®, Pedialyte®, Ensure® and Glucerna®, to help get the nutrients they need to live their healthiest life.

Working at Abbott

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.


• Benefits that support you and your family to stay healthy, financially secure, and supported throughout life's journey, including comprehensive medical insurance coverage, wellbeing support, and competitive rewards that recognize your contributions.


• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.

The Opportunity

Electrical and Instrumentation Lead, oversee operations within our production facility. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring that all equipment operates safely, reliably, and is maintained cost-effectively to consistently meet our manufacturing targets. A core focus of this position is driving a world-class maintenance culture through leadership, asset optimization, and continuous improvement.

What You’ll Do

• Team Leadership & Mentoring : Guide, develop, and mentor operational and technical maintenance staff to support a high-performing, safety & quality first culture.


• Planning & Scheduling Deployment : Deploy and the plant's maintenance strategy by driving the planning and scheduling of both preventative and corrective maintenance activities.


• Cross-Department Collaboration : Partner closely with other area Maintenance Leads, Production Schedulers and Production Leads to effectively plan, schedule, and execute site-wide work.


• Breakdown Resolution : Take full ownership of internal and external resource coordination to ensure rapid and effective equipment breakdown resolution.


• Loss Elimination : Support to Identify, minimize, and eliminate maintenance- and breakdown-related operational losses across the facility.


• Stakeholder Management : Build and maintain robust professional relationships with key internal and external stakeholders across the processing plant.

Requirements

Essential

• Mechanical or Electrical NZQA Level 4 trade or equivalent


• CMMS software experience


• NZ qualified electrician,


• Having Arc flash and/or hazardous area qualifications would be preferred.

Desirable

• NZCE, Dairy Degree or Engineering Diploma


• Strong coaching, and team development skills.


• Effective maintenance planning, scheduling, and prioritisation capability.


• Strong problem-solving and root cause analysis skills.


• Ability to coordinate resources and manage equipment breakdowns effectively.


• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills.


• Continuous improvement mindset focused on reliability and loss elimination.


• Sound knowledge of maintenance systems, safety, and compliance requirements.

Location

This position is based in Pokeno, Waikato.

Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity.

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal