Engineering

Kings Recruitment; Manawatū-Whanganui; On-site; NZD 138,000 - 193,000; Part time

Job summary

Kings Recruitment invites a Senior Process Engineer to design and deliver liquid processing systems for dairy, beverage and FMCG clients in New Zealand. The role involves hands-on work across workshop and site environments, commissioning, troubleshooting, and close collaboration with production teams to ensure high quality, compliant processing solutions.

The ideal candidate will bring practical, on-site problem solving, strong process engineering fundamentals, and experience in CIP, hygienic

Qualifications

• Design P&ID for liquid food (dairy, juice, sauces)
• Knowledge of pasteurisation, heat exchangers, temp control
• Experience in liquid food processing environments
• Selection/specification of pumps, valves, tanks, mixers, homogenisers
• Ability to write functionally descriptive FD’s for automation
• Budgeting, scheduling, procurement, installation coordination
• Knowledge of MPI requirements, hygienic design, CIP systems
• Autocad 2D modelling, technical reports & manuals
• Start-up, training operators, client support, post-installation validation

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver liquid processing systems including pumping, heat exchange, hygienic piping and CIP
• Work hands-on across workshop and site environments with production teams to commission systems
• Optimise performance and troubleshoot in live manufacturing environments
• Build trusted client relationships across the food and dairy sector
• Ensure solutions meet operational and food safety requirements

Skills

Process design

Thermal processing

Food manufacturing

Piping & equipment

Automation & control

Project management

Food safety & regs

CAD & docs

Commissioning & support

Job description

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Our Palmerston North based client is a specialist New Zealand engineering business delivering high-quality process solutions into the liquid food, dairy, beverage, and wider FMCG manufacturing sectors. Known for their practical, hands‑on approach, they partner closely with clients to design, build, install and support tailored processing systems that improve product quality, plant efficiency, hygiene standards, and yield optimisation.

Their solutions are trusted within demanding production environments where food safety, reliability, and compliance are critical. From milk and dairy processing through to beverage, and liquid food applications, they provide end‑to‑end engineering capability across the full project lifecycle.

They are busy and so are seeking the support of a Senior Process Engineer for a contract role for 3, or 6 or 9 months, potentially longer.

They need a practical, solutions‑focused Senior Process Engineer who enjoys working on real‑world processing challenges and seeing projects through from concept to commissioning and ideally has experience in liquid food, dairy, beverage, or FMCG processing environments.

The Opportunity

You will be involved in designing and delivering liquid processing systems, including pumping, heat exchange, hygienic pipework, CIP systems, and process flow optimisation, ensuring solutions meet both operational and food safety requirements.

In this role you will be hands‑on across workshop and site environments, working directly with production teams to commission systems, optimise performance, and troubleshoot plant issues in live manufacturing environments.

Success in this role will come from your ability to combine strong process engineering fundamentals with practical, on‑site problem‑solving, while building trusted relationships with clients across the food and dairy sector

Ideally, you will tick as many of these boxes as possible:

• Process Design & Engineering - Ability to P&ID design processes for liquid food industry including dairy, juice, sauces etc.
• Thermal Processing Knowledge - Knowledge of standard liquid food processing practices, including dairy, juice, sauces etc.Strong understanding of pasteurisation, heat exchangers, heating, cooling, and temperature control systems.
• Food Manufacturing Expertise - Knowledge of standard liquid food processing practices, including dairy, juice, sauces etc.
• Piping & Equipment Specification - Ability to select / specify pumps, valves, tanks, mixers, homogenisers, filtration systems, and associated process equipment.
• Automation & Control Systems - Be competent in writing FD’s for automation and control of systems
• Project Management - Skills in budgeting, scheduling, procurement, installation coordination, commissioning, and client communication.
• Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance - Knowledge of MPI requirements, hygienic design, CIP systems, and food safety regulations.
• CAD & Technical Documentation - Competent in Autocad 2D modelling, technical reports, specifications, and operating manuals.
• Commissioning & Customer Support - Capability to start up systems, train operators, support clients, and validate process performance after installation

Remuneration

• Depending on your experience, the hourly rate will be between $100- $140 an hour