Engineering Manager - Product Development

Fosterra Consulting Group; Auckland; On-site; NZD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Wyma, a global leader in post-harvest equipment, seeks an Engineering Manager to shape its product portfolio and engineering capability. Based at Christchurch Head Office, you will lead a multidisciplinary engineering function with 7 direct reports and 50+ staff across New Zealand and the Czech Republic, delivering world-leading products that meet customer needs.

This role requires a strong mechanical design background with product judgement, commercial awareness, and the ability to balance

Qualifications

• Experience leading managers and engineering teams.
• Ability to align engineering with product strategy and business goals.
• Strong mechanical product understanding and lifecycle management.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop engineering leaders and teams.
• Set product decisions, engineering priorities and trade-offs.
• Align engineering with product strategy, customer requirements and business objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement across engineering systems, processes, resource planning and product lifecycle management.
• Champion product performance, reliability, serviceability and manufacturability.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Product & Innovation, Sales, Project Delivery and Aftermarket.
• Strengthen engineering capability, succession planning and organisational effectiveness.

Skills

Leadership

Product thinking

Customer focus

Strategic judgement

Mechanical understanding

Job description

Engineering Manager - Product Development

• Senior Leadership Role - Product, Engineering & People Leadership
• Global Market-Focused NZ Manufacturer
• Market-Leading Capital Equipment & Machinery Products

THE OPPORTUNITY

Wyma has built a global reputation for designing and delivering reliable, high-performance post-harvest equipment and processing systems for the fresh produce industry. It’s success has been driven by a deep understanding of customer needs, practical innovation, and the ability to bring commercially successful products to market.

As Engineering Manager, you will help shape the future direction of Wyma's product portfolio and engineering capability. This is not a role for someone wanting to remain deeply involved in detailed design work. Instead, it is an opportunity for an engineering leader who combines a strong mechanical design background with product judgement, commercial awareness, and the ability to manage the continued product innovation versus delivery and client budget.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Reporting as part of Wyma's senior leadership team at their Christchurch Head Office, you will lead a multidisciplinary engineering function with 7 direct reports and a team of 50+staff across New Zealand and the Czech Republic. The team is responsible for developing, improving and supporting a diverse range of products and customer solutions serving global markets.

Your focus will be to ensure the business continues to deliver world leading products that are practical, reliable, commercially successful, and aligned with customer and market needs.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading and developing engineering leaders, technical specialists and broader engineering teams.
• Providing direction and guidance on product decisions, engineering priorities and technical trade-offs.
• Ensuring engineering activities are aligned with product strategy, customer requirements and business objectives.
• Driving continuous improvement across engineering systems, processes, resource planning and product lifecycle management.
• Championing product performance, reliability, serviceability and manufacturability.
• Working closely with Manufacturing, Product & Innovation, Sales, Project Delivery and Aftermarket teams to balance customer outcomes with commercial results.
• Strengthening engineering capability, succession planning and organisational effectiveness across the function.

WHAT WE ARE SEEKING

Success in this role will come from your ability to understand complex mechanical products, make sound product and engineering decisions, and lead others with your product design experience rather than personally solving every technical challenge.

You may have come from an engineering, product management, capital equipment, manufacturing, machinery or industrial technology background where you have developed a strong understanding of how products are designed, built, supported and improved throughout their lifecycle.

Product & Mechanical Understanding

A strong appreciation for mechanical products, equipment and systems, with the ability to evaluate design concepts, guide decision-making and assess product performance without necessarily being the most technically specialised person in the room.

Product Thinking & Customer Focus

An ability to view products through the lens of customer value, reliability, usability, serviceability and long-term commercial success. You understand how product decisions impact market competitiveness and customer outcomes.

Leadership Through Others

Proven success leading managers, engineers and technical professionals, building capability, creating accountability and developing future leaders.

Commercial & Strategic Judgement

The ability to balance customer requirements, engineering effort, manufacturing considerations, business objectives and investment priorities when making decisions.

THE COMPANY

Wyma is a global leader in the design and manufacture of post-harvest vegetable and fruit handling equipment, with Christchurch serving as its engineering, manufacturing and product development hub. Supported by operations in Australia, the UK and the Czech Republic, the company continues to grow through innovation, customer focus and world-class product development.

As part of Fortifi Food Processing Solutions, Wyma benefits from the support of a broader international group while retaining its specialist focus on delivering industry-leading post-harvest equipment solutions.

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