Engineering & Projects Manager

TRS Staffing Solutions; Canterbury; On-site; NZD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Rubisco is seeking an Engineering & Projects Manager to lead maintenance and capital projects at our Christchurch site. This hands-on role involves building a capable engineering team, managing budgets, and driving reliability across automation, PLCs and electrical systems.

You'll report to the General Manager – Operations and occasionally support the Ashburton site. NZ work rights are required; a strong safety culture is essential.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading engineering or maintenance teams in a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Mechanical or electrical background, ideally exposure to the other discipline.
• Experience managing capital projects, plant upgrades and installations through to commissioning.
• Sound knowledge of automation systems, PLCs and industrial controls.
• Experience implementing preventative maintenance systems or CMMS platforms.
• Mechanical trade or degree preferred, or engineering qualification with hands-on mechanical experience.
• Strong problem solving and root cause analysis skills, balancing priorities.
• Calm under pressure, self-motivated, hands-on with the team.
• Must hold current NZ work rights (residency or citizenship).

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the engineering team, building technical capability and succession planning
• Design and implement a preventative maintenance programme, moving the site away from reactive breakdown work
• Lead root cause investigations and drive continuous improvement in plant reliability
• Provide leadership across automation, PLC, HMI and electrical systems, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements
• Lead capital projects from concept through to commissioning, including scoping, budgeting and contractor coordination
• Manage contractor and supplier relationships, including service agreements
• Develop and manage engineering and maintenance budgets, including business cases for capital expenditure
• Promote and lead a strong safety culture across all engineering and project activity

Skills

Engineering leadership

Mechanical background

Electrical background

Capital projects management

Automation systems

CMMS experience

Root cause analysis

Safety culture

Hands-on

Education

Mechanical trade

Engineering degree

Engineering qualification

Tools

PLC, HMI and electrical systems

Job description

About the Role

Rubisco is looking for an Engineering & Projects Manager to take the lead across maintenance, and capital projects at their Christchurch manufacturing site. This is a genuinely hands‑on role, not a desk job. You’ll be working alongside an experienced team, getting to know a plant with a lot of history, and building the systems that will carry it into its next stage of growth.

You’ll be reporting to the General Manager – Operations and leading a small engineering team, with contractors and project resources brought in as needed. There’s also an Ashburton site that occasionally needs support, though it’s largely self‑sufficient at this stage.

About the Company

Rubisco is a New Zealand advanced materials company combining decades of natural fibre manufacturing expertise with next‑generation engineering to develop high‑performance fibre and bio‑composite solutions from wool and hemp. Their technologies are used across flooring, construction, architectural acoustics, advanced composites, transport and other industrial applications, delivering sustainable alternatives without compromising performance. Based in Christchurch, with a second manufacturing site in Ashburton, our facilities combine advanced processing, automation and continuous production to transform raw fibre through dyeing, blending, carding, spinning and finishing into engineered materials. As we continue to invest in new technologies, advanced manufacturing capability and international growth, Rubisco offers engineers the opportunity to help shape the future of natural materials.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the engineering team, building technical capability and succession planning
• Design and implement a preventative maintenance programme, moving the site away from reactive breakdown work
• Lead root cause investigations and drive continuous improvement in plant reliability
• Provide leadership across automation, PLC, HMI and electrical systems, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements
• Lead capital projects from concept through to commissioning, including scoping, budgeting and contractor coordination
• Manage contractor and supplier relationships, including service agreements
• Develop and manage engineering and maintenance budgets, including business cases for capital expenditure
• Promote and lead a strong safety culture across all engineering and project activity

What You’ll Bring

• Proven experience leading engineering or maintenance teams in a manufacturing or industrial environment
• Mechanical or electrical background both suitable, ideally with exposure to the other discipline as well
• Experience managing capital projects, plant upgrades and installations through to commissioning
• Sound knowledge of automation systems, PLCs and industrial controls
• Experience implementing preventative maintenance systems or CMMS platforms
• Mechanical trade or degree preferred. Or engineering qualification + learned mechanical experience
• Strong problem solving and root cause analysis skills, with the ability to balance operational, maintenance and project priorities
• Calm under pressure, self‑motivated, and comfortable getting hands‑on with the team
• Must hold current NZ work rights (residency or citizenship)