Head of Engineering and Asset Optimisation

Vitaco Group; Whangarei; On-site; NZD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Product discounts

Wellness initiatives

Naturopathic advice

Birthday day off

Job summary

Vitaco in New Zealand seeks an experienced engineering leader to oversee maintenance and asset management across multiple manufacturing sites. You will drive safety, reliability and operational excellence while developing a structured lifecycle framework and an Asset Management Roadmap that supports growth.

You will lead about 16 engineers, coach teams, and collaborate with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain and Capital Projects to optimise performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical or Industrial Engineering.
• Extensive FMCG or complex manufacturing leadership experience.
• Proven multi-site leadership across manufacturing sites.
• Strong expertise in Reliability Centered Maintenance and asset lifecycle management.
• Experience driving continuous improvement and digital transformation initiatives.
• Strong budgeting and capital planning.
• Outstanding stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Safety, quality and operational excellence passion.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Engineering and Maintenance function across multiple sites.
• Develop and maintain Vitaco’s Asset Management System, governance and lifecycle processes.
• Drive reliability improvement via FMEA, root cause analysis and defect elimination.
• Develop and embed a best-in-class Reliability Centered Maintenance framework.
• Build a high-performing engineering culture through coaching and leadership.
• Lead continuous improvement and digital manufacturing initiatives.
• Lead digital engineering and manufacturing initiatives including CMMS governance and MES integration.
• Manage engineering budgets, maintenance planning and long-term asset replacement strategies.
• Lead spare parts optimisation, inventory governance and risk mitigation.
• Partner with Operations, Capital Projects, Quality, Supply Chain and Safety to deliver outcomes.
• Ensure world-class Health, Safety, Quality and Environmental standards across all activities.
• Establish engineering standards and contractor governance across sites.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Asset management

RCM framework

Digital transformation

Budgeting

Capital planning

Stakeholder management

Safety culture

Cross-site leadership

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical or Industrial Engineering

Tools

CMMS

MES

Job description

About Vitaco

At Vitaco, our vision is Empowering Healthier Lives.

We are one of Australasia's leading health and wellness companies, employing more than 650 people across New Zealand and Australia. Our portfolio includes trusted brands such as Musashi, Nutra-Life, Healtheries, Athena and Balance, with products manufactured and distributed to customers across Australasia and more than 30 countries worldwide.

We're incredibly proud to have been recognised as an HRD 5-Star Employer of Choice for two consecutive years (2025 & 2026), reflecting our commitment to creating a workplace where our people can thrive.

About The Role

Reporting to the General Manager Operations, you'll lead a multidisciplinary engineering function responsible for ensuring our manufacturing assets operate safely, reliably and efficiently across multiple sites.

You’ll be responsible for embedding best‑practice asset care, leading reliability‑centered maintenance initiatives, improving equipment performance and partnering closely with Operations, Capital Projects and Supply Chain to maximise manufacturing performance and support future growth.

You will also lead the development and execution of Vitaco’s Asset Management Strategy and 5‑Year Asset Management Roadmap, ensuring assets are managed through a structured lifecycle framework that optimises safety, compliance, reliability, risk and total cost of ownership.

Leading a team of approximately 16 engineering professionals, including six direct reports, you’ll foster a culture of safety, accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement while working closely with the wider Operations Leadership Team.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the Engineering and Maintenance function across multiple manufacturing sites.
• Develop and maintain Vitaco’s Asset Management System, ensuring governance, standards and lifecycle processes support sustainable manufacturing performance.
• Drive reliability improvement through the application of asset criticality, FMEA, root cause analysis and defect elimination methodologies.
• Develop and embed a best-in-class Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) framework.
• Build a positive, high‑performing engineering culture through coaching and leadership.
• Lead continuous improvement and digital manufacturing initiatives.
• Lead digital engineering and manufacturing initiatives including CMMS governance, engineering master data quality, MES integration, data analytics and predictive maintenance capabilities.
• Manage engineering budgets, maintenance planning and long‑term asset replacement strategies.
• Lead spare parts optimisation, inventory governance and critical asset support strategies to minimise operational risk and optimise working capital.
• Partner with Operations, Capital Projects, Quality, Supply Chain and Safety teams to deliver outstanding business outcomes.
• Ensure world‑class Health, Safety, Quality and Environmental standards are maintained across all engineering activities.
• Establish engineering standards, contractor governance and lifecycle project handover requirements across all manufacturing sites.

About You

You’re an experienced engineering leader who enjoys solving complex problems, developing people and creating sustainable operational improvements.

To Be Successful In This Role You’ll Bring

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical or Industrial Engineering.
• Extensive engineering leadership experience within FMCG, food manufacturing or another complex manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience leading engineering teams across multiple manufacturing sites.
• Strong expertise in Reliability Centered Maintenance, preventative maintenance and asset management.
• Strong expertise in asset lifecycle management, reliability engineering and risk‑based maintenance strategies.
• Experience driving continuous improvement and digital transformation initiatives.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including budgeting and capital planning.
• Outstanding stakeholder management and communication skills.
• A leadership style that builds trust, accountability and high‑performing teams.
• Demonstrated success developing technical capability, succession planning and engineering leadership pipelines.
• A genuine passion for safety, quality and operational excellence.

Why Join Vitaco?

• Competitive salary with annual salary review
• Discounts on our amazing health and wellness products.
• Access to wellness initiatives and subsidised onsite café.
• Naturopathic advice from in‑house experts.
• A fun, supportive team environment that champions collaboration and innovation.
• Celebrate your birthday with a day off!

Applications will be considered before the closing date.