Innovation Project Lead – Food & Packaging Solutions

Silver Fern Farms Limited; Dunedin; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance (subsidised)

Life insurance (subsidised)

Learning and development opportunities

Flexible work policy

Work-life balance

Job summary

Silver Fern Farms Limited in Dunedin is seeking an Innovation Project Manager to lead a diverse portfolio of initiatives from new product development to packaging and sustainability. You will coordinate cross-functional teams, manage plans, governance and budgets, and guide projects from concept through to market.

This permanent role focuses on turning ideas into practical value for customers and farmers, building strong relationships and delivering measurable results in a fast-moving food

Qualifications

• Experience delivering projects within food manufacturing, FMCG, product development, innovation or similarly complex environments.
• Strong project management capability across planning, governance, budgeting, risk management and stakeholder engagement.
• Experience leading cross-functional projects and influencing outcomes across diverse stakeholder groups.
• An understanding of innovation, new product development or stage-gate delivery frameworks.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to balance analytical thinking, creativity and practical execution.
• A tertiary qualification in Food Technology, Food Science, Regulatory Affairs, Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent industry experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead the successful delivery of a diverse portfolio of projects spanning new product development, packaging innovation, sustainability initiatives, operational improvements and commercial growth opportunities.
• Support the Innovation Portfolio Manager by strengthening project delivery capability and governance.
• Create momentum, connect stakeholders, remove roadblocks and ensure projects progress through the innovation process.
• Balance commercial thinking with practical delivery to bring innovations to market faster and deliver value for customers, farmers and Silver Fern Farms.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Budgeting

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Tertiary qualification in Food Technology or related

Job description

Silver Fern Farms Limited in Dunedin is seeking an Innovation Project Manager to lead a diverse portfolio of initiatives from new product development to packaging and sustainability. You will coordinate cross-functional teams, manage plans, governance and budgets, and guide projects from concept through to market.

This permanent role focuses on turning ideas into practical value for customers and farmers, building strong relationships and delivering measurable results in a fast-moving food