Lead Engineer: Smart Connected Factory Innovator

John Deere; New Zealand; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Health & safety programs

Training & development

Competitive remuneration

Job summary

Waratah NZ Limited, a John Deere company, seeks a Lead Engineer in Tokoroa, New Zealand, to drive Smart Connected Factory initiatives and digital transformation across manufacturing operations.

You will design and deploy automation and data-driven solutions, partner with IT and engineering teams, and mentor production staff to adopt new systems, reporting, and analytics for safer, more productive manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Engineering degree in Mechanical/Electrical/Industrial/Mechatronics
• 4+ years manufacturing/automation experience
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes and industrial engineering
• Experience with automation controls and equipment integration
• Data analytics and visualization skills (SQL, Power BI, Ignition)
• ERP/MES systems experience (SAP or IFS)

Responsibilities

• Provide daily technical support for manufacturing systems, automation and production tech
• Identify and implement Smart Connected Factory initiatives with measurable outcomes
• Lead deployment of manufacturing automation and digital solutions
• Design reports, dashboards and visualization tools (Power BI, SQL, Ignition)
• Collaborate with Global IT to resolve critical system and infrastructure issues
• Translate operational requirements into practical tech solutions
• Support continuous improvement through labour analysis and capacity planning
• Maintain manufacturing data integrity and ERP/MES integrations
• Participate in capital investment projects for equipment and facilities
• Train production teams on new systems and digital practices
• Drive root cause analysis across manufacturing and digital environments
• Collaborate across functions to deliver strategic transformations

Skills

Mechanical Eng

Electrical Eng

Industrial Eng

Computer Science

Data analytics

SQL

Power BI

ERP/MES integration

Industry 4.0

OT/IT integration

Education

University degree

Engineering degree

Tools

Ignition

SAP

IFS

Job description

Waratah NZ Limited, a John Deere company, seeks a Lead Engineer in Tokoroa, New Zealand, to drive Smart Connected Factory initiatives and digital transformation across manufacturing operations.

You will design and deploy automation and data-driven solutions, partner with IT and engineering teams, and mentor production staff to adopt new systems, reporting, and analytics for safer, more productive manufacturing.