Product Development Technologist

Danone; Auckland; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance for you and family

Free life insurance

26 weeks parental leave

Employee Share Subscription Plan

Annual bonus scheme

Gym and cafe discounts

Job summary

Danone ANZ is seeking a Product Development Technologist in Auckland to drive end-to-end development of dairy-based infant/nutrition products. You will optimise processes, formulate nutritive powders, and integrate new solutions with operations, reporting to the Product Development Manager.

You will work with cross-functional teams to ensure timely delivery of high-quality product developments, while maintaining regulatory compliance and documentation across sites.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualification in Chemical Engineering, Food Science, Dairy Science, Life Science or Human Nutrition.
• Proven experience in a dairy or infant formula industry role.
• Familiarity with FSANZ/GB/FSMP regulations.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and MS Office.
• Strong written and verbal communication with stakeholders.
• Excellent organizational and planning abilities with flexibility in shifting priorities.

Responsibilities

• Champion product and process optimization to design cost-effective recipes and scalable improvements.
• Provide operational support at Auckland and Balclutha sites for portfolio maintenance and troubleshooting.
• Lead product development initiatives including formulation advancements, ingredient sourcing, trials and documentation.
• Identify productivity gains delivering measurable business value.
• Monitor and analyse product and plant performance to sustain excellence.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure successful project execution.

Skills

Dairy industry experience

Excel proficiency

Communication skills

Project coordination

Regulatory familiarity

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Chemical Engineering

Food Science

Dairy Science

Life Science

Human Nutrition

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Short Intro and About the Job

Are you seeking an exciting new opportunity in product development? Do you have a passion for technical innovation within the early life nutrition sector? We are delighted to offer a compelling position for a Product Development Technologist to join our skilled and dynamic Research & Innovation (R&I) team in Auckland. In this pivotal role, you will drive the end-to-end delivery of product development projects by leveraging your expertise in manufacturing process optimisation, nutritional powder formulation, and their integration. As a key contributor, you will play a central part in shaping innovative solutions and advancing our commitment to excellence in early life nutrition.

As a valued member of our team and reporting directly to the Product Development Manager, you will take ownership of delivering key product development outcomes, as well as leading impactful cross-functional initiatives. Your focus will be on ensuring projects are executed efficiently and to the highest quality standards, consistently exceeding business expectations.

Your responsibilities will include (but are not limited to):

• Champion the optimization of products and processes, focusing on cost-effective recipe design, strategic material selection, scalable product improvements, and the application of zero-based methodologies and tools.
• Deliver expert operational support at both the Auckland and Balclutha sites by ensuring the seamless maintenance and troubleshooting of established product portfolios.
• Drive product development initiatives, including formulation advancements, sourcing innovative ingredients, conducting trials and testing, and maintaining up-to-date technical documentation.
• Identify and implement productivity enhancements that deliver measurable value to the business.
• Oversee continuous monitoring, data collection, and analysis of product and plant process performance to ensure operational excellence.
• Collaborate proactively with cross-functional teams to ensure the successful execution of projects and achievement of strategic objectives.

About You

Bring your expertise as a product development technologist to the forefront, collaborate seamlessly across teams, contribute strong technical insights, and thrive in an inclusive, agile environment. Your hands-on experience in the fast-paced dairy or infant formula sector, especially managing technical portfolios, will be highly valued. Known for your positive energy, people skills, and ability to build rapport, you naturally foster great working relationships. As the key link between Research & Innovation and Operations, you’ll champion the smooth commercialisation of innovative powder formulations, ensuring clear processes and successful plant integration. Take this opportunity to drive plant performance, exceed KPIs, and shape leading-edge solutions in early life nutrition alongside a talented team.

To be successful, you will also have:

• A tertiary qualification in Chemical Engineering/Food Science/ Dairy Science /Life Science/Human Nutrition, or a closely related discipline
• Proven experience in a comparable role within the dairy or infant formula industry
• Familiarity withFSANZ/GB/FSMP regulations.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and the MS Office suite is highly regarded
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, enabling effective collaboration and stakeholder engagement
• Strong organizational and planning abilities, coupled with a flexible approach to managing shifting priorities in a dynamic environment

About Us, We offer and What's next

At Danone, we aim to inspire healthier and more sustainable eating and drinking practices, in line with our Vision - Danone, One Planet. One Health. We operate across four business lines:Essential Dairy and Plant-Based Products,Waters,and Specialised Nutrition. Our headquarters are in France, we have offices in 55 countries across the globe, and our products are sold in over 120 markets. We have been around for more than a century and are the proud owners of some of the best-known brands worldwide, including favorites like YoPro, Activia, Aptamil, and Karicare

Danone ANZ focuses on dairy and specialized nutrition products for infants and adults and is proud to be awarded the Great Place to Work accreditation winner for ANZ for the last 5 years in a row – a globally recognised program where we feature as one of Australia’s top places to work.

Visit our website,WE ARE DANONE, to know more about us.

WE OFFER

A high-performing, collaborative team culture

• Diverse and inclusive work environment
• Personalised learning opportunities to set you up for success

• Competitive Total Reward package including

• • Medical insurance paid for by the company for you and discounts for your whānau
  • Free life insurance
  • Flu vaccination, free annual medical checks, and free onsite car parking
  • 26 weeks of gender-neutral paid parental leave
  • Employee Share Subscription Plan after 12 months of service
  • Performance-related incentives and annual reviews
  • Discount on our products
  • Gym and cafe discounts.
  • Annual Bonus Scheme, Fresh fruit every day.
  • 4% Kiwisaver contribution and so much more!

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

We proudly affirm that we are anEqual Employment Opportunity employer, and our ambition is to foster an INCLUSIVE