Project Manager - Innovation

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

Innovation at Silver Fern Farms is about turning great ideas into meaningful outcomes.

As our Innovation Project Manager, you'll lead the successful delivery of a diverse portfolio of projects spanning new product development, packaging innovation, sustainability initiatives, operational improvements and commercial growth opportunities.

Reporting to the Innovation Portfolio Manager, you'll play a key role in strengthening project delivery capability and supporting the successful execution of Silver Fern Farms' innovation strategy, bringing together several internal & external partners to move innovation from concept through to implementation.

You'll be the person who creates momentum, connects stakeholders, removes roadblocks and ensures projects progress through our innovation process with clear plans, strong governance and disciplined execution. You'll balance commercial thinking with practical delivery, helping the business bring innovations to market faster while delivering value for customers, farmers and Silver Fern Farms.

This is a permanent role based out of our Dunedin Hub.

You're an experienced project professional who thrives in complex environments and enjoys bringing people together to achieve results. You can confidently manage multiple priorities, navigate ambiguity and build strong relationships across all levels of a business.

You're motivated by seeing ideas become reality and delivering outcomes that make a genuine difference.

Most importantly, culture is a big part of how the Innovation team operates. We work openly, challenge when it’s needed, support each other, and celebrate success together. You’ll be someone who is not only a strong project leader, but also a collaborative team player who enjoys building trust, sharing knowledge and contributing to a high-performing team environment.

To be successful in this role, you'll have:

• 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.

Te Ahurea | Why work at Silver Fern Farms?

Silver Fern Farms are all about Creating Goodness from the Farms the World Needs. Creating goodness is about taking a broader view of what goodness means and how we can create it and the impact it can have. That Goodness is created through the work of our People, the skill & expertise of our Farmers and our customers around the globe. 'Goodness' is also about being good to people and communities, animal welfare, and showing care and respect for the environment.

We offer subsidised health and life insurance, the opportunity to continuously learn and develop and we support a work life balance with our flexible work policy.

Silver Fern Farms welcomes people from all backgrounds and walks of life. We are proud to have a diverse and inclusive environment and are committed to providing equal opportunities for all team members and applicants. Come and create goodness together with us. You can see more about our commitments to our people and their work by visiting our Belong Here webpage: https://careers.silverfernfarms.com/nz/en/belong-here