Senior Dairy Product Innovation Lead (Fixed-Term)

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

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful innovation

Iconic brands

Cross-functional exposure

Professional development

Collaborative culture

Job summary

Goodman Fielder in New Zealand is seeking a Senior Product Development Technologist – Dairy to lead product development and innovation across our dairy portfolio from concept through to commercialisation.

This fixed‑term opportunity runs through to the end of August 2027, where you'll take ownership of projects from formulation and bench trials through to factory trials and commercialisation, combining dairy expertise with strong project management and commercial thinking.

Qualifications

• 5+ years' product development experience within a dairy industry, FMCG or food manufacturing environment.
• A degree in Dairy/Food Technology, Food Science or a related discipline.
• Strong dairy product development experience across high-protein UHT RTD/beverage, yoghurt, cultured dairy products, cheese, or whipping cream.
• Hands-on experience with bench trials, factory trials, sensory evaluation and product commercialisation.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results at pace.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and stakeholder management skills.
• A proactive, collaborative mindset, with the confidence to challenge thinking and turn ideas into action.
• Knowledge of food regulatory requirements, quality standards and food safety.
• Motivation to learn and develop AI skills

Responsibilities

• Lead new dairy product development, product improvements and cost-saving initiatives from concept to commercialisation.
• Manage project plans, timelines, costing and technical specifications to achieve agreed outcomes.
• Partner with Marketing, Operations, Quality and other stakeholders to bring products to market.
• Ensure products and processes meet regulatory, HACCP, quality and safety requirements.
• Coach and support junior technologists, sharing expertise and building team capability.
• Due to the export nature of many of our products, fluency in Mandrin would be beneficial

Education

Degree in Dairy/Food Technology, Food Science or related

Job description

Goodman Fielder in New Zealand is seeking a Senior Product Development Technologist – Dairy to lead product development and innovation across our dairy portfolio from concept through to commercialisation.

This fixed‑term opportunity runs through to the end of August 2027, where you'll take ownership of projects from formulation and bench trials through to factory trials and commercialisation, combining dairy expertise with strong project management and commercial thinking.