Senior Mechanical Engineer

Gallagher Animal Management; Hamilton; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and incentive

Free parking

On-site café

Life and disability insurance

Staff discounts

Team events and lunches

Career development opportunities

Job summary

eShepherd is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer in Hamilton to design and develop the physical hardware behind our virtual fencing technology, taking concepts through prototyping, testing and production readiness. You'll work in a multidisciplinary R&D team within Gallagher-backed growth, turning field insights into robust, manufacturable solutions for demanding farm environments.

You'll mentor junior engineers, contribute to design reviews, and help ensure safety and environmental compliance

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Engineering or equivalent qualification.
• At least five years of mechanical engineering experience in R&D or hardware.
• Experience in hardware product development or similar environment.
• Strong knowledge of injection-moulded plastics and material selection.
• Proficient CAD with Creo, including GD&T and drawing release.
• Experience with DFM/DFMEA and identifying design risks early.
• Ability to diagnose mechanical failures and implement improvements.
• Understanding of safety and environmental standards.
• Clear communication to explain design decisions and trade-offs.

Responsibilities

• Design robust, cost-effective mechanical solutions for new and existing products.
• Develop manufacturable designs balancing customer, reliability, regulatory and commercial needs.
• Take concepts through detailed mechanical design, prototyping, testing and production readiness.
• Identify risks early and develop practical solutions.
• Lead and contribute to design reviews, DFM reviews and DFMEA.
• Investigate failures using root cause analysis and implement improvements.
• Translate field insights into engineering actions and product improvements.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, procurement and suppliers on changes and production readiness.
• Support investigations with field services and customer teams.
• Mentor junior engineers and improve team design quality.
• Use testing and iteration to make evidence-based engineering decisions.

Skills

Mechanical design

R&D hardware

Cross-functional

Prototyping

DFM/DFMEA

GD&T

Creo CAD

Safety standards

Education

Bachelor of Engineering

Tools

PTC Creo

GD&T

DFMEA tools

Job description

Design the physical hardware behind virtual fencing technology that is changing how livestock is managed.

At eShepherd, we're reimagining what's possible on farm.

Our virtual fencing technology combines solar-powered neckbands, software, data and on-farm support to give farmers greater control over livestock movement and grazing. It's technology designed for the real world, which means the hardware needs to perform reliably in tough, unpredictable farming conditions.

We're looking for a Senior Mechanical Engineer to join our eShepherd R&D team in Hamilton and play a key role in designing, developing and continuously improving the physical hardware behind our technology.

This is a hands‑on engineering role where you'll work across the full product lifecycle, from early concepts and detailed design through to prototyping, testing, production, field performance and continuous improvement.

You'll work within multidisciplinary project teams alongside electronics, firmware, product, manufacturing, procurement, customer success and field services, turning real-world insights into smarter, more robust product designs.

What you'll do

• Design robust, cost-effective mechanical solutions for new products and improvements to existing products.
• Develop practical, manufacturable designs that balance customer, reliability, regulatory and commercial requirements.
• Take concepts through detailed mechanical design, prototyping, testing and production readiness.
• Identify technical and design risks early and develop practical solutions.
• Lead and contribute to design reviews, DFM reviews and DFMEA activities.
• Investigate mechanical failures, field performance and reliability concerns, using root cause analysis to understand what is happening and why.
• Translate field and customer insights into engineering actions and meaningful product improvements.
• Work closely with manufacturing, procurement and suppliers on product changes, component development and production readiness.
• Support technical investigations alongside field services and customer-facing teams.
• Mentor junior engineers and help strengthen engineering capability and design quality across the team.
• Use evidence, testing and iteration to make sound engineering decisions, particularly where there isn't an obvious answer.

What you'll bring

You’ll be an experienced mechanical engineer who enjoys the challenge of designing products that need to perform outside the lab.

Ideally, You'll Bring

• A Bachelor of Engineering or equivalent qualification.
• At least five years' relevant mechanical engineering experience.
• Experience within R&D, product development or a similar hardware environment.
• Strong practical knowledge of injection-moulded plastic design and material selection.
• Demonstrated experience designing functional mechanical components and mechanisms.
• Strong CAD capability, ideally PTC Creo, including part and assembly modelling, GD&T and drawing release.
• Experience with DFM, DFMEA and identifying design risks early in the development process.
• Strong problem-solving skills, including the ability to diagnose root causes of mechanical failure and turn findings into design improvements.
• An understanding of designing products to meet safety and environmental standards.
• Clear communication skills and the ability to explain design intent, engineering decisions and technical trade-offs to different audiences.

Just as importantly, you'll be comfortable navigating ambiguity and making progress without needing every answer upfront. You'll know when to analyse deeper, when to test, and when there is enough evidence to make a practical engineering decision and keep moving.

Why eShepherd?

This is engineering you can see working in the real world.

Our technology is helping customers move cattle remotely, manage grazing more precisely, use labour differently and create grazing areas without relying solely on physical fencing.

eShepherd brings together the energy and opportunity of a fast-growing AgTech business with the backing of Gallagher, a company that has been solving problems alongside farmers for more than 88 years.

You'll have the opportunity to work on physical products used in demanding environments, solve genuinely interesting engineering problems and influence how our technology evolves as we continue to grow.

As Part Of Team Gallagher, You'll Enjoy

• Competitive salary and annual incentive opportunity.
• Free parking, subsidised on-site café and great eateries nearby.
• Life and disability insurance.
• Boost App membership and Gallagher staff discounts across NZ retailers.
• Team events, guest speakers, social activities and regular team lunches.
• Genuine opportunities to develop your career within a global technology company.

If you're a mechanical engineer who loves turning complex, real-world problems into practical products that work, this is an opportunity to make an impact you can actually see.