Senior Project Manager

Synlait; Dunsandel; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Parental leave

Social Club membership

Job summary

Synlait is seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to join our Revenue Office team and deliver strategic, cross-functional initiatives across the business. You will drive projects from initiation through delivery, influencing stakeholders and ensuring value, safety, and quality.

You will lead governance, develop artefacts, manage risks, and report progress to senior leadership while enabling strategic growth and operational excellence. This role sits in Canterbury with on-site delivery.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years’ experience managing complex cross-functional projects.
• Experience delivering projects on time, within budget, and to quality standards.
• Proven ability to influence teams in matrix environments without direct authority.
• Strong governance, reporting, and stakeholder-management capabilities.
• Experience with risk management, planning, and decision making.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of strategic projects aligned to scope, schedule, budget, and quality expectations.
• Establish and maintain project governance, reporting, and escalation processes.
• Develop and manage artefacts including business cases, project plans, budgets, risk registers, and status reports.
• Identify, manage, and mitigate project risks, issues, and interdependencies.
• Drive alignment across business functions to achieve project outcomes.
• Build relationships with internal stakeholders, customers, vendors, and project partners.
• Lead cross-functional teams to deliver outcomes and provide clear reporting to senior leaders.
• Champion continuous improvement in PM practices, tools, and frameworks.
• Ensure compliance with health, safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional leadership

Matrix environment

Governance

Executive reporting

Risk & issues management

Commercial acumen

Problem solving

Decision making

Education

Tertiary qualification in Business

Engineering

Food science

Related discipline

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

We're looking for an experienced Senior Project Manager to join our Revenue Office team and lead the successful delivery of strategic, cross-functional projects across Synlait.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced project professional who thrives in complex environments, enjoys influencing a wide range of stakeholders, and can confidently drive projects from initiation through to delivery. You'll play a key role in enabling strategic growth, operational excellence, and business transformation while ensuring projects are delivered safely, efficiently, and successfully.

What you'll be doing

In this role, you'll lead the delivery of high-impact projects while providing strong governance, stakeholder engagement, and project leadership. You'll:

Lead end-to-end delivery of strategic projects, ensuring alignment to scope, schedule, budget, and quality expectations.

Establish and maintain effective project governance, reporting, and escalation processes.

Develop and manage key project artefacts including business cases, project plans, budgets, risk registers, and status reports.

Identify, manage, and mitigate project risks, issues, and interdependencies.

Drive alignment across business functions to achieve shared project outcomes.

Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders, customers, vendors, and project partners.

Lead and influence cross-functional project teams to deliver successful outcomes.

Provide clear project reporting and insights to stakeholders at all levels, including senior leaders.

Champion continuous improvement in project management practices, tools, and frameworks.

Ensure compliance with health and safety, quality, and regulatory requirements throughout project delivery.

What you'll bring

We're looking for someone who combines strong project delivery expertise with excellent leadership and stakeholder management skills. You'll have:

At least 5 years' experience managing complex, cross-functional projects.

A proven track record of delivering projects on time, within budget, and to agreed quality standards.

Experience leading and influencing teams in matrix environments without direct authority.

Strong experience working within structured project governance frameworks.

Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.

Strong communication and executive reporting capabilities.

Advanced problem-solving, planning, and decision-making skills.

Commercial acumen and the ability to balance risk, cost, and value.

A tertiary qualification in Business, Engineering, Food Science, or a related discipline is preferred.

Project Management certification such as PMP or PRINCE2 would be advantageous.

Previous experience delivering projects within the dairy, infant formula, food manufacturing, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments will be highly regarded.

About us

Synlait is a dynamic, purpose-led milk nutrition company that is Doing Milk Differently for a Healthier World!

We pride ourselves on being different and allowing our spirit to drive our success, shifting perceptions and creating value through new thinking and a new attitude.

You’ll be joining down-to-earth, authentic people working together to create the very best in milk nutrition. We combine expert farming with innovative thinking and state-of-the-art processing to produce a range of nutritional milk products for customers around the world.

We will challenge you by providing opportunities to grow and develop your career. We believe everyone brings unique experiences and perspectives to the table, and we’re committed to creating an inclusive workplace where diversity drives innovation and business success.

What we offer

Health insurancecover& Partnered with top brands for great benefits and discounts

Excellent parental leave with our Matua policy

Social Club membership opportunities

Together, we'll continue creating a workplace where everyone can thrive and contribute their best.