Senior Quality Engineer

Abbott Laboratories; Pokeno; On-site; NZD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Abbott in New Zealand (Pokeno, Waikato) is seeking a Senior Quality Engineer to lead design control, qualification and CAPA activities in manufacturing. You will drive project planning, ensure regulatory compliance, and develop robust change control documentation.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, at least five years in a similar position within food manufacturing, and strong analytical, technical writing and cross‑functional collaboration skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a related field.
• Minimum 5 years in a similar role or in food manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of quality systems and regulations.
• Experience with investigations and CAPA.
• Detail-oriented with clear reporting and stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

• Understand design control processes and lead projects to ensure compliance.
• Execute qualification/validation activities for engineering projects.
• Analyze complex interdisciplinary problems and assess impact.
• Set complex design and process requirements.
• Juggle multiple priorities with trackable schedules.
• Capture complex technical requirements, cause/effect, and risks in design plans.
• Work with engineers, quality and global operations to ensure policy compliance.
• Execute design control and CAPA activities.

Skills

Quality engineering

Regulatory knowledge

Project management

Technical writing

Cross-functional teamwork

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Abbott is a global healthcare leader, creating breakthrough science to improve people’s health. We’re always looking towards the future, anticipating changes in medical science and technology.

Our nutrition business develops science-based nutrition products for people of all ages, from helping babies and children grow, to keeping adult bodies strong and active. Millions of people around the world count on our leading brands – including Similac®, PediaSure®, Pedialyte®, Ensure® and Glucerna® – to help get the nutrients they need to live their healthiest life.

Working at Abbott

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life. You will have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
• Benefits that support you and your family to stay healthy, financially secure, and supported throughout life's journey - including comprehensive medical insurance coverage, wellbeing support, and competitive rewards that recognize your contributions.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.

The Opportunity

As the Senior Quality Engineer, the Senior Quality Engineer is responsible for activities related to the design, control, qualification, specification and corrective and preventative action associated with manufacturing in the plants they support. They lead the design planning efforts and track completion for complex projects, documentation for projects to support change control policies and lead risk management activities. They also get involved and either lead or support the more complex CAPA activities.

What You’ll Do

• Understands design control processes and lead projects to ensure compliance with the process.
• Execute qualification/validation activities to support engineering projects.
• Analyze complex interdisciplinary problems and identifies their impact, establishes probabilities, draws conclusions reflecting broad business needs, understands organizational and financial impact of recommendations, e.g., applies regulatory requirements and recommends best course of action, sets complex design and process requirements.
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities, establishes workable and trackable schedules.
• Strong technical writing skills to capture complex technical requirements, cause/effect and risks in design plans, qualifications, and investigations.
• Strong verbal communications to work with engineers, quality and global operations team members to ensure compliance to division policies.
• Position is responsible for execution of design control and CAPA activities.

Requirements

• Desired, not essential, Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Science, Technical or related field and/or an equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Minimum 5 years in a similar position or in food manufacturing; Working knowledge of applicable regulations, compliance requirements, quality systems, and engineering / quality principles as relates to applicable manufacturing environment, preferably consumable goods.
• Applies, quality-focused thinking and strong project management skills to plan and conduct effective investigations, delivering outcomes in a timely manner.
• Demonstrates high attention to detail to ensure accuracy within Quality System documentation, alongside clear written and verbal communication for concise reporting and stakeholder engagement at all levels.
• Works independently with confidence, managing responsibilities and ensuring consistent, reliable outputs.

Location

This position is based in Pokeno, Waikato.

Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity.

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