At Dairy Goat Co-operative, we're proud to be world leaders in goat milk nutrition. From our base in Waikato, New Zealand, we manufacture premium goat milk products that are exported to 30 countries around the globe. Innovation, quality, and continuous improvement are at the heart of everything we do, helping us deliver trusted nutrition to families worldwide.
As we continue to grow and evolve, we're looking for a Senior Manufacturing Technologist to help strengthen our manufacturing capability and support the successful delivery of future products, processes and operational improvements.
About the Role:
Reporting to the Head of Site Manufacturing, this newly created senior role offers the opportunity to provide technical leadership across DGC’s processing plants and help shape the future of our manufacturing operations.
Working in partnership with plant and technical teams, you will bring together the expertise needed to assess new products and process changes, guide trials and commercial implementation, and strengthen manufacturing performance.
The role combines technical depth with broad business influence. You will lead complex investigations and inform decisions on future manufacturing capability, plant investment and major projects.
You will also help strengthen the standards, process knowledge and data-led decision-making that support reliable manufacturing performance and DGC’s future growth.
About the Responsibilities:
In this role you will:
- Lead manufacturing feasibility assessments for new products, formulations and process changes.
- Provide manufacturing technical leadership through trials, scale-up and commercial implementation.
- Drive process optimisation and technical improvement initiatives across DGC's manufacturing plants.
- Lead investigations to address complex manufacturing challenges and improve product performance.
- Assess plant capacity and constraints to inform future capability and investment decisions.
- Coordinate Manufacturing's technical contribution to major projects and strategic initiatives.
- Strengthen manufacturing standards, process knowledge and data-led decision-making across the site.
About You:
You are an experienced manufacturing professional with strong technical judgement and a practical understanding of complex manufacturing processes. You enjoy using data and structured analysis to solve difficult problems and turn technical findings into clear recommendations.
You can lead technical work across plant teams and technical functions, bringing people together around a shared outcome without needing direct authority. You communicate clearly, challenge assumptions constructively and are comfortable influencing decisions at both operational and leadership levels.
Curious, collaborative and improvement-focused, you balance technical depth with an understanding of the wider manufacturing context and what is required to deliver sustainable results.
To Succeed You Will Bring:
- A tertiary qualification in Food Technology, Dairy Science, Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, or a related field.
- Strong technical experience within dairy, nutritional, infant formula, food, or another complex manufacturing environment.
- Experience leading technical projects, manufacturing trials, scale-up, validation, and process improvement.
- Strong analytical capability, including data interpretation, process modelling, and problem-solving skills.
- A sound understanding of product-process interactions and manufacturing systems.
- Knowledge of GMP, food safety, quality systems, change control, validation, and regulatory requirements.
- Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives and influence outcomes across plant teams and technical functions.
What We Offer:
- A competitive salary and discretionary bonus.
- A senior technical role with the scope to lead initiatives and work directly with site leadership.
- The chance to grow with an ambitious, progressive exporter expanding into new markets.
- Employee benefit insurances and the lifestyle appeal of Hamilton and the wider Waikato region.
- A diverse, multicultural workforce and an equal opportunities employer.
Apply Now
If you're passionate about manufacturing excellence and want to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of goat milk nutrition, we'd love to hear from you.
Apply today and become part of a business that is making a difference to families around the world.
Applications close on 30 November 2026, and are directed through our Applicant Tracking System, ELMO.