Production engineer

LeaderBrand Produce is a key employer in the Gisborne region and is established as one of New Zealand’s most recognised diverse horticultural and fresh food businesses. We are a family business with a team culture, and are looking for a dedicated Production Engineer to join our Fresh Cut team. Do you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment where no two days are the same, offer the ability to challenge yourself ensuring our operation runs smoothly and efficiently. Our mantra ‘from garden gate to dinner plate’ is all about providing superior quality fresh produce that tastes great to all Aotearoa whanau. ABOUT THE ROLE As a Process Engineer at LeaderBrand, your primary purpose is to play a pivotal role in optimising our production processes, ensuring efficiency, quality, and safety. You will be tasked with analysing existing processes to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement, driving continuous improvement initiatives, and establishing new standards. Your responsibilities encompass root cause analysis, fine-tuning machine settings, calculating the cost per area, machine, and providing training to our workforce. Based in our Gisborne office, the production engineer role is full-time and offers you the opportunity to showcase your versatility in a challenging and rewarding work environment. Minimum hours of work being 40 hours per week and the successful candidate will be available to support the Fresh Cut team as required. You will join a team of approximately 120 experienced production staff who are working on a five-day shift roster. The production engineer role involves: - Analyse existing processes to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement - Develop and implement strategies to optimize manufacturing processes and logistic - Design and test new processes to improve product quality and reduce production time - Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure smooth implementation of process improvements - Monitor process performance and identify opportunities for further optimisation - Provide technical support to production teams and troubleshoot process issues - Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards - Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance overall operational efficiency. ABOUT YOU LeaderBrand is seeking a production engineer who can offer: • Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills • Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities • Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment • Knowledge of process simulation software is a plus • Certification in Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing (preferred) • Previous experience in a continuous improvement environment • Proven experience as a process engineer or similar role • Food manufacturing experience • Machine operating and fault finding capabilities • Good communication skill, both written, oral and able to present to range of audiences • Mechanical process and physics knowledge • Has the ability to multi task, good organisational skills and strong attention to detail. The pay range for this role will be between $28 and $35 per hour (dependent on skills and experience you can bring to LeaderBrand). The minimum hours of work being 40 hours per week and the maximum hours of work being 60 per week. LEADERBRAND IS OFFERING • Great bunch of team mates • Modern work environment within a sustainable business • Permanent full-time employment • Opportunity to challenge yourself with rewarding personal growth • Competitive wages paid weekly • Service reward scheme • Birthday leave after completion of one year • Free hot lunch • Fresh produce to enjoy. As part of LeaderBrand’s employment agreement you will be required to undertake a pre-employment drug test, have NZ residency or valid working visa. If you feel this role is describing you, then please apply, include your current CV and cover letter telling us about your skills and experience to .