Process Manager / Senior Process Manager

Date: 9 Mar 2026

Country: New Zealand

Location:

Tokaroa, NZ

Function: Operations

About Us

As a leading provider of high-quality food and beverage ingredients, we work with farming communities across the globe to grow, source and produce ingredients that are good for consumers, farmers, and the world around us. We supply household food brands and manufacturers worldwide with cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts and spices ingredients which are often grown on our own farms and estates and sourced from hundreds of thousands of farmers across ~50 countries. Along with our diverse manufacturing and innovation capabilities, this means we can provide ingredients for a range of products, from a plant-based latte mix to an almond based snack bar or a dairy-free ice cream.  Making a positive impact on people and planet is a core component of our Purpose, to be the change for good food and a healthy future. With a deep-rooted presence in the countries where our ingredients are grown, we are closer to farmers, enabling better quality, and more reliable, traceable, and transparent supply. And whoever we’re with, whatever we’re doing, we always make it real.

Dairy

Dairy products have long been a nutritious part of diets worldwide. We keep dairy moving around the world with our supply chain expertise and on-the-ground capabilities. Our dairy supply chain and operations span 25 countries across 6 continents, with an estimated 300,000 cows producing the milk needed for our ingredients. Most of our dairy ingredients are sourced from a portfolio of manufacturers and suppliers across North America, South America, Europe, and Oceania.

ofi’s first dairy production facility is in Johor, producing filled milk powder and blended dairy ingredients. Our Malaysia plant is also the heart of dairy innovation, developing customized dairy solutions for fast-growing markets in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

ofi’s second dairy production facility is in Tokoroa, close to hundreds of quality dairy farms in the Waikato region – the heartland of New Zealand’s dairy industry. Today, we partner with more than 100 dairy farmers who supply raw milk to our plant.

We strive to provide solutions for our customers that deliver environmental benefits while minimizing industry challenges. Our biomass boiler and animal feed, formulated with almond by-product for dairy cows in New Zealand, are excellent examples of this ambition

Job Description

The Process Manager / Senior Manager reports to the Site Manager. He/she is responsible for leading and supporting end-to-end processing operations on-site to ensure production targets, quality standards, safety, and environmental obligations are met. Key technical role for the New Zealand (NZ) Dairy value-added program including primary technical contact for Teir 1 customers. The role focuses on continuous improvement, asset performance, team capability, and delivery of key manufacturing KPIs in line with business strategy.

Key Accountabilities

Develop and implement critical process recipes which define the targeted product outcomes (functional attributes)
Lead and recommend capital projects and process changes (SOP’s) that ensure throughput, yields, product time are optimised against “delivering best quality product” every time while enabling product mix agility.
Develop a set of “process signatures” and controls that deliver the functional properties defined by the customer.
Act as the customer conduit representing their explicit need and translating to “operational” excellence.
Where an opportunity presents share operations best practices across ofi’s manufacturing network (dairy and non-dairy)
Develop strong relations with ofi’s global product innovation team.
Lead product trials and commercialisation programs.
Participate and customer onboarding and product qualification processes
Own the operations relationship with key strategic customer partners (full value chain).
Lead - Ensure the effective execution of the production plan provided by the Supply Chain (SC) team.
Collaborate with HR to develop training programs.
Maintain current Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) with regular reviews as directed by the Site Manager.
Develop new SOPs as needed, particularly during periods of growth.

Requirements

Tertiary qualifications desired in Engineering, Food Technology, Science, or related field
10+ years’ experience in manufacturing or processing leadership with at least 5 years’ experience in Main Protien Concentrates (MPC) production
Specific process improvement experience with membrane and advanced filtration technology
Proven leadership skills with the ability to build capability and engage teams.
Strong understanding of food processing operations and quality systems.
Excellent communication, analytical and problem-solving skills.
Understand Safety Management Systems relevant to the role, work in a safe manner to ensure you don’t put yourself or others at risk and proactively raise and address issues.
Experience with SAP or other ERP systems.
Dairy industry experience strongly preferred.
Project management experience advantageous.
Ability to be based in our plant at Tokoroa, New Zealand

ofi is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to racial or ethnic origin, color, age, religion or belief, sex, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Applicants are requested to complete all required steps in the application process including providing a resume/CV in order to be considered for open roles.