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Central & Upper South Island Portfolio Manager

Job Name
Central & Upper South Island Portfolio Manager

General Information

Date Published
01-Dec-2025
Advertising Ends
08-Dec-2025
ID#
13952
Role Type
Engineering
Work Type
Permanent Full-Time
Workplace Type
On-site
Country
New Zealand
Location
Canterbury

Position Description

Our Co-operative

Ata whakaarohia tō āpōpō | Imagine Tomorrow with Us
At Te Mātāpuna Fonterra, we want everyone to feel they can be themselves. 

Whether you're early in your career or ready for your next step, Fonterra offers a unique opportunity to grow with a global dairy co-operative that values care, collaboration, and contribution. 

Owned by New Zealand dairy farmers and supported by a dedicated team, we are all working together to create a better future. Imagine tomorrow with us, where your career can grow, and you can create positive change.

He kupu mō mātou | About us
We have embraced a new vision and strategic direction with a centralised engineering, capital & technical group for COO. Global Engineering & Technical represents a transformative step in our journey towards engineering excellence and strategic innovation to deliver our long-term asset strategy within COO. It will drive positive change by enhancing strategic delivery, efficiency and agility, streamline risk management, standardise operations, simplify processes, improve communication and enhance career pathways for engineers within a recognised centre of excellence, ensuring a sustainable future. 

Mō tēnei tūranga | About the Opportunity
Drive strategic investment and shape the future of our manufacturing network. 

We’re looking for a dynamic, strategic leader to oversee the planning, execution and performance of our regional capital investment portfolio across our Central and Upper South Island sites: Darfield, Clandeboye, Studholme, and Takaka. 

This critical role ensures every capital project delivers on business objectives, while optimizing efficiency, safety, and long-term value. As a key member of our leadership team, you’ll guide and mentor a talented group of Project Managers, fostering excellence in delivery, risk management, and strategic alignment. Your portfolio will be pivotal in advancing Fonterra’s sustainability goals, mitigating risk, and enabling future innovation. 
 
What you will do: 

Lead the regional projects team: Coach and mentor a high performing project management team, actively supporting them as they plan and execute their projects. Your goal is to elevate their capability, ensuring they have the skills and resources to deliver their projects. 

Lead Governance & Decision Making: Lead regional portfolio governance to ensure "good decisions" are made. You will ensure the right projects are prioritized and that risks are transparently managed to support business objectives. 

Continuous Improvement: Champion the improvement of project processes, procedures, and standards. You will identify friction points in the delivery lifecycle and lead initiatives to make the system more efficient and effective. 

Strategic Planning: Develop and maintain the 10-year regional capital portfolio plan, ensuring alignment with long-term asset strategy 
       

Mōu | About You
You’re an influential leader with a strategic mindset and a passion for delivering results in a fast-paced environment. You bring: 

A Coaching Mindset: You are experienced in developing teams. You don't just "manage"; you support people to plan and execute their projects safely and efficiently, lifting the capability of the entire team. 

Collaborative Influence: You excel at fostering collaboration in a matrix organization. You can bring Operations, Technical, and Project stakeholders together to solve complex problems and agree on a path forward. 

Governance Expertise: You understand that good governance is about enabling decisions, not just ticking boxes. You have experience facilitating governance forums that provide clarity and direction. 

Improvement Focus: You are never satisfied with "good enough." You have a track record of continuous improvement, refining processes and tools to help your team work smarter. 

Commercial & Domain Knowledge: You bring 10+ years of experience in capital projects (Food/FMCG preferred) with strong commercial acumen including vendor management and NZS3910/FIDIC type contracts 

Strategic outlook: You can look past the daily noise to spot patterns and opportunities. You connect these insights to our wider business strategy, ensuring we make decisions the deliver best value for long term. 

Cultural Fit: You embody our value of Manaakitanga (care for others). You are calm under pressure and inspire trust through respect and care. 

This is your opportunity to make a lasting impact and help shape the future of our regional operations. 


Ngā Aura | Our Values 
At Fonterra, our values of Good Together, Better Every Day, and Every Drop Counts, are for everyone – no matter your background, identify or experience. These values guide us in delivering exceptional outcomes for our farmers, customers, communities, and each other. Discover how your values align with ours by taking our Values Quiz

Tā mātou oati | Our Commitment to You 
We care for our people globally. Our comprehensive benefits support your well-being, development, and work-life balance:
  • Fair and equitable pay
  • Health and well-being programs (medical, mental health support)
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Career growth support
  • Work-life balance options (flexible/hybrid working where possible)
  • Employee recognition
  • Support for community involvement and cultural connection
To learn more, visit Fonterra Careers

Ngā Mahi | A Career of Opportunities
At Te Mātāpuna Fonterra, we are inspired by purpose and guided by our principles and values. Together, we create goodness for generations and make a global impact at a local level. As part of our Co-operative, you are an everyday creator, imagining what Fonterra, dairy, and you can be here.

Tātou Tātou | Join Us
Does this sound good to you? Come join our whānau - bring your whole self, and let's solve for better together. 

You, me, us together, Tātou, tātou.

He Wāhi mō te Katoa | Together, we're shaping a future of inclusion.
Inclusion is key to our Co-operative. We're building a team that reflects the diverse world we live in, believing it drives better decisions and innovation. 

We welcome applications from all backgrounds (ethnicities, genders, identities, orientations, ages, abilities, neurotypes, cultures, religions). 

Even if you don't meet every requirement listed, we encourage you to apply; we value your potential and growth. 

If you face accessibility issues or need accommodations during the process, please contact your recruiter. We ensure fair participation, allowing you to be at your best. Tātou, tātou. 

Applications close at midnight on Monday 8th December