Fonterra: Packaging Technologist

Your Purpose

At Fonterra, we ensure that all our value adding production packing lines are consistently meeting product food safety, regulatory, quality & efficiency standards and therefore meeting and exceeding our customer and stakeholder expectations. Hence this exciting opportunity for a Packaging Technologist based at our Richmond office, on a hybrid model.

The Insight & Innovation team is focused on maintaining the growth trajectory of the business. As a key part of this team, the Packaging Technologist’s responsibility is to deliver both new product and packaging projects from ideation to launch. The role will encompass packaging development, artwork workflow, value engineering, quality improvement and cost optimisation projects.

It requires strong project management and stakeholder engagement skills as you will engage with a cross functional team to deliver initiatives collaboratively. You will be working closely with manufacturing, engineering, procurement, technical and quality.

Reporting to the NPD Manager – Cheese, Spreads, Beverages and Milk Powders, this role will expose you to a very exciting innovation agenda and pipeline, in a time where we are investing significantly on our capabilities, as well as having a front row seat on our sustainability program.

Your responsibilities will include but not limited to the following:

• Contribute to the production of sustained significant commercial value for Fonterra Australia through delivering packaging solutions for NPD, cost optimisation and business support projects
• Execute the technical packaging delivery of projects for the Fonterra Australia business, particularly for projects supporting the Cheese, Spreads, Beverages and Milk Powders team strategy
• Applying sound packaging development principles to participate in taking a scoped concept through to launch
• Leading the handover and introduction of any changes to packaging specifications through New Product Development projects
• Creation and validation of changes to packaging material specifications through implementing packaging initiatives
• Understanding of APCO and the ARL guidelines, implement on pack to help consumers to recycle correctly and supporting Brand owners and packaging suppliers to design packaging that is recyclable at end-of-life

You’ll play an integral role in many of our key business initiatives and will develop effective working relationships with stakeholders at all levels of the organisation. Some travel to our Operations sites, located across VIC and TAS, will be required.

What you will bring

We are looking for someone bright and driven with a passion for the packaging space, ideally with good mechanical aptitude. You will have several years’ experience as a packaging technologist having worked with a wide range of food packaging solutions.

A clear and natural communicator, you will easily be able to share practical and theoretical knowledge about packaging formats and show demonstrated ability to drive change.

In addition, you will have:

• Packaging Technologist degree or other relevant packaging related tertiary qualification
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to think creatively and identify opportunities for process improvement
• The ability to work autonomously, but also to be comfortable asking questions when required
• Strong Project Management and prioritisation skills
• Good computer literacy skills, with SAP experience being a bonus
• Proven practical packaging technologist experience, preferably within the dairy or food industries
• Proven history of effective contribution as a member of a multi-disciplinary team
• Proven knowledge of cross functional specification and regulatory requirements
• Robust organisational ability and attention to detail
• Effect change and build relationships through problem-solving abilities

We are Fonterra

Fonterra is a global nutrition company owned by 10,000 farming families in New Zealand. We employ 20,000 people around the globe and offer amazing opportunities for people who want to join our team.

In Australia, we take the milk we collect from our farmers, and our eight manufacturing sites across Victoria and Tasmania turn this into dairy foods that generations of Australians have grown up with and love, including Perfect Italiano™, Mainland™, Western Star™, and Bega™.

At Fonterra, we understand that to attract top talent we need to have the jobs that will make you want to get out of bed in the morning. Diversity, inclusion, and flexibility are a big part of our business, and with a collaborative culture, inspiring leaders and passionate people, this is a great place to work.

We need good people, we need you – please apply and join our team.