Lead Process Engineer

Lead Process Engineer - Energy and Industrial Manufacturing| Auckland or Wellington 

Lead complex dairy, food and industrial process projects across Aotearoa New Zealand, shaping practical solutions for live manufacturing environments with New Zealand’s largest dedicated industrial process engineering practice. 

Join a team with experience delivering some of New Zealand’s most significant industrial projects, including the Fonterra Clandeboye's mozzarella plants, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Work with globally recognised clients while building your reputation as a trusted technical leader. 

We’re looking for Lead Process Engineers to join our Auckland, or Wellington offices and solve practical engineering challenges in complex operating environments. With significant investment across New Zealand’s dairy, food and industrial sectors, our team has a strong pipeline of work and growth opportunities. 

What you’ll do 

As a Lead Process Engineer in Aurecon’s Energy and Industrial Manufacturing team, you’ll combine technical leadership, project delivery and client development across a varied portfolio of live-plant work.  

• Project Leadership: medium-to-large industrial process projects, ranging from $5m to $60m in capital value, and multidisciplinary teams from concept through commissioning. 

• Process Solutions: Understand client production challenges and develop practical process solutions for complex operating environments. 

• Technical Delivery: Deliver and review process engineering outputs, including PFDs, P&IDs, calculations, equipment specifications and design documentation. 

• Project Delivery: Guide procurement and vendor interfaces, site installation, commissioning and handover. 

• Client & Work Winning: Build trusted client relationships, identify opportunities and contribute to proposals, work winning and future project phases. 

• Team Leadership:  Mentor junior engineers and strengthen technical, project and people leadership across the team. 

• Site Exposure: Work across multiple projects and client sites, with occasional travel. 

What you’ll bring 

You are a seasoned Process or Chemical Engineer who understands how real plants operate, not only how studies are prepared.  

• Industry Exposure: Experience in the dairy industry is highly preferred, with relevant food and beverage, hygienic processing or pharmaceutical experience also welcome. 

• Seniority: Proven experience leading complex industrial process projects and multidisciplinary teams, typically gained over 10+ years in industry or consulting, and people leadership  

• Client Relationships: Ideally, you’ll have proven business development, work-winning capability and transferable client relationships. 

• Project Leading and Delivery: Commercial and project-delivery judgement, including the ability to manage priorities, programmes, risks and client expectations. 

• Communication: Confident communication and relationship-building skills, with the credibility to operate independently with clients, and coordinate project delivery across multi-disciplinary teams  

• Technical Qualifications: A relevant Process Engineering, Chemical Engineering or aligned engineering qualification from a Washington Accord-accredited university. Chartered status is desirable. 

Why this is the perfect opportunity for you

Your career should be a rewarding adventure. You’ll tackle complex industrial challenges, learn from experienced technical leaders and grow your project, client and people leadership. Recognised by the AFR as a Best Place to Work in 2026, we embrace diverse perspectives and meaningful impact.

• Join New Zealand’s largest dedicated industrial Process Systems practice, with a strong pipeline of dairy, food and industrial manufacturing work across Aotearoa New Zealand.

• Step into meaningful technical, project and client ownership in a Tier 1 Engineering Consulting firm, with clear opportunities to grow into broader leadership as the practice plans for its future.

• A diverse and inclusive working environment, with a close-knit and supportive team 

• Flexible working options to support your lifestyle commitments, as well as relocation support available for the right candidate.

• Check out some of the meaningful employee benefits we offer

Who we are

We are an engineering consultancy with more than 6,000 people across Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and Asia. We believe the world needs people who can engineer possibilities; people who can create infrastructure that makes life better for people and the planet. That is why we are here: to bring ideas to life, the Aurecon way.

Ready for your next adventure?

If this sounds like your next step, we’d love to hear from you. We value diverse experiences and welcome applications for part-time or flexible working arrangements. For recruitment adjustments, contact WorkplaceAdjustment@aurecongroup.com.

Our hiring decisions are made by people, not AI. We’re most interested in your individual thinking and experiences, so please ensure your application reflects your authentic perspective. 

Te whakahā i ngā whakaaro | Breathing life into our ideas, thoughts, views 

Kia māia, kia kaha, mahi tahi | Be bold, be strong, work as one