Team Leader - Spray Drying

Dairy Goat Co-op (NZ) – Hamilton, North Island

At Dairy Goat Co-operative we manufacture exceptionally high-quality and well-regarded infant formulas, feeding babies and supporting families all over the world. It is one of the region’s leading exporters, serving international markets, located primarily in Asia, as well as Europe, the Americas, and Oceania via its marketing partners and joint venture relationships.

About the Role :

This is a shift leadership role with scope; it's a chance to influence drying operations end to end, build strong relationships across the business, and make a real impact on the people and process.

We’re looking for a Team Leader to oversee people and processes in our spray drying operations. In this role, you’ll lead a shift team to ensure high-quality products are manufactured efficiently and delivered on time. You’ll manage day‑to‑day plant activities, coordinate production, and handle exceptions, while driving improvements to procedures and systems for better performance.

About the Responsibilities :

• Lead a shift team aligning daily plant operations and resources to achieve production targets.
• Ensure the effective development of staff to support the production of high‑quality nutritional products.
• Drive root cause analysis for complex challenges—yield losses, quality deviations, and equipment failures—collaborating across teams to deliver solutions.
• Build a proactive quality culture, engaging team to identify risks and ensure strict compliance with Quality systems and operating procedures - Including guiding team to always maintain exceptional plant hygiene standards
• Continuous improvement in spray drying e.g. by identifying inefficiencies, trialling new process parameters, data analysis and supporting development of best practices to enhance product quality.
• Provide operational insight and support for capital projects and change management, promoting strong engagement with maintenance, quality, and engineering teams.
• Support our Food Safety Programme and foster a positive health and safety culture.
• Complete all assigned personal and professional development training.
• Provide operational support and perform additional duties as required to meet team objectives.
• The role involves a 4x4 roster including day and night shifts.

Key skills and experience :

About the Benefits :

Our ideal candidate has a growth mindset, exceptional attention to detail, and a proactive approach to process improvement. Experience in the dairy or food industry is highly regarded.

If this sounds like your next career move, we would love to hear from you, apply today, or tell any friends who might be interested.

Alternatively, please get in touch with Sam Martch on for a confidential chat.

Applications for this vacancy will close on the 10th of December 2025 but we may start interviewing before then.

Please note that applications are directed through our Applicant Tracking System called Chilli Factor.

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