The Fabrication business unit brings together Mercer Stainless and Southern Cross Engineering (SCE) under one integrated Christchurch operation. Our team designs and fabricates customised equipment for dairy, agriculture, timber, grain, and feed industries — combining ISO 9001-accredited quality systems with Lean manufacturing principles and a genuine "can-do" engineering spirit.
The Opportunity
This is a people leadership role that sits at the intersection of engineering excellence, project delivery discipline, and commercial rigour. As Engineering Manager, you will hold end-to-end accountability for engineering governance, project execution, and contract management across the Fabrication business unit — reporting directly to the General Manager.
This is a genuinely broad role. You will lead a team of approximately five direct reports across mechanical, electrical, and design engineering disciplines, while driving delivery standards, customer outcomes, and quality systems across a diverse, engineered-to-order portfolio. If you are a hands-on engineering leader who is equally comfortable on the workshop floor and in a commercial negotiation, this role was built for you.
What You'll Be Responsible For
- People Leadership: Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of approximately five engineers. Drive coaching, clear performance expectations, and effective resource allocation across concurrent projects.
- Workshop Collaboration: Partner with workshop leaders to optimise designs for build efficiency and quality. Improve handover and communication routines between design, procurement, workshop, and commissioning teams.
- Engineering Governance: Own engineering standards, documentation discipline, and technical governance across the team — ensuring design outputs meet customer specifications, statutory codes, and quality expectations with minimal rework.
- Project Delivery: Lead concurrent projects from contract award through to handover, on time, within budget, and to specification. Oversee planning, scheduling, and cross-functional coordination across engineering, workshop, procurement, and site teams.
- Contract & Commercial Management: Manage contractual obligations from award to close-out. Lead variation management and dispute resolution, protect margin, and ensure invoicing and milestone discipline across the portfolio.
- Quality Assurance: Ensure ISO 9001 compliance. Capture lessons learned and embed improvements into standards and processes to reduce rework and lift repeatability.
- Customer Engagement: Build and maintain strong customer relationships. Represent engineering and delivery functions credibly in technical and commercial discussions — domestically and internationally as required.
- Safety Leadership: Champion health, safety, and wellbeing across all engineering and project delivery activities. Embed safety principles into design, workshop execution, and on-site commissioning.
What We're Looking For
Experience & Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Mechatronics, or similar); electrical/automation exposure advantageous
- Minimum 5+ years relevant design experience in fabrication or manufacturing, plus 5+ years in a people leadership or management role
- Proven track record delivering complex, engineered-to-order projects from award through to handover
- Strong commercial acumen — contract negotiation, variation management, dispute resolution, and margin protection
- ISO 9001 / quality management system experience
- CPENZ registration preferred — candidates who are eligible and working towards registration are also encouraged to apply
- Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required
Attributes & Style
- Hands-on, visible leader who builds trust and accountability through presence and clear standards
- Strong technical credibility — able to influence engineering direction and challenge assumptions constructively
- Rigorous delivery mindset: disciplined planning, scheduling, and governance habits
- Effective communicator across all levels — workshop floor through to customers and senior leadership
- Continuous improvement orientation — standardisation focus that lifts repeatability and reduces rework
- Calm under pressure in dynamic, multi-project environments; able to balance competing technical and commercial priorities
MHM Automation offers a competitive remuneration package commensurate with the seniority and breadth of this role:
- Base salary aligned with experience and credentials
- KiwiSaver employer contribution (minimum 3%)
- Professional membership and CPD support (EngNZ, CPENZ)
- Mobile, laptop, and technology provision
Everything we do at MHM Automation is guided by five core values: Safety First, Teamwork, Customer Focus, Continuous Improvement, and Integrity. We're looking for a leader who doesn't just talk about these values — but lives them day to day.
Apply online today or email your application to engineer@talenthive.nz
If you have specific questions or wish to gain greater clarity on any of the points above please contact Matt Love-Smith on 0221017007
