We are Fonterra, one of the world's largest dairy nutrition companies. Here in Australia, we collect milk from Aussie Farmers across Victoria and Tasmania, and our manufacturing sites turn this into the dairy foods you know and love in our supermarkets, including Perfect Italiano™, Mainland™, Western Star™, and Bega™. We also sell dairy ingredients to many of the world's leading food companies and partner with food services businesses across the country to get dairy foods into chefs' hands.   

As a Co-operative created and owned by New Zealand dairy farmers, our collaboration, innovation, and passion have enabled us to share the goodness of our dairy with the world. We're committed to caring for the land, our animals, and every drop of milk, producing nutritious food with safe, quality ingredients loved here in Australia and around the world. 

As part of the Fonterra Co-op, you'll be solving for a better future alongside a team connected by solid values as we strive to be a leader in dairy sustainability, dairy innovation and science, with a focus on New Zealand milk.  

When you join Fonterra, you'll open yourself to a career of opportunities where you can grow with us by developing your skills, sharing your knowledge, and exploring diverse career paths that ignite your passions. 

About us

At Fonterra, sustainability sits at the heart of our strategy and how we operate every day. As one of Oceania’s leading food companies, we know that creating a better future means rethinking the way we do things — including the packaging we use.

That’s why we’re on the lookout for a Programme Manager – Sustainable Packaging to lead the charge in delivering 100% recycle-ready packaging across our branded product portfolio in Australia and New Zealand.

While our preference is for this role to be based at our Australian head office in Richmond, Melbourne — we’re also open to Auckland-based candidates and encourage you to apply.

About the opportunity

This is a rare and exciting opportunity to step into a highly visible role with real impact.

While there is an immediate programme of work to deliver — focused on helping us achieve our bold target of 100% recycle-ready packaging — this role is also about so much more than just project delivery.

For the right person, this is a chance to shape the future of sustainable packaging at Fonterra Oceania. You’ll have the scope to drive change, influence strategy, and build a body of work that you can truly make your own — creating long-lasting impact across some of Australasia’s most loved dairy brands.

This role is all about bringing people together, managing complexity, and delivering real-world sustainability outcomes. You’ll work across our business, partnering with packaging experts, suppliers, marketers, and senior leaders to turn our sustainability ambitions into reality. Key responsibilities:

• Leading Fonterra Oceania’s Sustainable Packaging Programme, with a focus on delivering 100% recycle-ready packaging
• Managing project plans, budgets, risks, and resources across multiple packaging initiatives
• Partnering with internal teams and external suppliers to drive packaging innovation and sustainable design
• Reporting progress to senior leaders and managing programme governance
• Building capability across the business in sustainable packaging practices
• Leading communications and reporting on the programme’s progress internally and externally

About You

We are ideally looking for someone who brings either a background in packaging technology and sustainable packaging, or someone with a strong technical grounding in food manufacturing who has experience managing large programmes or complex projects.

You’ll be a natural collaborator — someone who can connect technical detail with commercial outcomes, and who enjoys bringing people together to drive change. You’ll be comfortable navigating complexity, influencing a wide range of stakeholders, and managing multiple moving parts to deliver results. You can also demonstrate:

• Experience in packaging technology and sustainability or a strong technical background in food or FMCG manufacturing environments
• Proven ability to lead large-scale programmes or complex cross-functional projects
• Excellent stakeholder and relationship management skills — you can influence and engage at all levels
• Strong problem-solving skills with a practical, solutions-focused mindset
• Confidence working with senior leaders and presenting progress, risks, and recommendations
• Experience managing budgets, timelines, risks, and governance processes
• The ability to translate technical and sustainability concepts into clear, engaging communication for a variety of audiences

Are you excited about this opportunity but may only meet some requirements?  

At Fonterra, we are committed to building a diverse workplace and, therefore, open to looking at applicants with excellent transferable skills. If that's you, we encourage you to apply as you may be the right candidate for this role or one of our other opportunities. 

Or join our Talent Community by clicking here, to be notified about new and relevant job opportunities. 

The benefits of life at Fonterra 

Our people and what they bring to our Co-op shape our success. We have a collaborative culture, inspiring leaders, and passionate people, making Fonterra a great place to work. We also offer competitive remuneration and a range of benefits, regardless of your role or location. 

Fonterra is a place where everyone can be themselves, feel empowered to do their best, and are empowered to create goodness for generations.  

Sound good to you? Come and join us, and let's solve for better, together. You, me, us together.