Whether you are a Commerce or Technical Graduate, Fonterra’s Graduate Programmes offer an opportunity to have a range of diverse experiences before you settle on a particular role that suits you best. This gives Fonterra Graduates the chance to find out how your specific skills and quality fare in the real world, and discover which roles you will find satisfying.
Fonterra Graduate Commerce Programme
The Fonterra Graduate Commerce Programme is designed to build Fonterra’s talent pipeline by developing future leaders.
The FGCP provides an intensive, continuous programme over two years offering a multitude of experiences by way of rotations through different businesses to equip graduates with the necessary skills and knowledge needed for an accelerated start to their careers in Fonterra. We do this by providing stretching, challenging roles with real decision making responsibility, providing exposure to a range of developmental and learning experiences while continuously developing functional/technical competence.
Fonterra Graduate Technical Programme (Engineers and Food Technology/Science)
The Fonterra Technical Graduate Programme gives graduates a broad overview of Fonterra and all the technical aspects that go with the business. The first 12 months includes an induction, practical work at a dairy plant and an integrated course at the Fonterra Research Centre (based in Palmerston North), the largest dairy research centre in the world. The second year further develops our graduates skills and expertise through rotations through the business or placements.
Launched in 1969, the Fonterra Graduate Technical Programme (FGTP) is an intensive, induction course that equips Science, Technology and Engineering Graduates with the skills and knowledge for an accelerated start to their careers. The aim is to develop graduates with the potential to become technical leaders and managers in Fonterra.
The FGTP gives an excellent broad overview of Fonterra where graduates gain a good insight into the structure and function of all technical aspects of Fonterra including making contacts with people in diverse areas of the industry that will be of great benefit in building your career. You will also have the opportunity to attain a Masters in Food Science as part of programme.
The FGTP year begins in December with a three-week induction course held at Fonterra Research Centre (FRC) in Palmerston North. During the summer, you will be immersed in dairy with practical work experience at a Fonterra dairy plant -- working shifts in a process operator role. Over the winter, you will be based back at the FRC for a 10 week integrated course of lectures, tutorials, practical work, exercises and projects covering business units, dairy science, technology and engineering, operational excellence, and the technology, science, product development and marketing of dairy products. You then return to a Fonterra site and have the option to complete an individual research project.
What We Look For - New Zealand Graduates
We are looking for talented people who are passionate, innovative and possess a "can do" attitude to help us lead the way in dairy. The following competencies will give you a hint of what we look for in a potential leader:
Marketing & Sales
As a Marketing and Sales graduate within Fonterra you will be open to career and development opportunities across numerous avenues within the FMCG industry. Working with premier brands such as Anchor, Fresh n Fruity, Primo and Kapiti to name but a few, Sales and Marketing at Fonterra is the perfect place to start your career.
Graduates in this area have strong communication and relationship management skills and an ability to cope with a fast paced environment. Sales and Marketing graduates need to think strategically, be able to analyse quickly and show creative flair when presenting new ideas.
Teamwork is crucial to sales and marketing at Fonterra. Ideally we are looking for graduates who couple their studies with extra-curricular activities, a part time job or leadership roles. Our preferred candidates will have one or more of the following subjects / qualifications:
- BCom / BCA
- Marketing papers
- Sales papers
- R&D.
Our intake offers the opportunity to gain real work experience in a real position. Rather than being rotated through the organisation every few months, you will assume a hands on role in a carefully selected position to provide you with an excellent grounding for development into future management positions.
Your training is a high priority and we will support your career through a well defined career development framework. You will be rewarded with an attractive salary and a yearly incentive based on your skills, experience and performance - and promotion when you are ready to take that next step!
Who are you? You are a business-minded, technical and analytical individual who thrives on success and has a passion for people and the teams you work with. You thrive in a project based environment and have the technical and business skills to succeed in NZ's largest organisation.
Are you ready to join a market leader and give your career the best start? If so, apply now!
Leon Head
Fonterra Brands (NZ) Ltd
Marketing and Sales Graduate
Marketing, International Business,Commercial Law at Victoria University
Prior to joining the Fonterra graduate programme I studied Marketing, International Business, and Commercial Law at Victoria University in Wellington.
While studying I also was also introduced to the banking industry, with a part-time job at ANZ Bank.
In my current role with Fonterra Brands (NZ) Ltd, I am Key Account Executive for Foodstuffs Wellington (Pak and Save, New World and Four Square) with our office located on Lambton Quay in Wellington. Our region stretches as far north as Hawke's Bay, and cuts through Ohakune across to Taranaki and down to Wellington.
The Account Executive role involves managing inventory levels through the Foodstuffs warehouse, while maintaining high customer satisfaction, and providing support to the Key Account Manager with forecasting, and strategic planning.
The Fonterra graduate programme appealed to me firstly because of Fonterra's presence on an international stage whilst maintaining its origins as a New Zealand owned and operated company. This reputation and the growth that Fonterra has been experiencing both domestically and internationally meant that the experiences and opportunities thatwould come from working for Fonterra presented many benefits and challenges.
This will hopefully aid me to develop new skills and a thorough understanding of the FMCG industry and to embrace with open arms any opportunities that come my way, with the hope that I can help Fonterra become a more profitable, sustainable company.
My interests include; playing rugby for the Poneke Football Club in the Wellington club competition, enjoying the Wellington entertainment and social scene, getting the great jobs that being the new person in the office entails and now that I can afford it,hopefully a few rounds of golf, and getting away for a bit of R & R.
Fonterra Brands is a fantastic organisation to work for, with great people, great products and an unbeatable culture, and each day brings with it new and exciting challenges, that I count myself lucky to be able to experience.
