Where do you want to go? Let us guess... as far as possible. It's that kind drive that takes great people great places - places like Fonterra. And once you arrive here you'll fast discover the career journey never ends.
Fonterra - What We Stand For
Dairy is our life's work. It's our passion and it's what we do best.
We have always marvelled at the simple nutrition of dairy. In an age when you need a chemistry degree to understand food labels, milk is pure milk, providing the building blocks for a healthy life.
We are proud of our New Zealand roots. Year after year, our farmers in New Zealand work with the land and their cows to bring quality milk to millions of people around the world. They have passed their farming expertise down through the generations, keeping alive the time-honoured traditions that have catapulted New Zealand to the forefront of the global dairy industry.
Since Fonterra Co-operative Group was formed in 2001, we have become the world's largest dairy exporter with nearly 11,000 shareholders. We export 95 per cent of our New Zealand-made dairy products to our customers and consumers in more than 140 countries. Our milk tankers collect around 14 billion litres of milk every year.
No matter where we are in the world, dairy is what makes us tick.
What We Look For - New Zealand Summer Interns
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:
The Internship Programme
Each summer, Fonterra offers a summer intern programme for university students in the Engineering, Technical and science fields who are approaching the final year of their degree. Run in conjunction with the foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST), our undergraduate summer program offers final year students an excellent opportunity to get involved in a variety of Fonterra projects whilst at the same time gaining invaluable work experience before you graduate.
Fonterra Interns work on varied real life projects which are unique to the dairy industry. In the past our Interns have worked on projects to create new ice creams, come up with waste water solutions and suggested process improvements within our high-tech manufacturing sites.
Opportunities
For summer 2010 we have a variety of projects available for our interns. These include:
- New Product Development
- Process design
- Environmental Research
- Energy Research
Fonterra Technology Interns are held in high regard within our business with many going on to our graduate program in subsequent years. The internship is a great way to start your career journey with Fonterra that can develop once you finish your studies.
Are you ready to give your career the best start?
Jonathan Spurway
Team Lead - Powders Product Technical
Masters in Dairy Science and Technology (Hons), BE Chemical & Materials
I joined Fonterra on the technical graduate training programme (FGTP) after completing a BE (C&M). The program provided insights into the Dairy Industry and exposure to Fonterra's operations.
It involved spending the first 12 months of employment completing operational assignments at various production sites, whilst studying for a Master of Dairy Science & Technology.
In January 2005 I commenced employment with the Powder Product Technical Team as a development technologist. The focus of this role was product commercialisation and product technical advice to the business and its customers. I was involved with specification rationalisation, operational optimisation, and plant auditing. In this role I was lucky enough to travel to South America to audit one of our third party suppliers and to Asia to manage a reduction in the cost of goods for a FMCG liquid beverage.
In June 2006 I moved into a management position within Product Technical Powders. In my current role as a lead technologist I contribute and lead a team of eight technologists to provide technical support for Fonterra requirements. Examples of what my team and I support ranges from:
- Product commercialization and Project management
- Rapid product commercialisation and or reformulations
- Commercial support to the business and markets though specification ownership
- Alignment of activities ensuring support to business strategies
- Capability and capacity ownership for alignment to our global manufacturing footprint
- Complaint management and resolution by providing product knowledge and advice
- Identification and implementation of continuous improvement (grades, yields, losses and costs)
All of this culminates in considerable teamwork and communicating to customers, operations, and technical to ensure the goals of the projects are met.
I really enjoy what I do. I joined Fonterra to learn the inner workings of a multinational. The experiences thus far have been extremely varied, challenging and rewarding. I have grown an enormous amount in the last year and look forward to the challenges ahead.
