Project Manager, Village Dairy | Dandenong South, Victoria

Village Dairy is a profitable, growing manufacturer of premium yoghurt and cheese with sites at Dandenong South and Traralgon, backed by Apta Group, an Australian private investment group building a portfolio of high-quality food and beverage businesses.

We are creating a new Project Manager role to lead delivery of our new products and the projects that will help us grow. This is a Leadership Team role reporting to the General Manager, with new product development (NPD) as the main focus.

You will take each project from the first brief and commercial assessment through development, factory trials, scale-up and launch, then review how it performed. Our Product Development Manager leads the technical work. You will be responsible for the plan, the people, the timing and the commercial result.

You will also lead capital, business improvement and strategic projects, and set up a simple, practical approach to project management that gives teams transparent ownership without adding unnecessary process.

We are looking for a commercially minded, hands-on project manager who is comfortable working at pace, handling ambiguity and bringing people together across functions.

The Role

Reporting to the General Manager, the Project Manager will lead NPD projects and a wider portfolio of business projects across both sites. You will lead project teams across the business rather than a team of direct reports.

Key responsibilities will include:

Leading NPD projects from brief and business case through development, trials, scale-up, customer approvals and launch, and handing over to the production teams

Building practical project plans with clear milestones, owners and decision points, and managing risks to timing, cost, quality and supply

Keeping a commercial lens on every project, including costing, margin and business cases, and challenging scope where needed to protect the result

Working directly with customers as we co-develop new products with them





Managing production capital projects from scope and contractors through to installation and commissioning

Leading process and systems improvements that help the business scale

Introducing simple, consistent project tools and reporting, and giving the General Manager a clear view of priorities, progress and decisions needed

Making sure safety, food safety and quality are considered on every project

About You

You will be an experienced project manager from food or beverage manufacturing, ready to take on a hands-on role with real autonomy. Ideally, you will bring:

Demonstrated experience managing end-to-end NPD projects in food or beverage manufacturing, from concept through factory trials to launch

Dairy manufacturing experience, including chilled or perishable products, which is strongly preferred

Strong commercial skills, including product costing, margin and business cases

A track record of bringing cross-functional teams together, including Sales, Production, Quality, Supply Chain and Finance

Good judgement on how much structure each project needs, and the ability to work at pace across several projects with incomplete information

Strong communication, facilitation and influencing skills, and the confidence to challenge assumptions

Experience in a small or medium-sized manufacturing business, where flexibility and hands-on contribution matter

Production capital project, equipment installation or commissioning experience, which is highly regarded

A formal project management qualification, or a relevant tertiary qualification in business, engineering, food technology or a related field, which is highly regarded

Willingness to work on site five days a week at Dandenong South, with day trips to Traralgon expected to average one a week

Why Join Village Dairy?

Village Dairy is growing, and new products, new customers and improved sites are at the centre of the plan. This is a new role with real autonomy, a place on the Leadership Team and a clear chance to make a visible commercial impact. You will also have the chance to shape how projects are run across the business.

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📌 Project Manager - Village Dairy (Melbourne)
🏢 IMPACT- People and Culture
📍 Melbourne