Butchery Operations Manager

Are you an experienced operations leader with a strong background in butchery, food production, or manufacturing?

We're looking for a driven and hands-on Butchery Operations Manager to lead our Christchurch butchery operation and play a key role in delivering operational excellence, food safety compliance, product quality, and customer satisfaction.

This is an outstanding opportunity to join a growing business and lead a high-performing team in a fast-paced environment where continuous improvement, accountability, and collaboration are highly valued.

Position snapshot:

• August 2026 start
• Based at our Cumnor Terrace, Woolston facility
• Permanent, full-time position
• Early morning start time of 03:00 am, five days per week
• Occasional weekend work may be required

The Role

Reporting to the Head of Butchery, with a dotted line to the General Manager South Island, you will be responsible for leading the day-to-day operations of the butchery department. This includes ensuring efficient production, effective inventory management, regulatory compliance, product quality, and exceptional service delivery.

You will work closely with Sales, Purchasing, Inventory, Compliance, and Warehouse teams to optimise performance, manage costs, and support the ongoing growth of the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operations of the Christchurch butchery, ensuring efficient processing, packing, inventory management, and order fulfilment.
• Drive operational excellence by improving productivity, yield, quality, service levels, and cost efficiency across the department.
• Ensure all products meet quality standards and customer expectations through effective production planning and execution.
• Maintain compliance with food safety, quality assurance, MPI regulations, health and safety requirements, and company policies and procedures.
• Oversee inventory management, stock control, stock-takes, product rotation, and procurement of operational supplies and packaging.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team through effective recruitment, training, performance management, rostering, and workforce planning.
• Foster a positive, collaborative, and accountable team culture focused on engagement, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with key stakeholders across the business to ensure seamless operations and exceptional customer service.
• Investigate and resolve operational issues, customer concerns, stock discrepancies, and non-conformances in a timely manner.
• Monitor and report on operational performance measures, identifying opportunities for improvement and business growth.
• Contribute to strategic initiatives, process improvements, and product development opportunities.

About You

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Proven experience in a butchery, food manufacturing, processing, production, or operational leadership role.
• Trade qualifications in Butchery or relevant industry experience will be highly regarded.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate, coach, and develop teams.
• Sound knowledge of food safety, compliance, quality assurance, and health and safety requirements.
• Excellent planning, organisational, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong commercial acumen with a focus on efficiency and continuous improvement.
• Effective communication and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

What We Offer

• A key leadership role within a successful and growing business.
• The opportunity to make a genuine impact on operational performance and team success.
• A supportive and collaborative working environment.
• Ongoing opportunities for professional growth and development.
• Competitive remuneration aligned with experience.

If you're ready to take the next step in your leadership career and thrive in a hands-on operational environment, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now and become part of a team committed to quality, service, and continuous improvement.

Eligibility

Applicants must be a New Zealand Citizen, Permanent Resident, Resident Visa holder, or hold a valid New Zealand work visa.

Pre-employment Checks

The successful candidate will be required to undergo pre-employment screening, including employment reference checks, Ministry of Justice and ACC checks, and drug and alcohol testing conducted by an accredited provider.