KO WAI KOE? WHO ARE YOU?

We are looking for an individual who has detailed knowledge, understanding and experience working with assurance programmes such as GLOBALG.A.P. and GRASP, GFSI, Sedex and SMETA as well as legislative requirements eg Food Act. The successful candidate will also have:

• A Tertiary qualification in Horticulture, Food or Science related disciplines (desirable)
• 7+ years relevant work experience in Food Production, Supply Chain or Policy/Standards Setting roles
• A basic understanding of the kiwifruit industry
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• The ability to critically review and process technical and regulatory information
• A high level of accuracy and attention to detail
• Excellent change management skills, with the ability to identify resistance to change and develop change management strategies including training and resource transition plans.

The Certification Development Lead is responsible for identifying, evaluating and leading the implementation of new customer and market access requirements, legislation, standards and certifications across orchard and post-harvest functions to support the ongoing supply of kiwifruit to various markets and customers.
This includes future-proofing our compliance assurance systems and ensuring they remain flexible to the changing needs of our customers. This role also strives to maintain and enhance the trust and confidence of Zespri’s consumers, customers and regulators by actively and consistently mitigating risks related to food safety, environmental sustainability and social and ethical responsibility in all countries of production.
The Certification Development Lead will also manage a range of projects and change processes that enhance Zespri’s assurance programmes across the kiwifruit industry.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Completion of the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) Refresh Programme of work.
• Identify and evaluate existing and emerging internationally recognized certifications across key areas of environmental sustainability and social and ethical responsibility to determine which are most appropriate for the kiwifruit industry both New Zealand and ZGS Supply.
• Lead the project team, with support of EPMO, Global Extension and Global Supply to implement new certifications across the industry.
• Provide leadership and support to the Quality Systems team to implement version updates of existing assurance programmes across growers and post-harvest. This includes regular updates to the GLOBAL G.A.P and GRASP standards, Organic Certification and GFSI certifications.
• Lead the development of training plans required for industry stakeholders to meet the requirements of changes to existing standards and implementation of new certifications.
• Support Market Access with requests from customers regarding new certifications, including gap analysis and other information to demonstrate the comprehensiveness of existing programmes and certifications.
• Manage internal and external stakeholders including industry engagement with NZKGI, growers, supplier entities, post-harvest facilities and Government officials (MPI and MfE) to ensure strong collaboration and stakeholder engagement that enables delivery of new and updated programmes.