Processing Manager at Silver Fern Farms External Careers Site - 2022

Pareora, Canterbury, New Zealand -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

07 Jun, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

09 Mar, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Leadership, Coaching, Performance Management, Production Oversight, Health And Safety, Food Safety, Compliance, Continuous Improvement, Problem Solving, Innovation, Strategic Planning, Stakeholder Management, Commercial Acumen, Decision Making, Influencing, Team Building

Industry

Food and Beverage Services

Description

Te Tūranga / About the Role Pareora is one of Silver Fern Farms’ key multi-species sites, located in Timaru and employing over 600 people at peak season. We’re looking for an experienced Processing Manager to take full responsibility for production across all species and shifts. This senior leadership role is critical to ensuring that processing is carried out safely, efficiently, and to an exceptional standard—every day, every run, every product. You will oversee all production leaders, building capability, driving high performance, and ensuring customer, regulatory, and company standards are consistently met. You’ll work in partnership with the Site Manager on strategic initiatives, operational improvements, and future-focused projects that shape the plant’s long-term success. From daily production oversight to developing leadership capability, driving continuous improvement, and embedding a strong values-driven culture, this is a role for someone who thrives in complex, fast-paced operations and knows how to bring out the best in people and processes. Te Mahi / Key Responsibilities * Lead, coach, and develop Section Managers, Senior Group Leaders and other production leaders to build capability, accountability, and performance. * Oversee daily production across all species, ensuring throughput, quality, financial KPIs, and customer expectations are met or exceeded. * Champion a strong health, safety, and wellbeing culture—ensuring “the standard you walk past is the standard you set”. * Uphold all food safety, technical, hygiene, and customer compliance requirements. * Drive continuous improvement through Streamline, problem solving, and innovation. * Support and influence site-wide strategy, infrastructure projects, R&M processes, and longer-term production planning. * Collaborate with internal teams, regulatory bodies, and external partners to maintain high operational standards. Ōu Pūkenga / About You You are a seasoned leader who brings a deep understanding of production operations—ideally within red meat processing, food manufacturing, or similarly complex primary industry environments. You thrive on leading people and performance. You know how to develop leaders, build high-performing teams, and maintain a culture where safety, quality, and accountability are non-negotiable. You’re commercially savvy, understand production and cost drivers, and can translate operational detail into big-picture decisions. You’ll bring: * Proven senior leadership experience in large-scale production or processing environments. * Strong understanding of compliance, quality, food safety, and regulatory requirements. * Experience driving continuous improvement and operational efficiency. * Confidence in decision-making, influencing, and managing competing priorities. * A collaborative, values-driven leadership style that builds trust across teams. Te Ahurea / Why Work at Silver Fern Farms? Silver Fern Farms is all about Creating Goodness from the Farms the World Needs. Goodness is at the heart of everything we do—our people, our farmers, our customers, and our environment. We take pride in being a values-driven organisation committed to sustainability, animal welfare, and the communities we serve. Tono Mai / To Apply Click on Apply below to submit your application. Applications close on April 3 2026, and we will be in touch with shortlisted candidates after this date. Silver Fern Farms welcomes people from all backgrounds and walks of life. We are proud to have a diverse and inclusive environment and are committed to providing equal opportunities for all team members and applicants. Come and create goodness together with us.

Responsibilities

The Processing Manager will lead, coach, and develop production leaders across all species and shifts to ensure throughput, quality, and financial KPIs are met or exceeded daily. This role champions a strong safety culture while upholding all compliance requirements and supporting site-wide strategic initiatives.