Citrus Operations Manager

Amber Grove Limited; Gisborne; On-site; NZD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Amber Grove Limited in Gisborne, North Island, is seeking a Citrus Operations Manager to lead contracted grower procurement, coordinate with sales and growers, and ensure high service levels to excite and delight customers. This hands-on leadership role focuses on people, performance and operational excellence.

Reporting to the General Manager, Horticultural Services, you’ll oversee harvest and pack plans, budgets, safety and GAP compliance, and coach Orchard Managers and teams.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading large operational teams in horticulture, agriculture, forestry, civil contracting, manufacturing, food production or another complex operational environment.
• People-first leadership style with ability to coach, develop and motivate others.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills across all business levels.
• Commercial awareness with experience managing budgets, resources and performance.

Responsibilities

• Leading orchard planning and crop yield performance.
• Managing budgets, reporting, and customer communication.
• Overseeing health, safety, and GAP compliance.
• Coaching and mentoring Orchard Managers, Supervisors, and workforce teams.
• Building strong customer relationships and exceeding expectations.
• Driving a culture of excellence, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Hands-on leadership with ~90% time in the orchard leading people.

Skills

Leadership

Relationship-building

Budget management

Operational planning

People development

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

Amber Grove Limited – Gisborne, North Island

As a Citrus Operations Manager, you’ll be the key point of contact between the procurement, sales team and our growers. Managing relationships, providing expert support, and ensuring a high level of service to excite and delight our customers. You’ll play a vital part in helping growers succeed, while identifying opportunities to attract new customers to our client base. This role offers great variety, and no two days are the same.

A privately owned horticultural businesses, proudly growing, harvesting and supplying fresh fruit to Kiwi families for over 30 years.

We're looking for an experienced operational leader to join ourteam. Please note this is a Gisborne based role. Reporting to the General Manager, Horticultural Services you'll lead contracted grower procurement, represent market conditions via our National Sales Manager, lead harvest and pack plans ensuring everything is delivered safely, efficiently and to the highest standard.

While experience in horticulture is certainly valuable, we're equally interested in hearing from leaders who have built successful careers in other large-scale operational environments such as forestry, agriculture, civil contracting, manufacturing or food production. What matters most is your ability to lead people, build strong relationships, drive performance and deliver operational excellence.

This role follows the rhythm of the growing season. During peak periods you'll be comfortable leading from the front, with early starts and the flexibility to put in the extra time required to support the operation. In return, you'll join a business that values commitment, collaboration, continuous improvement and is ultimately making a difference evolving the future of fresh citrus supply.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading orchard planning and crop yield performance
• Managing budgets, reporting, and customer communication
• Overseeing health, safety, and GAP compliance
• Coaching and mentoring Orchard Managers, Supervisors, and our workforce teams
• Building strong customer relationships and exceeding expectations
• Driving a culture of excellence, safety, and continuous improvement
• This is a hands-on leadership role, with around 90% of your time spent in the orchard leading people and ensuring smooth operations.
• Leading nursery production, groundwork, cultivation, land development, irrigation, planting and harvest operations.
• Developing high-performing managers, supervisors and operational teams through coaching, accountability and clear expectations. Leading a team of 4 direct reports and over 30 FTE’s in peak season.
• Working alongside Orchard Managers and specialist technical teams to ensure operational plans are executed safely, efficiently and on schedule.
• Driving continuous improvement across systems, innovation, productivity, sustainability and operational performance.
• Managing operational planning, resources and budgets to maximise efficiency and deliver results.
• Championing a positive health, safety and quality culture across the business.
• Building strong relationships across the wider business, contractors and key external stakeholders.

About you:

You'll be an outgoing, experienced operational leader who has exceptional relationship skills and earns the trust and respect of those around you. You know how to build capable teams, create accountability and keep complex operations running smoothly.

You'll also bring:

• Proven experience leading large operational teams in horticulture, agriculture, forestry, civil contracting, manufacturing, food production or another complex operational environment.
• A people-first leadership style with the ability to coach, develop and motivate others.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to influence across all levels of a business.
• Commercial awareness and experience managing operational budgets, resources and performance.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills, with the ability to balance competing priorities.
• Experience working in seasonal, production-driven or operational environments where priorities can change quickly.
• A practical, hands‑on approach and a genuine commitment to continuous improvement.

If you're looking for a role where your leadership will genuinely influence people, performance and the future direction of a major horticulture operation and New Zealand’s fresh citrus production, we'd love to hear from you.