Laboratory Manager

Fletcher Building; Portland; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health insurance

Education fund

Fletcher Building benefits

Inclusive culture

Career development opportunities

Job summary

Golden Bay Cement, part of Fletcher Building, is seeking an experienced Laboratory Manager to lead the Portland lab and ensure quality, performance, and compliance across manufacturing operations.

You will manage 6–10 lab professionals, maintain accreditation, drive continuous improvement, support R&D, and collaborate with manufacturing, technical, and commercial teams to deliver reliable testing and reporting.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualification in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Process Engineering, or related discipline.
• Experience in cement manufacturing or industrial laboratory environments.
• Strong leadership and team-development capabilities.
• Experience with ISO quality systems and ISO/IEC 17025 compliance.
• Excellent data interpretation and communication skills.
• Ability to drive continuous improvement in a manufacturing laboratory.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of 6–10 laboratory professionals with coaching and performance development.
• Ensure accurate, timely, and reliable testing of raw materials, processes, finished products, and external samples.
• Maintain laboratory accreditation and quality records, ensuring data integrity and testing methodologies.
• Oversee equipment, calibration programs, and testing procedures.
• Collaborate with operations to optimise process performance and product quality.
• Lead continuous improvement and implement best-practice quality management systems.
• Support R&D projects and opportunities to expand external testing services.
• Champion health, safety, environmental compliance and a collaborative culture.

Skills

Leadership

Lab management

ISO/IEC 17025

Data analysis

Quality systems

Stakeholder communication

Education

Chemistry / Chemical Engineering / Materials Science

Tools

XRF

XRD

Automated lab systems

Statistical process control

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.

Fletcher Building – Portland, North Island

For more than 100 years, Golden Bay Cement has helped shape New Zealand's built environment. From the roads, bridges, and infrastructure that connect our communities to the homes and buildings we rely on every day, our products play a vital role in supporting the country's growth.

Today, as part of the Fletcher Building Group, we're focused on building a more sustainable future through innovation, technical excellence, and the talent of our people.

We're now looking for an experienced Laboratory Manager to lead our laboratory function at Portland and play a critical role in ensuring quality, performance, innovation, and operational excellence across our manufacturing operations.

This is an opportunity to make a genuine impact by leading a skilled team, influencing business decisions, and helping shape the future capability of the laboratory.

As Laboratory Manager, you'll lead a team of laboratory professionals responsible for delivering the testing, quality assurance, and technical information that underpins safe, efficient, and compliant cement manufacturing.

You'll create an environment where people are supported to learn, grow, and perform at their best. Through coaching, mentoring, and leadership, you'll build capability across the team while fostering a culture of safety, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Working closely with manufacturing, technical, and commercial stakeholders, you will:

• Lead and develop a team of 6-10 laboratory professionals, providing coaching, succession planning, and performance development.
• Ensure accurate, timely, and reliable testing of raw materials, production processes, finished products, research and development initiatives, and external customer samples.
• Maintain laboratory accreditation, quality systems, and ISO/IEC 17025 compliance, ensuring confidence in all testing and reporting activities.
• Oversee laboratory equipment, calibration programmes, quality records, data integrity, and testing methodologies.
• Partner with operational teams to optimise process performance, improve product quality, and support manufacturing excellence.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives, implementing best-practice laboratory and quality management systems.
• Support product innovation, research and development projects, and opportunities to expand external testing services.
• Champion health, safety, environmental compliance, and a culture where people look out for one another.

What you'll bring

You'll be a collaborative and empowering leader who enjoys developing others and building strong relationships across a business. You'll combine technical expertise with a practical mindset and be comfortable translating complex information into insights that drive action and results.

• Proven leadership experience within a laboratory environment, ideally in manufacturing, mining, cement, lime, aggregates, or another industrial setting.
• A strong understanding of quality systems, laboratory testing, process control, and continuous improvement principles.
• Experience working within accredited laboratory environments and knowledge of ISO quality systems and laboratory compliance requirements.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, identify opportunities, and support informed decision-making.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to build credibility with people at all levels of the organisation.
• A passion for developing high-performing teams and creating an inclusive, supportive workplace culture.

Ideally, you'll also have:

• A tertiary qualification in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Process Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience in cement manufacturing.
• Exposure to XRF, XRD, automated laboratory systems, statistical process control, or project management.

Why join Golden Bay?

At Golden Bay, you'll join a business with a proud legacy and an exciting future. We are committed to creating an environment where our people feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow their careers.

• Competitive salary package
• Southern Cross health insurance
• Employee Education Fund and ongoing development opportunities
• Access to Fletcher Building benefits and discounts
• A supportive, inclusive culture focused on safety, wellbeing, and continuous learning
• The opportunity to lead a critical function within one of New Zealand's most significant manufacturing operations

If you're a people-focused leader who enjoys building capability, driving quality, and making a meaningful contribution to business performance, we'd love to hear from you.

Research shows that females and minority groups don’t apply for roles unless they match 100% the job description. We are proud of your diversity and see it as one of the things that make us stronger. We welcome your individuality and encourage you to bring your true self to work, so if this role is of interest but you feel you don’t fit it, we would still love you to apply.