Laboratory Manager - fixed term

Oceania Dairy; Timaru; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bus transport

Health insurance

Gym on-site

Annual health checks

Physiotherapy onsite

Employee Assistance Program

Free parking

Training & development

Job summary

Oceania Dairy in Glenavy, South Canterbury, seeks an experienced laboratory leader to oversee the Glenavy laboratory operations, ensuring high-quality, timely testing that supports manufacturing and product quality.

This 12-month fixed-term role leads a large team, champions a culture of quality and continuous improvement, and ensures ISO 17025 and MPI RLP compliance while driving budget management and stakeholder collaboration.

Qualifications

• Significant laboratory leadership experience in food, dairy or manufacturing settings.
• Strong knowledge of ISO 17025 and laboratory quality systems.
• Proven ability to manage budgets, resources and operational performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operation of the Glenavy laboratory and ensure efficient testing services.
• Coach and develop Laboratory Team Leaders and staff to build a high-performing team.
• Oversee workforce planning, recruitment, training and succession planning.
• Maintain ISO 17025 and MPI RLP compliance.
• Drive health, safety, quality and continuous improvement across lab services.
• Manage laboratory budgets, resources and equipment costs.
• Monitor testing outcomes to support timely product release and process improvements.
• Foster strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners.

Skills

Leadership

Quality culture

ISO 17025

Budgeting

LIMS

Stakeholder management

Education

Tertiary qualification in science

Tools

LIMS

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 16th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

This is a crucial leadership role responsible for the overall management of laboratory operations, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, efficient and timely testing services that support manufacturing, product quality and customer requirements.

You will lead a large laboratory team, champion a strong culture of quality, safety and continuous improvement, and ensure ongoing compliance with ISO 17025, MPI RLP and all relevant regulatory standards. This role also plays a key part in workforce planning, budget management, capability development and driving operational excellence across laboratory services.

This is a 12-month fixed term opportunity based at our Glenavy site.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operation of the Glenavy laboratory and ensure efficient delivery of testing services.
• Develop, coach and support Laboratory Team Leaders and laboratory staff to build a high-performing team.
• Oversee workforce planning, recruitment, training and succession planning.
• Maintain compliance with ISO 17025, MPI RLP.
• Foster a strong culture of health, safety, quality and continuous improvement.
• Manage laboratory budgets, resources, equipment and operational costs.
• Monitor laboratory performance and testing outcomes to support timely product release.
• Drive process improvements, productivity gains and workflow efficiencies.
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Support laboratory projects, capital investments and the implementation of new testing capabilities.

About You

You are an experienced laboratory leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is passionate about developing people, driving continuous improvement and delivering high-quality outcomes.

• Significant laboratory experience, ideally within food, dairy or manufacturing.
• Tertiary qualification in science or a related field.
• Proven experience leading and developing high-performing teams.
• Strong knowledge of ISO 17025 and laboratory quality systems.
• Experience managing budgets, resources and operational performance.
• Knowledge of LIMS and laboratory operations.
• Strong focus on health, safety and quality compliance.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach with a continuous improvement mindset.

Who are we?

Oceania Dairy (ODL) is a dairy manufacturing plant located in Glenavy, South Canterbury, with a diverse workforce of 400 staff, who specialise in the creation of Milk Powder (adult and infant formula) and UHT milk. Owned by the Global Top 5 dairy company Yili Group, Westland Milk Products and its related companies in New Zealand, Oceania Dairy (Glenavy), Pure Nutrition Ltd (Rolleston), Canary Foods (Hamilton) and EasiYo Ltd (Auckland) form a group that we refer to as the Yili Oceania Business Division (YOBD). The combined business produces over 170,000mt of finished goods which are then exported to over 40 countries, driving annual revenue in excess of $1.3B – and growing. Our family thrives on a sense of unity and collective success and through focusing on innovation, quality and our diversity, we can successfully contribute to maintaining Yili’s title as Asia’s leading dairy product provider.

Why choose Oceania Dairy?

• State-of-the-art facilities.
• Free employee bus provided from Timaru and Oamaru to travel to site.
• Southern Cross Health Insurance.
• On-site gym, annual health checks, on-site physiotherapy, additional benefits.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Free parking.
• Strong safety culture.
• Values-led organisation committed to the training and development of employees.
• Subsidised butter!!!

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and interviews may be conducted earlier than the closing date.

Applicants must have valid work rights in New Zealand to be considered.