Manager Industries - Whanganui Prison

New Zealand Government; Whanganui; On-site; NZD 113,000 - 116,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary scale B1

Job summary

Ara Poutama Aotearoa - Department of Corrections invites a seasoned Manager Industries to lead the Whanganui Prison Pathways Team. You will drive training outcomes, uplift staff and prisoner capabilities, and align operations with the Hōkai Rangi strategy in a complex, supportive environment.

You will manage diverse industry areas including catering and laundry, partner with contractors and iwi, and ensure safe, inclusive, high‑quality learning across the site.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership and relationship skills.
• Ability to lead staff to deliver vocational training outcomes.
• Experience with managing budgets and procurement.
• Understanding of adult learning or training environments.
• Familiarity with Corrections' Hōkai Rangi strategy and values.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support staff to embed organisational strategy and uplift staff and prisoner capabilities.
• Oversee industry areas (primary industries, catering, laundry) and ensure high‑quality training outcomes.
• Manage delegation of tasks, budgets, and performance; monitor risks and quality controls.
• Collaborate with contractors, iwi, employers, inmates, advisors, and senior leadership to deliver results.

Skills

Leadership skills

Relationship skills

Strategic planning

Budget management

Adult learning

Cultural capability

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

• Permanent position based at Whanganui Prison
• Determination to succeed in a challenging and complex environment.
• Develop and drive strategic plans to deliver good business results.

Mō te tūnga | About the role

The Whanganui Prison Pathways Team is looking for a Manager Industries who is committed to our culture of continuous improvement and the lifting of both staff and prisoner's capability across our unique operating environment. If you are an experienced frontline manager who can lead and support staff to embed the over-arching organisational strategy Hōkai Rangi, which expresses our commitment to delivering great outcomes for the people in our management and their whānau, we want to hear from you. ‘Kotahi anō te Kaupapa, ko te orange o te iwi’ – ‘There is only one purpose to our work : the wellness and wellbeing of our people'. This role oversees a range of industry focused areas, including primary industries, internal catering / laundry, providing essential services to the prison 365 days a year. The manager is responsible for the delivery of high-quality training outcomes, and ongoing uplift of employment capabilities, and upskilling. You will be required to lead with a positive influence, support your industry operations, facilitate professional development of your instructors in a diverse, and all-inclusive unique working / learning environment. The delegation of tasks, budget management, delivery performance, operational risk management, quality controls, and staff performance, are some of the expectations of this role. In this role you lead through partnering with contractors, training providers, iwi, employers, inmates, advisors, site staff, stakeholders, and senior leadership.

Mōu | About you

We are looking for someone with proven leadership and relationship skills, a high degree of integrity, resilience, a willingness to get in and support the team to deliver training outcomes with learners through work based practical vocational upskilling. Someone who will do the right thing and make the hard calls when required. This role will require strong internal site wide relationships, along with external training providers, key stakeholders (including commercial partners), and relevant Others.

Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako | Skills and experience

• Strength in leadership skills, with proven experience in efficient and effective strategies for delivering training outcomes.
• Proven experience with leading team performance, initiative-taking, and demonstrates the leadership approach who inspires others to perform at their best.
• Proven excellent relationship skills, including the ability to build solid professional and functioning connections.
• Proven understanding of Corrections' Hōkai Rangi Strategy, Ara Poutama Aotearoa / Department of Corrections Values and how these influence the way you lead and how industries contribute towards successful outcomes.
• Experience in an adult learning or training environment.
• Ability to think critically, be innovative, and be able to coordinate and facilitate the changes necessary.
• The ability to remain positive and resilient in a constantly changing environment.
• Experience with managing budgets, purchasing supplies, and equipment.
• The ability to collaborate with the people in our care within a te ao māori space, while advancing your own cultural development – along with your direct reports
• Operates a safe and functionable working space, apply diversity equity and inclusion.

Ngā painga | The benefits

The salary applicable for this role is Scale B1 of the Frontline Managers Collective which is $112,899 ($116,286 from July 2026). Appointment and remuneration will reflect skills and experience relevant to the role.

Mō mātou | About us

Join Ara Poutama Aotearoa - Department of Corrections, where your work will contribute to improving public safety, reducing re-offending, and address the overrepresentation of Māori in correctional facilities. As a values-led organisation, we use the principles of rangatira (leadership), manaaki (respect), wairua (spirituality), kaitiaki (guardianship), and whānau (relationships) to guide our work and achieve the goals of our Hōkai Rangi strategy. We value inclusion and diversity in our workforce, and as a Public Service organisation we are committed to building a workforce that reflects the public we serve. We strive to make our recruitment process fair, and we encourage you to discuss reasonable accommodations with us if required.