Office Operations Manager

walkersmith; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Evnex seeks an Office Operations Manager in Christchurch to keep the workplace running smoothly, oversee health and safety, and manage people processes that support a growing team. The role is fully onsite with front‑of‑house responsibilities and a strong emphasis on reliability and exceptional service.

You will own facilities, HR admin, and office systems, working with the Senior Leadership Team to ensure effective operations and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in executive administration, office management, or business support in a growing organisation.
• Non-negotiable: strong computer literacy across Microsoft 365 and business systems, and demonstrated use of AI to deliver automations or system improvements.
• Familiarity with HR administration including agreements, onboarding, and payroll liaison.

Responsibilities

• Own the tenancy relationship and contractor/supplier relationships for maintenance and services.
• Manage front-of-house, receptions, and office supplies; run the front desk and greet visitors.
• Lead health and safety activities, inductions, and keep NZ and AU policies current.
• Prepare employment agreements, onboarding and offboarding end to end; manage payroll inputs and leave records.
• Own the office and people systems, provide first-line IT support, and develop AI-driven automations.

Job description

Office Operations Manager

Keep Evnex running smoothly: our workplace, our health and safety, and the people processes behind a growing team.

Team

Operations

Reports to

Head of Engineering and Operations

Location

Christchurch, onsite

Type

Permanent, full time

Hours

Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.00pm

The role

The Office Operations Manager keeps Evnex running smoothly day to day. You own our workplace, our health and safety, and the people processes that sit behind a growing team. It is a broad, hands‑on role for someone who takes pride in an organisation that works, and who follows through on the small things as reliably as the big things.

This is a fully onsite role. The work is physical and front‑of‑house by nature, so it is not eligible for working from home.

How we work

We live our values every day and expect the same of you: 1% better every day, deliver outstanding service, leave only tread marks, take the wheel, and excellence through discipline. In this role that looks like owning problems rather than passing them on, noticing what needs doing before anyone asks, and setting the standard for how the office runs.

What you'll do

The unglamorous work comes first. Phones, bins, supplies, meeting rooms, the kitchen, and the plants are the foundation of this role and are not delegable. Do them well and consistently, and the broader parts of the role open up.

BUILDING AND FACILITIES

Own the tenancy relationship and own the contractor and supplier relationships for maintenance, building services, grounds, rubbish, and recycling.

Own the presentation and upkeep of the shared and front‑of‑house spaces across both of our buildings. Production floor and workshop housekeeping sits with the Manufacturing Manager.

Manage office, kitchen, and bathroom supplies, including ordering, and keep the shared spaces clean, organised, and welcoming.

Run the front desk: greet visitors, receive deliveries, and handle general office phone calls, escalating where needed.

Keep our office plants thriving with basic plant care, including watering.

Act as first point of contact for facilities and equipment issues.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Own the hazard and incident registers, including reporting, investigation, and follow‑up to close.

Lead the health and safety committee, run contractor and visitor inductions, and support toolbox talks and an active safety culture.

Keep policies and documentation current across our New Zealand and Australian obligations.

PEOPLE AND HR ADMINISTRATION

Prepare employment agreements and variations, and run onboarding and off‑boarding end to end.

Administer payroll inputs, leave records, and personnel files.

Support the performance and check‑in cycles and other people processes.

SYSTEMS AND PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

Own the office and people systems and processes, and be the first line of support for everyday IT: user setup, devices, meeting room tech, and liaison with our IT provider.

Use AI tools daily to draft, automate, and streamline recurring administrative, health and safety, and people work, and to build simple systems and templates that reduce manual effort.

Continuously improve how things run, and keep the company intranet current as the single source of truth for office and people information.

EXECUTIVE AND BUSINESS SUPPORT

Provide EA support to the Senior Leadership Team, including email and calendar management.

Own the logistics for leadership and board meetings, and for internal meetings, functions, events, and celebrations.

Manage travel arrangements, including flights, accommodation, and car rentals.

Support business applications and documentation, such as ESG reporting and health and safety reporting.

Handle correspondence and document control.

What you'll bring

Extensive experience in executive administration, office management, or business support in a growing organisation.

Non-negotiable: strong computer literacy across Microsoft 365 and business systems, and demonstrated use of AI to deliver automations or system improvements. You will be asked for specific examples at interview.

Familiarity with HR administration including agreements, onboarding, and payroll liaison.

Exceptional organisation and discipline, with genuine follow‑through on the small details as well as the large.

Sound judgement and discretion with confidential information.

A positive contribution to team culture and a natural fit with our core values.

The right to live and work in New Zealand.

ADVANTAGEOUS

Working knowledge of New Zealand health and safety obligations and confidence maintaining registers and documentation.

A health and safety qualification or formal training.

Experience in a manufacturing or product business.

Exposure to HR information systems.

How success is measured

Facilities issues resolved or escalated within 1 working day; zero stock-outs of essential supplies.

New starters fully set up (agreement, systems, induction) before day one.

Incidents and near‑misses investigated with actions assigned within 5 working days.

Health and safety committee meets monthly; minutes and actions published within 3 days.

Health and safety pre‑qualification (Tōtika) maintained with no lapse or overdue corrective actions.

At least one recurring manual process automated or materially streamlined each month.

Why Evnex

You will join a values‑based, vertically integrated clean‑tech company at a genuine growth inflection point, with the autonomy to shape how our workplace and people processes run, and the impact to match. We are hands‑on, pragmatic, and move at pace, and we look after each other while we do it.