Operations Quality Team Lead - Rolleston

Westland Milk Products; Rolleston; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Westland Milk Products in Rolleston is seeking an Operations Quality Team Lead to provide quality leadership and expertise across manufacturing. You will drive continuous improvement, lead Quality Officers, and ensure compliance with quality systems and standards to support world-class food safety and quality performance.

The role involves coordinating environmental sampling, supporting internal audits, and driving improvements in process control and defect reduction within a collaborative,

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualifications in Science, Quality, Food Technology or related discipline or equivalent experience.
• Experience developing, implementing and maintaining quality systems.
• Strong knowledge of HACCP, RMP, prerequisite programmes and food safety requirements.
• Auditing experience in manufacturing or food production.
• Understanding of process control and continuous improvement methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Quality Officers and operational teams.
• Drive quality assurance best practice and ensure compliance with systems and standards.
• Manage non-conformance reporting, root cause investigations and corrective actions.
• Coordinate quality issue resolution and support operational performance improvements.
• Manage environmental swabbing and sampling across Rolleston and Hickory sites.
• Support internal audits, HACCP reviews, change control and CI initiatives.
• Analyse quality data and trends to identify opportunities and reduce defects.

Skills

Quality leadership

Change management

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Science/Quality/Food Tech degree

Tools

HACCP knowledge

Auditing skills

Job description

Operations Quality Team Lead - Rolleston

At Westland Milk Products, we're passionate about producing high quality dairy nutrition for customers around the world. As part of the Yili Oceania Business Division, we operate across a portfolio of trusted brands and businesses, united by a shared commitment to excellence, innovation, accountability, respect, and win-win collaboration.

We're looking for an experienced and motivated Operational Quality Team Leader to join our Quality team in Rolleston and play a key role in supporting the delivery of world-class food safety and quality standards across our manufacturing operations.

About the Role

Reporting to the Operational Quality Manager, you'll provide quality leadership and expertise to support the commercial manufacture of Westland products. You'll lead quality initiatives, work closely with operations teams, and drive continuous improvement across quality systems, processes, and performance.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading, coaching and developing Quality Officers and supporting operational teams.
• Driving quality assurance best practice and ensuring compliance with quality systems and standards.
• Managing non-conformance reporting, root cause investigations and corrective actions.
• Coordinating quality issue resolution and supporting operational performance improvements.
• Managing environmental swabbing and sampling programmes across Rolleston and Hickory sites.
• Supporting internal audits, HACCP reviews, change control processes and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Analysing quality data and trends to identify opportunities for improvement and reduce defects.

About You

You are a quality professional with strong leadership capability and a passion for continuous improvement. You have the ability to influence others, build strong relationships across the business, and translate quality requirements into practical operational outcomes.

To be successful, you'll bring:

• Tertiary qualifications in Science, Quality, Food Technology or a related discipline, or equivalent industry experience.
• Experience developing, implementing and maintaining quality systems.
• Strong knowledge of HACCP, RMP, prerequisite programmes and food safety requirements.
• Auditing experience within a manufacturing or food production environment.
• An understanding of process control principles and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience leading investigations, root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building and problem-solving skills.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.

What We Offer

At Westland, you'll join a business committed to growth, innovation and developing its people. You'll have the opportunity to make a genuine impact on quality performance while working alongside a passionate and supportive team.

In return, we offer:

• Competitive remuneration.
• Career development opportunities within a successful and growing dairy business.
• A collaborative and values-driven culture.
• Employee benefits and wellbeing initiatives.
• The chance to contribute to producing high-quality products enjoyed around the world.