Production Manager

Barton Holdings LTD; Lepperton; On-site; NZD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Training and qualifications support

Competitive salary

Job summary

Barton Holdings LTD in New Zealand seeks a Production Manager to own the extraction, blending and packing operation. You will plan production, lead the floor team and ensure quality, safety, traceability, and compliance of every batch.

You will manage the production schedule, inventory, and audits, and drive improvements in yield, throughput and cost. A hands-on leader with experience in a compliant, audited environment is ideal.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a team in a production or processing environment with accountability.
• Willingness to be on the floor and hands-on on the production line.
• Familiarity with documented, audited systems (quality, compliance) in honey/food manufacturing preferred.

Responsibilities

• Plan and deliver the production schedule across extraction, blending and packing.
• Manage the seasonal extraction programme and flow of boxes in and out.
• Oversee the testing programme with the laboratory.
• Own the site's Risk Management Programme and lead audits.
• Keep inventory, batch records and traceability accurate in the production system.
• Lead, roster and develop the processing team on the floor.
• Maintain plant with preventative maintenance and contractor management.
• Identify improvements in yield, throughput, waste and cost.

Skills

Leadership

Production planning

Inventory software

Spreadsheets

Clear communication

New Zealand driver licence

RMP knowledge

HACCP knowledge

MPI export requirements

Tools

Forklift (F endorsement)

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.

We produce and export mānuka honey from Taranaki to markets around the world. We are a small, ambitious team, part of a well established New Zealand family owned group, and we are looking for a Production Manager to take ownership of our extraction, blending and packing operation.

About the role

You will run the site. That means planning and delivering the production schedule, leading the team on the floor, holding the quality and food safety standard, and making sure every batch that goes out the door is compliant, traceable and to grade.

Key responsibilities

• Plan and deliver the production schedule across extraction, bulk blending and packing
• Manage the seasonal extraction programme and the flow of boxes in and gear back out
• Manage the testing programme with our laboratory
• Own the site's Risk Management Programme in practice, and lead us through verifier and customer audits
• Keep inventory, batch records and traceability accurate in our production system
• Lead, roster and develop the processing team, hands on and on the floor
• Keep plant running through preventative maintenance and good contractor management
• Look for and deliver improvements in yield, throughput, waste and cost

About you

You have led a team in a production or processing environment and been accountable for what came out the other end, not just for keeping people busy. You are practical, you would rather be on the floor than behind a desk, and you have the mechanical instinct to work out why a filler has stopped before you pick up the phone.

Honey and/or food manufacturing experience is what we would ideally like, but it is not a requirement. If you have run a team inside any documented, audited system, whether that is dairy, meat, engineering, pharmaceutical or something else with a compliance regime behind it, we want to hear from you. We will train the honey and the food safety side, and we will pay for the qualifications to go with it for the right candidate.

You will also bring:

• Confidence with production and inventory software, and with spreadsheets and reporting
• The planning discipline to hold a schedule, and the flexibility to redo it when the season changes on you
• The care to keep records right when the day is going badly, because in an export business the paperwork is the product
• Clear communication and the willingness to raise a quality issue early
• A full New Zealand driver licence
• Existing knowledge of RMP, HACCP, mānuka grading or MPI export requirements would be a real advantage. Forklift and F endorsement are useful but not essential.

Please note that because of the nature of our industry, applicants must not have any allergy to bees or bee products.

A genuine leadership role with real ownership, in a business small enough that your decisions show up in the result.

Competitive salary, negotiable on experience.

Support to develop, including relevant training and qualifications.