Quality Controller

King Country Pet Food; New Zealand; On-site; NZD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Onsite parking

Mandatory training provided

Family and pet friendly focus

Permanent full-time position

Job summary

King Country Pet Food, based in the Manawatu District, North Island, seeks an experienced Quality Controller for our production facility. Reporting to the QA Manager, you’ll ensure product quality aligns with regulatory standards while supporting operations.

You’ll communicate clearly across teams and thrive in a collaborative environment with shifting priorities. The role is full-time (40 hours) with potential overtime and shift rostering in the future.

Qualifications

• Experience in Pet Sector or Meat Industry.
• Experience in a Food Manufacturing role.
• Export Food Safety and/or Compliance experience.
• Strong food safety and hygiene understanding.
• Workplace Health and Safety awareness.
• Good communications skills and the ability to communicate with diverse personnel.
• Good literacy and numeracy skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Teams, Outlook, Excel, Word).
• Hands-on, meticulous and detail-focused.
• Ability to work safely under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Sampling, testing and inspecting raw and dry materials.
• Sampling, testing and inspecting finished unpacked product.
• Operating Aw, moisture meters and NIRs for product testing.
• Documenting tests and inspections.
• Initiating corrective actions if products are out of specification.
• Checking recipes/ formulations are correct for the product being produced.
• Checking correct retail pouches/packaging are used and all specs are adhered to.
• Pre-operative and post-operative hygiene checks.
• Ensure cleaning meets MPI hygiene standards and company protocols.
• Ensure food safety protocols are followed.
• Basic administration duties as required.
• Uphold Health, Safety, Environment and Quality policies.
• Share technical knowledge with team members.
• Participate in mandatory training.

Skills

Pet sector experience

Food manufacturing experience

Export food safety/compliance

Food safety & hygiene understanding

MS Office proficiency

Strong communication skills

Detail-oriented

Ability to work under pressure

Education

Industry qualifications in food safety

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

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.

King Country Pet Food – Manawatu District, North Island

New Zealand is renowned across the globe as one of the purest and natural places on Earth – It’s clean, green and simply beautiful, and King Country is possibly the jewel in that crown. A fertile and naturally abundant land of rolling hills, ambling rivers and lush vegetation,perfect for cultivation of quality crops and livestock. Almost a quarter of the local community is directly involved in Agriculture of some kind, including significant free-range Sheep and Beef farms.

King Country Pet Food is based near Taumarunui at the centre of this historic region, set near the banks of the beautiful Whanganui river. Our core values include having a strong, respectful connection to the local community, and we take pride in calling King Country our home.

As a new start up enterprise, and addition to New Zealand’s pet foods’ growing popularity amongst pet lovers the world over, we have a state-of-the-art plant and facilities, sourcing the finest ingredients to produce products to rival the best in the world.

The Role

Reporting directly to the Quality Assurance Manager, we are seeking an experienced Quality Controller with Pet or Meat sector food manufacturing experience to join our busy team at King Country Pet Food.

Working alongside our Quality, Compliance and Technical professionals, and supporting operations within the production facility, this role will ensure that product is produced and delivered to industry and regulatory requirements ensuring best practice.

The ideal candidate will be someone who thrives in a collaborative environment, where initiative and good communication skills are essential. Possessing the ability to communicate technical information in simple terms to both external customers and internal personnel from a wide array of backgrounds, education and skillsets will be highly valued.

You will be self-starter who is comfortable in an environment with shifting requirements, and able to pivot and prioritise work to ensure production down time is limited.

We are offering a full-time position, working a 40hr working week, with some occasional overtime and flexibility required around shift rostering in the future.

Key Job / Role Responsibilities

• Sampling, testing and inspecting raw and dry materials.
• Sampling, testing and inspecting finished unpacked product.
• Operating Aw, moisture meters and NIRs for product testing
• Documenting tests and inspections
• Initiating corrective actions if products are out of specification.
• Checking recipes / formulations are correct for the product being produced.
• Checking correct retail pouches / packaging are used and all specifications for specific product orders are adhered to.
• Pre-operative and post-operative hygiene checks
• Ensure cleaning is carried out to MPI hygiene standards and company cleaning protocols are adhered to.
• Ensure food safety protocols are followed.
• Basic administration duties as per your role requirements on a day-to-day basis.
• Ensuring Health, Safety and Environment and Quality Management policies and procedures are adhered to.
• Assisting in the sharing of information and contributing technical expertise to other team members or the wider production team.
• Participating in mandatory training as and when required.

Key Skills and Experience:

• Pet Sector or Meat Industry experience.
• Experience in a Food Manufacturing role.
• Export Food Safety and/or Compliance experience.
• Strong food safety and hygiene understanding and/or relevant industry qualifications.
• Workplace Health and Safety awareness.
• Good communications skills and the ability to directly communicate with all personnel, explaining issues in simple terms.
• Good literacy and numeracy skills
• Competent in Microsoft Office suite (especially Teams, Outlook, Excel and Word).
• Hands on approach, meticulous and detail focused.
• Ability to work safely under pressure and think on your feet.

Characteristics:

• Customer / People-centric with an eye for detail, is flexible and adaptable, and a natural problem solver, anticipating and reporting problems, and prepared to follow through on their resolution.
• Happy to take on board and follow instruction to modify plans if / when required.
• A passionate high achiever who is prepared to challenge the status quo/boundaries and seeks to make improvements and modifications where necessary in collaboration with management.
• Strong communication skills with a positive attitude, motivated and enthusiastic.
• Prepared to deliver quality while managing time and resources;
• Trustworthy and reliable.

What's on our doorstep?

Mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes! We encourage work life balance and are fortunate to have many outdoor activities nearby - skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, tramping, hunting, fishing, kayaking, rafting, boating, golf etc.

If you are looking for a change of pace and would embrace small town country / rural living, this is a fantastic opportunity to join a team who have come together to form a truly successful NZ Petfood business.

To learn more about our business please visit our website: www.kingcountrypetfood.com

What is in it for you?

• Competitive salary depending on experience.
• Job security
• Onsite parking
• Mandatory training provided.
• Family and pet friendly focus
• Permanent position with full-time hours

If you're an experienced Quality Controller who's ready to make a significant impact and be part of our success story, we'd love to hear from you. Join this thriving team, where your capabilities are celebrated, and ongoing career development is encouraged.

All applicants must be a NZ citizen, resident, or hold a valid NZ work visa. We will not be reviewing CVs that do not meet these criteria.