Quality & Food Safety Lead (Fixed-Term)

Tegel Foods Ltd; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff sales on company products

Great team environment

KiwiSaver contribution up to 4%

Job summary

Tegel Foods Ltd, a premier New Zealand meat producer, seeks a highly experienced Quality Manager for Henderson (West Auckland) on a fixed-term basis of ~10 months. You will lead site quality assurance, drive RMP and HACCP programs, and coordinate audits with regulators and customers.

You will mentor the technical team, foster a proactive food safety culture, and ensure robust pathogen management across facilities. Experience in high-risk foods and strong communication with auditors is essential.

Qualifications

• Food Technology, Food Science, or relevant Science tertiary qualification. In lieu of qualification 15 years appropriate experience will be considered.
• Proven experience with at least 10 years as a Quality Manager or Senior QA Supervisor within an RMP-regulated environment (e.g., meat, dairy, seafood, or high-risk food manufacturing).
• Deep technical expertise in pathogen management, environmental monitoring, and microbiological control strategies.
• Formal qualifications in HACCP and extensive hands-on experience managing RMP systems.
• Strong leadership capability with a track record of building and managing high-performing technical teams, as well as fostering cross functional relationships.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to confidently present technical data to stakeholders and regulatory auditors.

Responsibilities

• Oversee, review, and continuously improve the site Risk Management Programme (RMP) and HACCP systems to guarantee full regulatory compliance.
• Manage and improve comprehensive environmental pathogen monitoring programs and corrective action plans.
• Lead internal and external regulatory and customer audits, serving as the technical expert and primary contact for site visitors.
• Manage and mentor the site technical team, fostering professional growth and high performance.
• Investigate non-conformances, out-of-specification results, and customer complaints, driving root-cause analysis and sustainable preventative actions.
• Monitor industry trends and regulatory changes to proactively consult with the National team and update internal policies and processing standards.
• Lead for daily issue resolution and support the Manufacturing process
• Implement and support the introduction of new products.
• Complete robust risk assessments to ensure new products and new processes transition into operation seamlessly.

Skills

Pathogen management

Environmental monitoring

Microbiological control

Leadership

Auditing

Regulatory communication

Education

Food Technology or Food Science degree

Science degree or equivalent

Job description

Tegel Foods Ltd, a premier New Zealand meat producer, seeks a highly experienced Quality Manager for Henderson (West Auckland) on a fixed-term basis of ~10 months. You will lead site quality assurance, drive RMP and HACCP programs, and coordinate audits with regulators and customers.

You will mentor the technical team, foster a proactive food safety culture, and ensure robust pathogen management across facilities. Experience in high-risk foods and strong communication with auditors is essential.