Regional Livestock Manager - Upper SI

Silver Fern Farms Ltd; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Silver Fern Farms Ltd is seeking a Regional Livestock Manager - Upper South Island to lead a team of Livestock Representatives and strengthen relationships with farmer suppliers across the region.

This senior role blends commercial thinking, people leadership and stakeholder engagement to drive procurement strategy, regional growth and long-term value for suppliers and rural communities.

Qualifications

• Proven senior leadership experience leading teams.
• Strong commercial acumen balancing supplier relationships with performance.
• Deep knowledge of livestock, agriculture, or primary sector.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing Livestock Representatives team.
• Build trusted relationships with farmer suppliers and industry bodies.
• Drive procurement performance, supply planning, and regional growth.
• Contribute to pricing, procurement, and commercial strategies.
• Champion supplier-focused initiatives and key accounts regionally.
• Represent the company at industry events and in rural communities.
• Partner with Operations, Sales, Marketing and Supply to meet objectives.

Skills

Senior leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Relationship building

Strategic thinking

Commercial acumen

Communication skills

Job description

Te Tūranga | About the Role

As our Regional Livestock Manager - Upper South Island, you'll lead a team of Livestock Representatives and be responsible for building and strengthening relationships with our farmer suppliers across the region. You'll play a key role in shaping livestock procurement strategy, driving business performance, and ensuring Silver Fern Farms remains the partner of choice for farmers and rural communities throughout the Upper South Island.

This is a highly visible senior leadership role that combines commercial thinking, people leadership, stakeholder engagement, and deep connections across the rural sector. You'll work closely with internal leaders and industry partners to deliver sustainable growth, create value for suppliers, and support the long‑term success of our business.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing team of Livestock Representatives across the Upper South Island.
• Build trusted relationships with key suppliers, farmer groups, industry organisations, and rural stakeholders.
• Drive livestock procurement performance, supply planning, and regional business growth.
• Contribute to pricing, procurement, and commercial strategies that support company performance.
• Champion supplier-focused initiatives, key accounts, and new procurement opportunities across the region.
• Represent Silver Fern Farms at industry events, field days, conferences, and within the wider rural community.
• Partner with leaders across Operations, Sales, Marketing, and Supply to deliver business objectives.

Ōu Pūkenga | About You

You're a respected leader who thrives on building strong relationships, influencing outcomes, and creating value through partnerships.

You'll Bring

• Proven senior leadership experience and the ability to lead, coach, and inspire high-performing teams.
• Strong commercial acumen and an understanding of how to balance supplier relationships with business performance.
• Deep knowledge of the livestock, agricultural, or wider primary sector environment.
• Exceptional relationship-building skills and an established network within the rural community.
• The confidence to engage with farmers, industry groups, iwi, commercial partners, and senior stakeholders.
• A strategic mindset, coupled with the ability to execute and deliver results.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to represent the business with credibility and influence.

Te Ahurea /Why work at Silver Fern Farms?

Silver Fern Farms are all about Creating Goodness from the Farms the World Needs. Creating goodness is about taking a broader view of what goodness means and how we can create it and the impact it can have. That Goodness is created through the work of our People, the skill & expertise of our Farmers and our customers around the globe. 'Goodness' is also about being good to people and communities, animal welfare, and showing care and respect for the environment.

For you, we offer heavily discounted staff meat sales through our on site Butcher's Block, subsidised health and life insurance, the opportunity to continuously learn and develop from an internationally renowned organisation.

Silver Fern Farms welcomes people from all backgrounds and walks of life. We are proud to have a diverse and inclusive environment and are committed to providing equal opportunities for all team members and applicants. Come and create goodness together with us. You can see more about our commitments to our people and their work by visiting our Belong Here webpage: https://careers.silverfernfarms.com/nz/en/belong-here