Team Leader - Maintenance Operations Centre (Northern)

New Zealand Government; Auckland; On-site; NZD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salaries

Five weeks' annual leave

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities is seeking a decisive leader to head a high-performing team in a busy Operations Centre, based in Manukau. You will oversee workloads, allocate tasks, coach staff, and embed new ways of working while ensuring quality and timely delivery.

Working in a fast-paced, public sector environment, you will use data to track performance, drive continuous improvement and maintain a strong customer focus.

Qualifications

• Experience leading high-performing teams in complex environments.
• Strong ability to plan, allocate resources and manage budgets.
• Proven change management and continuous improvement capability.
• Clear, confident communication and influencing skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead a high-performing team in a fast-paced Operations Centre.
• Manage workloads, allocate work and coach team performance.
• Use data and reporting to monitor trends and drive improvements.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Operations management

Stakeholder management

Job description

• Lead team performance and workflow through transition to a national model
• Drive consistent, high-quality delivery by building capability and embedding improved ways of working
• Permanent Manukau-office-based role Te whiwhinga mahi - Our opportunity

You’ll lead a high performing team in a fast-paced, high-volume Operations Centre environment, focused on strong delivery while embedding new ways of working. Day to day, you’ll manage workloads, allocate work , support your team’s performance and step in on complex or high-risk cases. You’ll work closely with contractors and stakeholders to resolve issues quickly and keep work moving, while maintaining quality and consistency. A key part of the role is coaching your team, embedding consistent processes and building capability as new ways of working are embedded. You’ll use data and reporting to track performance, identify trends and support continuous improvement, always keeping a strong customer focus. The role is on site office based, Monday to Friday, supporting real-time collaboration and decision-making. We have multiple full-time opportunities available in our Addington, Christchurch office, including permanent positions and a fixed-term position through to 30 June 2027.

Ngā pūmanawatanga ōu - What you will bring

This role suits someone who can lead confidently through change, stay delivery-focused under pressure and build a high-performing, consistent team in a dynamic environment. Experience in operations, service delivery or maintenance-related settings will help, but strong leadership and sound judgement are critical.

You will demonstrate:

• Proven experience leading high-performing teams in a busy and complex environment, delivering strong customer and operational outcomes
• Demonstrated ability to plan and allocate resources, manage budgets and balance competing priorities to meet deadlines and achieve results
• Strong relationship management, communication and influencing skills, with confidence leading meetings, training sessions and presentations to large groups.
• Experience driving continuous improvement and leading change initiatives to improve performance and service delivery.
• Ability to hold team members and contractors accountable while maintaining a professional, customer-focused approach.
• Experience working effectively across teams and stakeholders in a regulated or public sector environment, building trust and achieving results in a matrixed organisation.

Nōu te rourou - What's in it for you?

We offer competitive salaries, five weeks' annual leave, and flexible working arrangements.

As a Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities employee, we want to make sure that you have all the tools and support you need. We want to ensure you are healthy and have work-life balance.

Mō mātou - Our Organisation

At Kāinga Ora, our mahi sits at the heart of Aotearoa’s housing system. Every day, we help shape how our customers live today and into the future. It’s meaningful mahi, and we’re transforming how we work so we can deliver even better outcomes.

Our transformation focuses on three things:

• Our future – building a high performing organisation that delivers quality housing for generations.
• Our tenants – warm, dry, well maintained homes and the right support to help people live well.
• Our people – simple processes, modern technology and opportunities to learn, grow and thrive.

Guided by our values, we work together, put customers at the centre and continually challenge ourselves to be better.

Kāinga Ora is a place where people feel valued and supported. You’ll find opportunities to grow your skills and build a career you’re proud of, with fair pay and flexible ways of working that support both our people and our customers.

Ō tātou uara – Our values

Our values were developed by us, for us. They unite us as an organisation and guide how we work every day. Our values are:

• Manaakitanga – People at the Heart
• Mahi Tahi – Better Together
• Whanake – Be Bold

Applications close on Saturday, 31 October 2026 at 11:55pm.

We value diversity and are committed to working with each other and our customers in an inclusive and respectful way. We welcome applicants from all walks of life and appreciate the richness of experience that your point of difference brings to the organisation.