Ready to lead a team that keeps fresh salmon moving from ocean to plate? We're looking for a hands-on, people-focused Production Manager to drive productivity, quality, and efficiency at our Bluff processing site.

This is your chance to step into a key leadership role where you'll lead a skilled production team, keep operations running smoothly, and play a major part in improvements. If you enjoy working with people, making processes better, and getting things done, we want to hear from you.

Southland has a welcoming community, beautiful natural surroundings, lower cost of living compared to larger cities and a vibrant outdoor lifestyle - whether you're into hiking, fishing, skiing or cycling there's a wealth of outdoor recreation activities. It's a great place to bring up a family or just enjoy a relaxed lifestyle - less time stuck in traffic!

About the Role

As Production Manager, you'll oversee everything from daily salmon orders to final factory clean-ups - and each step in between. You'll keep production running smoothly while leading a skilled team to hit 100% order fulfilment. But this role isn't just about keeping the wheels turning. You'll be driving productivity improvements across all areas of production, focusing on cost efficiency and continuous improvement - without compromising on quality, food safety, or customer satisfaction.

You'll collaborate closely with our FSQ, Logistics, and Engineering Managers, while also maintaining strong communication with our salmon farming and sales teams. Beyond managing operations, you'll mentor and develop your team, ensuring they have the tools and support to succeed, all while promoting a culture of high performance and safety.

About You

• You're a self-starter who's not afraid to get stuck in - and literally get your hands dirty.
• You're a natural relationship builder who can confidently manage a team of 50+, who will keep you on your toes.
• You set high standards for hygiene, food safety, and behaviour, and you act fast if those standards aren't met.
• You have a strong sense of process and standardisation and thrive on making incremental improvement, coupled with the tenacity to embed lasting change.
• You're comfortable working with yields and productivity metrics - these are second nature to you.
• You work best as part of a team, and work openly and transparently.
• You love learning and know there's always something to learn.
• You have experience in FMCG - ideally in food production - at a management level.
• You're computer confident and system savvy.

This is a rare opportunity to step into a leadership role in a fast-paced, high-quality production environment.

About Us:

At Sanford we are proud of our extensive seafood history and our position as New Zealand's largest integrated fishing and aquaculture business. Our vision is to be New Zealand's seafood leader in quality, value and reputation, achieving this through a values-led approach of care, passion, integrity and achieving together in all that we do.


Find out about us on Our New Zealand King Salmon | Big Glory Bay 119


Applications:

If you're up for the challenge, select APPLY now.

For consideration you will need to be eligible to work in New Zealand. Our recruitment pre‑employment processes include criminal history check, drug and alcohol testing and a medical assessment.

Note that applications will be reviewed as they're received and this vacancy may close prior to the closing date.