Te Tūranga / About the Role

We’re looking for a strong, people-focused Team Leader – Primary Butchery (Beef) to join our Operations team and Finegand Silver Fern Farms.

In this hands-on leadership role, you’ll be responsible for leading a production team to deliver daily targets safely, efficiently, and to the highest quality and compliance standards. You’ll ensure your team understands what’s expected, how their work contributes to overall departmental performance, and how to consistently meet specification, yield, and production requirements.

You’ll spend your time on the floor, coaching, verifying processes, reinforcing health and safety standards, and ensuring technical and quality compliance. You’ll be the link between teams, driving clear communication, supporting continuous improvement through Streamline, and building a culture of accountability, respect, and teamwork.

This is a critical leadership role where production performance, safety, people development, and quality all come together.

Shift pattern detailed below:

Dayshift hours 6am to 3.30pm and Nightshift hours 3.30pm to 1am.

During seasonal period of November to July this is 1 week nightshift, 2 weeks day shift. 

Ōu Pūkenga / About You

You’re an experienced meat processing professional ready to step up, or an existing leader who thrives in a fast-paced production environment.

You’ll bring:

• At least 2 years’ meat processing experience
• Strong knowledge of product specifications, yields, and compliance requirements
• A solid understanding of health & safety and food safety standards
• Proven ability to coach, motivate, and hold people accountable
• Clear, confident communication skills
• Strong problem-solving ability in a high-volume production environment

A vocational qualification (Level 2–4) or equivalent industry experience will be advantageous.

Te Ahurea / Why Work at Silver Fern Farms?

At Silver Fern Farms, we’re committed to Creating Goodness from the Farms the World Needs. That means investing in our people, supporting our communities, and striving for excellence in everything we do.

We offer:

• Heavily discounted staff meat sales through our on-site Butcher’s Block
• Paid sick leave from day one
• Confidential employee assistance (career planning, financial guidance, counselling)
• Free on-site parking and branded uniform
• Ongoing leadership development opportunities

Tono Mai / To Apply

Click ‘Apply’ to submit your application. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, so don’t delay.

Come and create Goodness together with us.