Job Description

At ZIWI, we make award-winning, ultra-premium pet food that helps cats and dogs thrive around the world. As New Zealand’s leading pet food exporter and a global leader in air-dried pet nutrition, quality is at the heart of everything we do.

We’re looking for a Food Safety Quality Lead to join our Superkitchen manufacturing site based at Awatoto, Napier.

About the role

This is a hands-on leadership role where you’ll work closely with our Quality and Production teams to ensure our products are made safely, consistently and to the highest standards.

You’ll lead our Food Safety Quality team, provide technical support to Production, investigate quality issues and drive continuous improvement across our manufacturing processes.

You’ll be right at the heart of the operation — from raw materials and processing through to drying, packing and finished product.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead, coach and support our FSQ team, ensuring quality checks, sampling and testing are completed accurately and consistently.
• Partner with Production to lead root cause investigations (RCA) and corrective actions when quality or food safety issues arise.
• Support MPI and other regulatory audits, as well as internal audits and follow-up actions.
• Work with Vendor Assurance to investigate raw material quality issues.
• Lead training for Production teams on quality processes, SOPs and control checks.
• Own and drive our Incident Report (IR) system, ensuring issues are investigated and closed out effectively.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across Quality and Production.
• Support HACCP, food safety and quality certification requirements.
• Help build a strong quality culture across the production floor, with a focus on ownership and getting it right first time.

What we’re looking for

You’ll be a practical, solutions-focused Quality professional who enjoys working alongside Production and getting stuck into problems.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Experience in Quality Assurance, Food Safety or Technical roles within manufacturing.
• Experience leading, coaching or developing a team.
• Strong knowledge of HACCP, food safety and quality systems.
• Experience with audits, non-conformances, corrective actions and RCA.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills and the confidence to influence and challenge when needed.
• A hands-on, collaborative approach and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• A passion for continuous improvement and getting things right first time.

Experience in food, FMCG or another highly regulated manufacturing environment will be highly regarded.

Why ZIWI?

At ZIWI, you’ll be part of a growing global business where the work you do genuinely matters. Our products are enjoyed by pets around the world, and our people play a huge role in making that possible.

You’ll have the opportunity to lead a team, influence manufacturing performance, solve meaningful problems and help shape the quality culture of a globally recognised New Zealand brand.

If you’re ready to take the next step in your Quality career and want a role where you can make a real impact, we’d love to hear from you!

Please note: All applicants must have current NZ residency or a valid work visa to apply.