Cheesery Team Leader

Hōhepa is a disability support service in Hawke’s Bay for people with intellectual disabilities. These people are full of life, and you will be helping them to reach their potential! 

We operate a special school, residential homes, day activities, and a wide range of enterprises, including artisan cheese making. As a special character organisation, based on Anthroposophical principles, our vision is He oranga tū, Hei oranga waiora (‘every life fully lived’).

Following a phase of transformation to better align our Hōhepa farm strategy and operations, we have created an exciting new role.  Join us as a Team Leader in our artisan cheesery where you will play a key role in ensuring the highest quality and sustainability in every batch of Hōhepa’s artisanal dairy products, while leading and fostering a supportive and skilled team environment. 

You may be a skilled Cheesemaker (or Dairy Production Worker) who is looking to step into a Leadership role. This is a full-time position 40 hours over 5 days per week, predominantly Monday to Friday, however some weekend work and flexibility is required to meet the seasonality of this type of work.

The benefits | Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātou 

• Discounted gym membership.
• Free parking at our main sites and houses!
• A range of other local business discounts, such as Mitre 10 Napier.
• Discounted prices on Hōhepa Products (dairy, woodwork, candles etc..).
• Hōhepa provides a supportive environment for growth and career progression - our GM started as a volunteer 20+ years ago!
  

Nga taonga kei roto I tou kete matauranga | What you bring:

The Cheesery Team Leader is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the cheesery, ensuring high-quality cheese and dairy production while maintaining compliance with food safety and regulatory standards. This role requires a hands-on approach in production, team coordination, and process improvement, supporting a collaborative and inclusive working environment. The Cheesery Team Leader will work closely with the Dairy Manager, Cheesemaker, and Cheesery Assistants to optimise production efficiency and maintain the integrity of Hōhepa’s artisanal dairy products.

The Cheesery Team Leader will play a key role in ensuring the sustainability and quality of Hōhepa’s artisanal dairy products, while fostering a supportive and skilled team environment.

In this role you will have responsibility for the line management of the cheesery team, production and quality assurance, operational efficiency and compliance.

You will be joining a close knit cheesery team who work together with the people we support to create some of the best, award-winning nationally and internationally celebrated biodynamic and organic dairy products. This is a chance to be a part of a unique food production story – and sharing in Hohepa’s unique vision.

To be effective in the role you will:

• Be able to display empathy and respect.
• Have great communication skills, in person and in writing (including ability to keep accurate records and observations).
• Be trustworthy with high ethical standards, able to respect confidentiality and privacy.
• Have a mature attitude and good interpersonal skills; this includes being practical and ‘down to earth' about the nature of the role and being able to work with people who may have behaviour which can be challenging.
• Be drug free, and able to meet background check requirements (reference and police vetting report checks). 
  
  

Apply now and be a part of an exciting new opportunity to shape the cheesery’s future! Curious? want to know more? Contact our Recruitment Manager on 0272654697