Dairy Manager

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, and a small farm. As a special character organisation, based on Anthroposophical principles, our vision is He oranga tū, Hei oranga waiora (‘every life fully lived’).

Following a strategic review in our farm and dairy operations, we have created a pivotal new role.  Join us as the Dairy Manager where you will have a unique opportunity to shape the future of Hōhepa’s dairy enterprise, driving sustainability, innovation, and operational excellence. We are looking for an experienced and people-oriented Dairy Manager, who has a strong understanding in organic, biodynamic or regenerative farming practices. This is a full-time position of 40 hours over 5 days per week, some weekend work and flexibility are required to meet the seasonality of this type of work.

The benefits | Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātou 

• Discounted gym membership.
• Subsidised accommodation on the Hōhepa Clive site is available, if requested by the successful candidate
• 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 Dairy Manager will lead a dedicated farm and cheesery team, foster collaboration across departments, and drive continuous improvement in production efficiency, quality, and environmental impact. This role will work very closely with the Land Manager and the Customer Experience Manager to ensure a sustainable and collaborative approach, and dairy operations align with our shared Hōhepa goals and values.

You will be responsible for herd management, milk bottling, and cheesery operations which includes:

• Overseeing Hōhepa’s dairy operation – the milking process, calving and reproduction, effluent management, animal feeding, production.
• Focusing on animal health and welfare; treating cows, liaising with the vet.
• Ensuring production is of the highest quality; operate the dairy hygienically and efficiently, solve any milk / cheese quality issues.
• Meeting farm goals (production, stock, feed, environment, machinery and people management).
• Complying with regulations, legislation and standards in all aspects of dairy management.
• Contributing to farm policies, plans and budgets; suggest improvements to work processes; monitor, analyse, interpret data and report on performance.
• Developing plans for feeding, cropping and pasture management, in liaison with the Land Manager.
• Supervising, training and coaching staff in animal handling, health, hygiene welfare, effluent, water, feed animal, land cultivation, nutrients, feeding out (wastage), pasture quality, fencing.
• Being a role model in Health & Safety, including safe use and maintenance of vehicles, safe farm practices, recording of accidents and incidents, management of biosecurity issues.
  

The role requires a deep understanding of sustainable farming principles, regulatory compliance, and financial management to ensure the long-term viability of the dairy enterprise. You must therefore hold a NZQF Level 4 qualification (or above) in a related subject; or an equivalent qualification from overseas; or have at least three years of relevant experience. In this role you will be managing a team across different areas so experience in people management preferred. You will be joining a community and working alongside the people we support who have intellectual disabilities – so an understanding of this will be advantageous. The salary for this position will be between $82,000 to $85,000 per annum, depending on your qualifications, training and experience.

To be effective in the role you will:

• Be able to display empathy and respect.
• Have exceptional communication skills, and be able to collaborate with others
• Be able to lead, motivate and empower teams
• Be trustworthy with high ethical standards, able to respect confidentiality and privacy.
• Be drug free, and able to meet background check requirements (reference and police vetting report checks).
  

Curious? want to know more? Contact our Recruitment Manager on 0272654697 Please note that the 90-day trial period may apply to any successful applicant who hasn’t previously worked for Hohepa Hawke’s Bay. This job will close on the 05/04/2025.

Applications submitted with the use of AI or Translation Technology will be rejected.