Production Manager - Secondary Processing

PRODUCTION MANAGER – SECONDARY PROCESSING

•       Lead a key production area within an iconic New Zealand manufacturer

•       Strategic, technical and operational leadership across people, safety, quality, delivery, cost and improvement

•       Christchurch-based role focused on current performance, future capability and sustained operational standards

THE COMPANY

Skellerup Industries is part of Skellerup Holdings, an iconic publicly listed New Zealand company with a long history of manufacturing essential rubber and technical polymer products for the agricultural sector. Based at our Wigram site in Christchurch, the business operates a large and varied manufacturing environment across rubber compounding, extrusion, moulding, finishing and quality assurance.

Skellerup continues to invest in its people, plant and processes. With a broad mix of established products, specialist equipment and new capital projects, this is a practical manufacturing environment where disciplined leadership, technical capability and continuous improvement make a real difference.

THE ROLE

We are looking for an experienced Production Manager to lead our Secondary Process area, covering moulding, continuous vulcanisation extrusion and related production processes. The internal position title for this role is Secondary Process Manager.

This role provides strategic, technical and operational leadership for a key manufacturing area. You will be accountable for keeping the area operating safely and reliably, maintaining agreed standards and setting the future direction for Secondary Processing. This includes developing the people, capability, processes, plant and resources needed to support current production and the long-term needs of the business.

Reporting to the Manufacturing Manager, you will lead through five direct reports, including shift leaders, with wider accountability for approximately 50 indirect production employees and seasonal labour during peak periods. The plant operates 24/7, so strong leadership systems, effective handovers, clear escalation pathways and consistent standards across shifts are critical. Your focus will include safe production, people capability, product quality, delivery performance, cost control, asset priorities and sustained improvement across a complex manufacturing area.

You will be expected to set clear priorities, build capability in your leadership team, maintain strong operating standards and work closely with planning, maintenance, quality, engineering, HSE and product development teams. A key focus will be ensuring people, materials, machinery, tooling and processes are aligned to current production needs while also supporting future capacity and the successful commissioning, integration and sustained use of new machinery and process changes.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

•       Provide strategic, technical and operational leadership across Secondary Processing.

•       Keep the area operating safely and reliably while maintaining agreed standards and clear escalation pathways.

•       Coach and support Shift Team Leads to run their teams effectively and maintain consistent standards across a 24/7 operation.

•       Develop people capability through recruitment, training, cross-training, succession planning and fair performance management.

•       Ensure production plans are achievable and supported by the right labour, materials, tooling, equipment and technical input.

•       Set and deliver practical improvement priorities across safety, quality, reliability, labour use, waste, throughput and process control.

•       Support new machinery, tooling, products and process changes from trials and commissioning through to effective integration and sustained production.

•       Manage operating costs, overtime, contractors, asset risks and capital investment priorities within delegated authority.

•       Use production, quality and cost data to identify issues early, remove constraints and report performance clearly.

THE PERSON

You will be a technically capable manufacturing or process leader who is comfortable working close to the detail of equipment, tooling, materials, process control and production performance. You do not need to come from rubber manufacturing, but you will need enough technical depth to understand a complex production environment, ask the right questions and make practical decisions that improve safety, quality, reliability and output.

Alongside this technical capability, you will bring strong people leadership. We are looking for someone who can set clear expectations, coach and hold leaders accountable, build capability across shifts and bring structure, calm judgement and follow-through to a busy operation. You will be comfortable leading through others, working across functions and developing the people, systems and processes needed to support both current production and longer-term business needs.

WHAT YOU WILL BRING

•       Proven people leadership experience in manufacturing, production, operations or engineering.

•       Strong health and safety leadership and a practical approach to risk management.

•       Experience maintaining operating standards and improving safety, quality, output, reliability, waste, cost or labour performance.

•       Ability to lead supervisors, team leaders or shift leaders through clear expectations, coaching and accountability.

•       Sound judgement in a busy operational environment, with the confidence to make timely decisions.

•       Experience with moulding, polymers, extrusion or process manufacturing would be advantageous but is not essential.

•       A trade or tertiary qualification in engineering, manufacturing, operations or business would be preferred.

WHY JOIN SKELLERUP?

This is a significant leadership opportunity in a well-established New Zealand manufacturing business with strong product history and ongoing investment in plant, people and capability. You will have the opportunity to lead a large team, strengthen operating standards, support the successful integration of new machinery, shape the future direction of a key manufacturing area and deliver practical improvements that can be seen on the factory floor.

At Skellerup, we’re committed to providing a safe and inclusive work environment and are an equal opportunity employer. We maintain a smoke, drug and alcohol-free workplace. All applicants must undergo pre-employment medical screening and criminal history checks. Only candidates who are legally entitled to work in New Zealand will be considered.

Please apply with your CV and Cover Letter outlining why you're interested in joining Skellerup and briefly describe one example where you improved safety, quality, output, reliability, waste, cost or labour performance in a manufacturing environment.