Are you an experienced people leader who thrives in a fast-paced operational environment? Do you enjoy balancing planning, logistics, team leadership, quality and continuous improvement while delivering exceptional results?
About Us
Pinpoint is an independent testing laboratory established in 2020 by EastPack, New Zealand’s leading grower-owned kiwifruit post-harvest company, to provide trusted sampling and maturity clearance testing to the horticulture industry across the Bay of Plenty region. Based in Te Puke, our laboratory brings together people, processes and a focus on accurate, timely results.
About the Role
We’re looking for an Assistant Laboratory Manager to join our Pinpoint team in Te Puke, on a permanent, full-time basis. Reporting to the Laboratory Manager, this newly created role will take a hands-on role in assisting them to coordinate daily maturity laboratory operations and lead our seasonal laboratory team to deliver safe, accurate and timely testing. You’ll keep people, workflow and resources aligned, build team capability and help strengthen our quality systems. You’ll also deputise for the Laboratory Manager on rostered days off and during leave.
This role is responsible for:
Coordinating seasonal recruitment, onboarding, training and competency assessments, keeping training records and procedures up to date.
Leading, coaching and supporting seasonal Laboratory Technicians and Senior Technicians, building consistent standards across the team.
Managing daily workflow, rosters and resource allocation to maintain sample throughput and agreed turnaround times.
Supporting ISO 17025 requirements, quality control audits, corrective actions and continuous improvement.
Championing health and safety, including safe work practices and staff rotation across laboratory stations.
Working closely with Sample Reception, Collections, the Analytical Laboratory and customer-facing teams to keep samples moving and resolve operational issues.
Supporting pre-season readiness, consumables and stock control, labour planning, post-harvest programmes and season reviews.
About You
To be successful in this role, you will be an organised, practical leader who enjoys being close to the operation and helping people succeed. You can balance quality, safety and productivity in a fast-paced seasonal environment, communicate clearly and make sound decisions when priorities change.
You will bring:
Proven operational leadership experience, coordinating people, workflow and competing priorities.
A thorough understanding of laboratory processes, testing systems, documentation and ISO accreditation standards.
Practical knowledge of quality systems, audit readiness, non-conformance management and continuous improvement.
Strong communication and coaching skills, including the ability to train a largely seasonal workforce.
Attention to detail, accurate record keeping and strong computer literacy, with the ability to learn new systems and train others.
A collaborative, solutions-focused approach and a strong commitment to health and safety.
A relevant tertiary qualification is preferred, or equivalent practical experience.
Due to the seasonal nature of our operations, you’ll need flexibility to work extended hours or weekends as required.
Applicants must also be legally entitled to work in New Zealand.
Why Join Pinpoint?
At Pinpoint, we're passionate about supporting the success of New Zealand's kiwifruit industry through innovation, quality and operational excellence. You'll join a collaborative team environment where leadership, continuous improvement and growing excellence are valued.
This is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful impact in a role that combines people leadership, with hands-on laboratory operations and contribute across the full seasonal cycle, from pre-season preparation to post-harvest review within a dynamic seasonal business. You’ll help build team capability and improve how we work, guided by our values: Get it Right, Better Together, Be Human and Enjoy the Journey.
As Pinpoint is part of the EastPack group of companies, we are able to offer excellent career opportunities for talented and motivated people.
If you’re ready to bring your leadership skills and laboratory knowledge to Pinpoint, we invite you to apply today.
As we are ideally seeking a pre-Christmas start, applications will be considered as they are received so may close early if suitable candidate is found, so don't wait, APPLY NOW!
To be considered, please ensure you provide a cover letter outlining the experience you'd bring to the role, and an up to date CV.