LEAD PEOPLE, OPERATIONS AND ANIMAL WELFARE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN REGION

As Area Manager – Southern at SPCA, you'll lead and support our animal services operations across the region, working alongside Centre Managers and their teams to deliver exceptional animal welfare, strong community relationships and sustainable operational performance. This is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference for animals, people and communities while helping shape the future of animal welfare.

You don’t need an animal welfare background to make a difference here. If you’re an experienced multi-site leader from retail, hospitality, healthcare, retirement living or another operational environment, your skills could be a great fit. Bring your people leadership and operational expertise, and we’ll support you to learn the animal welfare side.

Role: Area Manager – Southern
Location: SPCA Christchurch Centre
Hours: Permanent, Full-Time (40 hours per week)
Travel: Regular travel throughout the Southern Region, including overnight stays.

Based in Christchurch, you’ll oversee eight centres across the Southern Region: Renwick, Christchurch, Dunedin, Greymouth, Hokitika, Invercargill, Nelson and Timaru. Regular travel will give you the opportunity to connect with your teams and the communities they support.

OUR PURRRKS
This is more than an operational leadership role. It's an opportunity to influence animal welfare outcomes across multiple centres, develop talented teams and help make a lasting difference in communities throughout the Southern Region.

Here's what else you can look forward to:

Company car, petrol card, laptop and phone.
Autonomy in how you plan your day and week around the needs of the role.
Paid birthday leave, because your special day deserves to be yours!
Exclusive employee discounts and benefits, including pet insurance and retail offers.
Access to 24/7 confidential wellness support.
Opportunities for professional development and career growth.
The opportunity to contribute to a collaborative, purpose-driven organisation working towards better outcomes for animals.

ABOUT THE ROLE
Reporting to our Head of Animal Care, you'll provide leadership and direction across the Southern Region, working closely with Centre Managers to deliver strong operational performance and consistently high standards of animal welfare.

You'll bring clarity, accountability and a strong performance focus to your region, setting clear expectations, following through on commitments and empowering leaders to take ownership of their centres and teams. You'll also champion a genuine One SPCA approach, ensuring our centres work towards consistent national standards while remaining responsive to the needs of their local communities.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the delivery of operational plans across the Southern Region, ensuring centre priorities align with SPCA's wider strategy and objectives.
Coach, mentor and develop Centre Managers and their teams, building a collaborative, accountable and high-performing culture.
Oversee regional financial performance, budgets and KPIs, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and achieve sustainable results.
Drive consistent operational standards, processes and best practice across centres, with a strong focus on animal welfare, health and safety, and compliance.
Work closely with fellow Area Managers and National Support Office specialists to share expertise, support improvements and deliver a consistent One SPCA approach.
Build strong relationships with local communities, volunteers, veterinary practices, councils and other stakeholders to support animal welfare outcomes.
Partner with Centre Managers to strengthen local fundraising, marketing, volunteer and foster initiatives.
Support workforce planning, recruitment, performance management, training and succession planning to build team capability.
Identify opportunities to strengthen customer service and community engagement, supporting SPCA’s move towards more proactive and preventative animal welfare services.

To find out more about the role, click here to view the position description.

ABOUT YOU
You're an experienced operational leader who knows how to bring people together, turn strategy into action and deliver results across multiple locations. You're comfortable balancing people, animal welfare, financial performance and operational priorities, and you enjoy coaching others to succeed.

You build strong relationships, take a practical approach to problem-solving and understand the importance of creating consistent standards while responding to the needs of individual centres and their communities. Most importantly, you're passionate about animal welfare and motivated by the opportunity to make a genuine difference.

What we’re looking for

Proven experience at Area Manager, Regional Manager or equivalent level, with responsibility for multiple sites is essential.
Strong financial and business management skills, including budgeting, KPI monitoring and delivering operational targets.
Demonstrated ability to coach and develop leaders, manage performance and build team capability.
Experience leading operational change and embedding consistent standards across multiple locations.
Strong relationship management skills and a collaborative approach to working with peers, specialist teams and diverse communities.
A sound understanding of health and safety, operational compliance and service delivery.
Practical problem-solving and sound decision-making, with the ability to prioritise and deliver results in a busy environment.
A genuine commitment to animal welfare, alignment with SPCA's values and enthusiasm for developing your knowledge of centre operations.
A full, clean driver’s licence and flexibility to meet regional travel and out-of-hours requirements.

We welcome experienced multi-site leaders from a range of industries. What matters most is your ability to lead people, deliver strong operational results and embrace learning about animal welfare.

HOW TO APPLY
If you're a people-focused operational leader who wants to use your experience to make a meaningful difference for animals and communities, we'd love to hear from you.

Click Apply Now to submit your application, where you can complete a few screening questions and upload your CV and cover letter outlining your multi-site leadership experience and interest in the role.

We value diversity and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. All candidates must have the legal right to work in New Zealand.