New Zealand King Salmon is the world’s largest producer of King salmon. We raise and market the finest salmon globally under the Ōra King, Regal, and Southern Ocean brands. We strive to grow healthy kai, healthy communities, healthy relationships, healthy environments, and healthy economies.
Overview of the Role
The Tentburn Hatchery, based approximately 45 minutes from Christchurch, has an exciting opportunity for a Hatchery Manager to join their team.
Reporting to the Freshwater Manager, you will be responsible for overseeing the daily site activities and taking the lead in delivering the Company’s smolt production operations whilst building strong relationships and driving continuous improvement in all aspects of Tentburn hatchery’s operations. You will actively contribute to delivering premium smolt to our seawater sites and ensuring our animals receive the best care during their early life stages, according to best aquaculture practices.
The Tentburn Hatchery Manager is a key role within Aquaculture – you have overall responsibility for the Tentburn Hatchery, managing the facility and the team. Fish health is of upmost importance, along with meeting production targets and creating an environment for success and development across both the team and site.
Working closely with the Freshwater Manager, you will work to align the Freshwater production strategy with the Seawater strategy to deliver optimal results to the company.
At the heart of our operations lies a firm commitment to the Health, Safety & Wellbeing of our people. Your role will be instrumental in upholding these standards, bringing a dedication to maintaining high levels of workplace safety and continuously enhancing policies and procedures for the protection and wellness of our team members.
Experience & Qualifications
To be successful in this role, you will need:
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Marine Biology or Natural Sciences
Minimum 10 years Salmon farming experiences
Minimum 5 years leadership experience
Your leadership skills will be essential. You'll lead our team with confidence, motivating and empowering them to reach new heights of excellence. As such your communication skills both written and verbal will be strong.
Benefits of Working for Us:
Hours of work: Monday to Friday, guaranteed 40 hours minimum per week. However, there may be some flexibility in start and finish times.
Employment Type: Permanent, Full Time
Salary: $125,000 - $150,000 NZD (depending on experience)
Benefits: 4 weeks annual leave & Southern Cross Medical Insurance
This is a fantastic opportunity to lead our Tentburn Hatchery. All applications will be treated in confidence.
Applications close 29 October 2026.
The New Zealand King Salmon Co Ltd is committed to a drug and alcohol-free workplace and has a pre-employment, post-incident and reasonable cause drug testing programme in place.