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Home · Team Leader - Wellington Conservation Team

About the role

As Team Leader, you're Trap and Trigger's senior presence on the ground in Wellington. You'll plan and run field operations, keep the crew safe and productive, capture accurate data, and deliver every job to spec, on time and within budget. You'll make the operational calls in the field, set the standard for the crew, and often be the person our clients deal with day to day. You'll report to our Health and Safety / Operations Manager and Director, and lead senior field operators, field operators, casuals and contractors. Our team often travels for our projects; you will be expected to travel with the team occasionally.

Key responsibilities

  • Leading the team: setting clear daily expectations, allocating work, coaching and mentoring new staff, and bringing on casuals and contractors in busy periods

  • Planning and logistics: working with managers to plan the week ahead (crew, site access, travel, accommodation), and making sure vehicles, equipment/tools, baits, agrichemicals, lures, and PPE are ready to go. Staying organised and keeping up with shifting plans and new workload

  • Delivering in the field: running conservation and restoration work to contract specifications, auditing quality, and fixing substandard work on the spot

  • Keeping people safe: Running daily safety briefings and toolbox talks, managing hazards and Site Specific Safety Plans, and stopping work when weather, fatigue or conditions make it unsafe

  • Data and Reporting: Capturing accurate GPS/GIS data, keeping records of bait, toxin and agrichemical use, and contributing to client and monthly reports

  • Working with clients: Acting as the day-to-day contact for WCT projects, and building strong relationships with clients, landowners, iwi and stakeholders

  • Growing the business: Helping with site visits, scoping and pricing for tenders and quotes, and bringing ideas for better ways of working

About you

  • At least three years' experience or training in conservation, biosecurity, pest control or land management

  • A track record of leading a field team and delivering work to contract specification

  • Sound knowledge of current New Zealand control methods, tools, toxins and agrichemicals, with an emphasis on pest plants and planting

  • An understanding of how conservation contracts are priced, scoped and run profitably

  • Strong planning skills, clear communication, and good judgement under pressure, including knowing when to escalate

  • Adaptability and problem-solving with plan changes or issues arising

  • Attention to detail with data and records, and confidence with apps and software (GIS, field data capture, Microsoft 365)

  • A full New Zealand driver licence

  • Good fitness, and the ability to handle long days on foot in rugged, remote terrain

  • Applicants with any of the following tickets will be highly regarded: 4WD/LUV, chainsaw/tree felling, GrowSafe, Registered Chemical Applicators, Approved Handler/Controlled Substance Licence, CSL, pest animal unit standards, first aid and firearms licensing

About us

Trap and Trigger delivers conservation services across New Zealand, including ungulate/wallaby control, predator control, pest plant control and ecological restoration. Our Wellington Conservation Team (WCT) delivers a wide variety of pest control and conservation services, working on projects for local and central government, landowners, iwi, non-profit organisations and private clients. Projects may include:

  • Predator Control & Monitoring

  • Native Fauna Translocation Site Protection

  • Pest Plant Control

  • Restoration Planting

  • Wilding Pines

  • Rabbit Control

  • Drone Surveys

  • Track Cutting

Benefits

  • Meaningful work that makes a real difference for New Zealand's native species and ecosystems

  • Real responsibility: the authority to make calls in the field, from changing the day's plan to implementing new ideas

  • Paid training and industry certifications to grow your skills and career

  • Varied work across predator control, pest plants and restoration, in some of New Zealand's beautiful remote locations

  • A say in how the business grows, including input into planning, new opportunities and better ways of work

  • Career development opportunities and working alongside our senior leadership team

  • Work phone

  • Living wage-supporting company

  • Working away from home allowance - groceries and accommodation provided when working away from home

  • Work vehicle priority

  • Workplace and external training

  • PPE and equipment provided

  • Temporary accommodation options available for those who would need to relocate for the role

How to apply

If you're ready to lead from the front, send your CV and a short cover letter telling us about your field leadership experience through SEEK by November 1st, 2026. Applications will be reviewed as they arrive, so don't wait.

  • Applications without both a CV and cover letter will not be considered.

  • We’re keen to find the right person for this role, so we encourage you to apply early.

Applicants must have the right to work in New Zealand. A full job description is available on request.