We've been proudly bringing joy to tables and smiles to faces with the delicious food we've been crafting for over 100 years. 

A large part of our strong growth and success is because we're always looking for new ways to do things and thinking about how we can create a better, more sustainable future world together.

Our success as an industry leader in providing deliciously good food means we can continue to invest in our future as we work towards becoming Australia and New Zealand's first choice for poultry. 

Breeder Catching Team Leader – Southern Farming Sites

Inghams is looking for an experienced Team Leader to lead our Breeder Catch Crew across our Southern farming sites. You’ll be responsible for a crew of at least 3 Catchers at a time, running safe, efficient and welfare-focused breeder bird movements between farms, end-of-life bird collection, and full shed cleanouts. This is a hands-on leadership role. You’ll work alongside your crew in varied conditions and across irregular shift patterns, while setting the standard for animal welfare, biosecurity and health and safety.

What you’ll be doing

• Leading, coaching and supporting a crew of minimum 3 Catchers, allocating tasks and keeping the team safe and on track each shift
• Planning and coordinating the catching, moving and release of breeder birds between farms in a way that minimises bird stress
• Overseeing the transfer of stock from rearing farms to production farms
• Ensuring end-of-life (EOL) birds are caught and delivered on time to the Primary Processing Plant
• Leading full shed cleanout activities, including hosing and water blasting
• Identifying and humanely managing sick, injured or underperforming birds in line with Animal Welfare standards, and ensuring your crew does the same
• Enforcing biosecurity procedures, including correct foot bath use and shed entry protocols
• Upholding Health & Safety requirements and company policies, including pre-start briefings, hazard identification and incident reporting
• Training new Catchers and giving regular feedback on performance
• Maintaining good housekeeping across all sites
• Communicating with farm and operations staff on schedules, crew availability and any issues

This role is physically demanding

You’ll be working alongside your crew, so real stamina is required. Before applying, please consider whether you are:

• Physically fit and able to bend, lift, carry and move continuously for the full duration of a shift
• Experienced in poultry catching (previous breeder or poultry experience strongly preferred), with proven experience leading or mentoring a team
• Comfortable working in varied shed environments, including wet conditions during cleanout and water blasting
• Able to work varied and irregular shifts, including early mornings and nights, at short notice
• Resilient and able to stay focused and lead by example in a physically taxing environment
• Reliable and dependable. This is a time-sensitive operation where your crew relies on you
• A confident communicator who can give clear direction, handle conflict and motivate a team
• Genuinely comfortable handling birds, including the humane management of sick or injured birds
• Committed to animal welfare, biosecurity and safe work practices
• Willing to work towards or hold relevant qualifications (a full NZ driver’s licence is an advantage)

Before you apply

To be considered for this role, you must be currently located in New Zealand and hold valid working rights. We are unable to proceed with any application without both of these requirements in place.