Laboratory Manager

About Kerry

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the role

 

Work Location:         Auckland, New Zealand
Reporting To:           Quality Manager

The Laboratory Manager leads the Auckland quality-control laboratory, Laboratory Technician team, and in-process quality programme. The role ensures accurate, timely testing and release of materials and products, maintains laboratory capability, data integrity, calibration & compliance and partners with site teams to resolve non-conformances, strengthen process control, and improve right-first-time performance.

Key responsibilities

 

• Lead, coach, and develop the Laboratory Technician team, ensuring appropriate competency, safe work practices, shift coverage, and service delivery.
• Plan laboratory resources and testing priorities to support production and timely material and product release.
• Own testing and positive release of raw materials and finished products, including review, disposition, traceability, and timely SAP transactions.
• Manage laboratory operations, including sample control, sensory, water and shelf-life testing, external services, consumables, reference standards, housekeeping, and good laboratory practices.
• Maintain equipment calibration and verification, approved test methods, specifications, sampling plans, work instructions, competency records, and complete, traceable laboratory data.
• Lead and support investigations into out-of-specification results, non-conformances, complaints, and process deviations, including containment, root cause analysis, corrective actions, effectiveness checks, and continuous improvement.
• Manage in-process quality verification, including process audits, control checks, allergen controls, and escalation of food safety, legality, quality, or product-integrity risks.
• Use trends, Statistical Process Control, and process capability data to reduce variation and improve right-first-time performance.
• Provide quality approval for new products and changes, confirming specifications, testing capability, inspection plans, release requirements, and operational readiness.
• Comply with and maintain Kerry Global Food Safety and Quality programmes, site procedures, food safety, quality, GMP, HACCP, allergen, customer, regulatory, and certification requirements.
• Partner with Operations and support functions to resolve quality issues, protect customer service, and strengthen site-wide ownership of food safety and quality.
• Participate in internal and external audits, including customer, regulatory, and certification audits, and ensure corrective actions are completed effectively and on time.
• Report laboratory performance, risks, trends, service levels, and improvement progress to the Food Safety and Quality Manager.
• Immediately report and escalate any food safety, legality, quality, regulatory, or product integrity concern, and support appropriate product hold and disposition decisions.
• Complete required training and maintain competency for all assigned responsibilities.
• Undertake other reasonable duties as directed by the Food Safety and Quality Manager.

 

Qualifications and skills

 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related scientific discipline.
• Minimum 3 years of leading a laboratory, quality-control, or technical team in food manufacturing environment.
• Experience in laboratory operations, product testing and release, calibration, technical records, and non-conformance management.
• Working knowledge of HACCP, GMP, allergen management, risk assessment, and GFSI benchmarked standards.
• Experience applying root cause analysis, CAPA, trend analysis, Statistical Process Control, and process capability principles.
• Proficiency in SAP quality control, inspection, batch status, traceability, and release processes. 
• Strong technical judgement, analytical problem-solving, and risk-based decision-making.
• High attention to detail and commitment to data integrity, product safety, quality, and compliance.
• Clear communication, planning, prioritisation, and cross-functional influencing skills.