Laboratory Lead

About Kerry

About the role

Work Location Auckland, New Zealand
Reporting To Quality Manager

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

Key responsibilities

Lab management

• Lead, coach, and develop the Laboratory Technician team, ensuring appropriate competency, safe work practices, shift coverage, and service delivery.
• Ensure test results are accurate, delivered in time (within GR in SAP), produced in an efficient manner, and cost effective.
• Apply lean lab principles to optimize resource utilization in the lab.
• 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.
• Report laboratory performance, risks, trends, service levels, and improvement progress to the Food Safety and Quality Manager.
• Complete required training and maintain competency for all assigned responsibilities

RM and (New) Product release management

• Own testing and positive release of raw materials and finished products, including review, disposition, traceability, and timely SAP transactions. Provide the third layer of verification of in-process controls for product release.
• Immediately report and escalate any food safety, legality, quality, regulatory, or product-integrity concern, derived from test results or third verification for product release, and support appropriate product hold and disposition decisions.
• Support quality approval for new products and changes, confirming specifications, testing capability, inspection plans, release requirements, and operational readiness.
• Support functions via testing to resolve quality issues, protect customer service, and strengthen site-wide ownership of food safety and quality.
• Support internal and external audits in the scope of laboratory responsibilities, including customer, regulatory, and certification audits, and ensure corrective actions are completed effectively and on time.
• Site SAP Superuser
• 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.
• Strong digital capability, including Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, SAP, and quality or laboratory systems.