• Job Type:
• Category: Veterinarians
• Location: Otago
• Date Advertised: 28-JAN-21
• Job Reference: MPI21/1502914
• Job Title: Veterinary Technical Supervisor Reliever (Veterinarian)
• Business Unit:
• Division:
• Summary:

Veterinary Technical Supervisor Reliever (Veterinarian)

•  The Establishment teams of Dunedin and Invercargill North are looking for a Veterinary Technical Supervisor Reliever based in Southern Otago or Northern Southland.

About the branch | Mō te peka

New Zealand Food Safety – Verification Services (VS) core purpose is to deliver independent, cost effective and high-quality verification, certification, inspection and clearance programmes that ensure all relevant regulatory requirements are met.  Our people deliver a world-class, efficient and cost-effective service to a broad range of animal product industries and sectors and facilitate not only food safety, but biosecurity and market access for animals and animal product exports.

Some of the services VS provide, include:

• Verification and certification services to ~2000 processing companies (for primary and secondary food producers, storage and transport), including slaughterhouses, meat and fish packhouses, cold storage facilities and other specialised premises processing animal products.
• Inspecting containment and transitional facilities to ensure they are meeting the relevant standards to keep New Zealand free of unwanted and new organisms.
• Inspection and certification of live animals for import and export.
• The export meat sector accounts for 80% of Verification Service’s activities.

About the role | Kōrero mō te tūranga

The role will be to provide short- and medium-term cover at meat establishments from Invercargill to Oamaru with the focus on the plants between Dunedin and Invercargill.  As with all reliever positions there is opportunity to travel farther afield during busy times.   There is a strong preference for the successful applicant to be based in or close to Gore as it is expected that most work will be within an hour and a half of that location.

The working area covers chains that process mutton/lamb, beef, and venison with an opportunity to see all species over the course of a year.  For those veterinarians who are looking for variety there may be options to work with circuit and get in amongst honey, cold stores, and other domestic food products. 

The Gore area has a range of opportunities for sport, education and living.  For those with a desire to live rurally, there are the scenic towns of Tapanui and Wyndham nearby.   UFB is available in Gore and in some of the surrounding townships.  Outdoor recreation is everywhere in the area, and Dunedin and its airport is just under 2 hours away. 

About our team | Mō tō mātou rōpū 

There are currently 6 plants which are normally covered by this position all of whom report to the Team Manager Establishments Dunedin.  The reliever position would support these plants during leave events e.g. sick leave or annual leave, unexpected or surge work schedules, or other times when a skilled pair of hands needs to be on plant.

This role sits within the Establishment group of the Verification Services directorate. The purpose of this position is to undertake verification activities in line with current legislation and organisational requirements, thereby permitting the issue of official assurances.

 Skills & Experience | Ngā Pūkenga me ngā Wheako

• A Qualified and registered Veterinarian
• Knowledge of the principles and practices associated with HACCP, Quality Assurance systems, Risk Management Systems
• Verbal and written skills, verbal and analytical reasoning skills
• Integrity and trust, ethics and values, resilience, adaptability and openness
• Persuading and influencing, team work, planning and organising
• Computer literacy – can operate standard and customised software to an acceptable standard e.g. word-processing, excel, internet, email, database, secure sites, electronic certification, residues etc.
• An understanding of basic food technology
• A willingness to embrace the verification services Triple O way of working
• This role will involve travel and may involve working outside normal business hours

How to apply | Me pēhea te tuku tono

To view the position description and/or apply for the role (submitting a cover letter and current curriculum vitae) please “APPLY NOW” in order to be directed to our website.  For tracking and reporting purposes, all applications must be submitted through our online careers portal. 

If you have any questions about the role, you may contact Rosie Slevin, Recruitment Advisor for a confidential discussion at rosie.slevin@mpi.govt.nz or 04 819 4261.

Please note, given this position is safety sensitive the preferred applicant/s for the position will be required to undergo a drug and alcohol pre-employment screening test. Further information on this process can be found on our careers site under the application process, on pre-employment checks.

In order to be considered for this role, applicants must be immediately available for an interview within New Zealand or via Skype and be eligible to work in New Zealand.

Applications close Sunday 14 February 2021

The Ministry for Primary Industries is committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values inclusion and diversity. Your unique talents and experience will help us deliver exceptional services to our communities in Aotearoa. In return you’ll enjoy an inclusive and flexible working environment in a diverse team of people while you’re growing your career here in NZ and internationally. We actively encourage applications from all backgrounds. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to tell us when you apply so that we can assist you through the recruitment process.