Operations Support Officer - Manufacturing

Operations Support Officer

Permanent, Full-time

Location: Auckland or Christchurch (some travel required)

About New Zealand Blood and Organ Service

New Zealand Blood and Organ Service (NZBS) is dedicated to saving lives every day. Through the generosity of tens of thousands of New Zealanders who freely donate their time, blood and plasma, we deliver safe blood and tissue products across the country on a time‑critical basis.

Beyond our vein‑to‑vein transfusion service, we also provide national services in organ transplantation, cellular therapies and tissue banking.

We are a values‑driven organisation with a strong sense of purpose and a commitment to excellence, teamwork and continuous improvement.

Watch this video to see what our people say about the NZBS values they admire the most.

The Opportunity

We are opening applications for an Operations Support Officer within the Technical Services Manufacturing team in Christchurch or Auckland.

In this role you will leverage your technical expertise with your strong stakeholder engagement skills to partner with operational leaders and their teams, supporting improvements in operational efficiency and capability. As Operations Support Officer you will further play a key role in the development and implementation of continuous improvement initiatives in a highly regulated, lifesaving environment.

Key Responsibilities – What You’ll be Doing

Partnering with operations leaders around their daily work, providing data-driven insights, coaching, and guidance while ensuring that a high standard of practice and compliance are upheld.

Drive standardisation, promoting consistency in processes, systems and documentation across sites.

You will build strong relationships, seek to understand, and work collaboratively to support structured problem solving, effective prioritisation and enable improved performance.

You will continuously seek opportunities to improve processes and enhance performance by utilising data and applying Lean/CI and best‑practice methodologies.

Leading and contributing to various projects and improvement initiatives.

About You – What You’ll Bring

A Science degree (or equivalent) in a technical, clinical or pharmaceutical field paired with at least 5 years’ experience as a Registered Medical Laboratory Technician or Scientist.

Knowledge and experience in blood transfusion science, or a closely related field.

Strong stakeholder engagement and partnering skills, with the ability to build trust at all levels.

Experience working in a regulated manufacturing and/or testing laboratory environment (e.g. GMP, ISO or equivalent).

Proven ability to analyse operational performance and translate insights into practical actions.

A continuous improvement mindset, with a focus on practical solutions and sustainable change. Exposure to CI tools or methodologies is desirable.

Why Join NZBS?

Meaningful work: Everything you do contributes directly to saving and improving lives across Aotearoa.

National impact: Support operations that span the country, working with teams in Auckland, Christchurch and other locations.

Professional growth: Develop your skills in continuous improvement, operations and leadership within a highly regulated, purpose‑driven organisation.

Collaborative culture: Join a supportive, values‑driven team that takes pride in delivering safe, high‑quality products for the New Zealand public.

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you. Apply online with your CV and a cover letter outlining your interest in the role and how your experience aligns.

Join NZBS and help shape the future of blood manufacturing in New Zealand.