Driver Trainer - South Island

About Us

At Fern Energy, we’re more than a fuel distribution business — we’re a team of people driving progress together.

Our purpose is simple: to be New Zealand’s most trusted provider of fuel solutions, meeting the evolving needs of our customers and communities, now and into the future.

Our success is powered by our people and guided by three core behaviours:

• We back each other: fostering a culture of trust, care, and shared accountability.
• We’re not what you expect: exceeding customer expectations through creativity, empathy, and genuine connections.
• We make sense (and cents): making smart, practical decisions that create value and keep us moving forward.

These behaviours shape how we collaborate, solve problems, and celebrate success — and they’re at the heart of everything we do at Fern.

About the Role

The key focus of this role is to ensure our fleet of drivers have robust, individual training programmes in place that support our vision of being New Zealand’s most trusted fuel provider.

This will be achieved through the delivery of a comprehensive driver induction and ongoing development programme, ensuring our drivers have the knowledge, skills and tools they need to perform their roles safely, effectively and deliver a great experience to our customers.

You will be a key member of the HSE and Operations team and will play a proactive role in managing and improving Fern’s overall business.

Preference is for a Christchurch based employee, however for a strong applicant, Fern would be open to an employee in another South Island port: Nelson, Timaru, Dunedin or Invercargill.

Key Responsibilities

• Conducting training and practical assessments for Fern Tanker Drivers
• Identify individual training needs and deliver ongoing training to support the safe operation of vehicles and equipment.
• Set clear expectations for drivers and provide constructive feedback to support their ongoing development.
• Work closely with the North Island Driver Trainer to ensure driver training programmes are comprehensive, consistent and effective.
• Partner with Regional Operations Managers and other team members to provide driver support and promote a strong safety culture on the road.
• Travel across a wide geographical area to deliver in-cab assessments and driver training programmes.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date training matrices and driver training records.

About you

Qualifications (or equivalent level of learning)

• Qualification in Adult education (preferred but not essential)

Key skills and experience required:

• 5 years of industry tanker driver experience is essential
• The flexibility to travel for work extensively across the South Island
• NZ driver training qualification (I-endorsement)
• Class 5 License
• Competent using technology (phone, tablet, computer) and can train others
• A positive can-do attitude
• Effective written/verbal communication and presentation skills with great attention to detail

What We Offer

• Competitive Salary
• Use of Company Ute
• An opportunity to work in a great team with a wider network of dedicated, hardworking colleagues across NZ.
• Ongoing training and development, and we like to have a bit of fun!

This is a full-time, permanent position, Monday to Friday, with flexibility required to meet the needs of the business.

If you are a strong relationship builder, have a self-motivated approach to work and exceptional planning skills, then we want to hear from you!  Please apply, attaching your CV and covering letter.

The Process

A candidate who is taken forward as a potential employee will be required to undertake a pre-employment health assessment through an external Occupational Health provider to confirm work fitness.  This also includes Drug and Alcohol screening.