Head of Quality & Technical

• Shape and lead quality and technical excellence for premium apple brands.
• Contribute directly to the success of a billion‑dollar brand ambition.
• Influence across a global, end‑to‑end value chain.
• Hawke’s Bay (Whakatu) location

T&G Global is aglobal fresh‑produce leader with vertically integrated apple operations and is the owner of premium brands including ENVY™, JAZZ™ and Pacific Rose™. Operating across New Zealand, North America, Asia, and Europe with a global supply chain, T&G Global is on a strategic growth journey, with quality and technical excellence as a critical enabler. With strong recent results and a bold strategic plan to double apple production by 2035, T&G Global have a bold ambition.

Quality is at the heart of T&G’s global Apple brands, and ensuring every apple delivers a consistently exceptional eating experience is critical to the company’s mission – and the Head of Quality & Technical is central to achieving it.

Reporting to the Director of Global Operations, Apples, the Head of Quality & Technical leads T&G’s quality and technical strategy across the entire apple value chain – from growing systems, maturity monitoring and post‑harvest standards, through to cool chain integrity, market compliance and customer expectations. The Head of Quality & Technical will design and deliver a world‑class quality and technical management system, build capability across markets, and strengthen accountability from growers to commercial teams.

This is not a compliance role, but one of enablement, and the Head of Quality & Technical will be a curious and conceptual visionary. You will take an enterprise view and represent the whole business, influencing across New Zealand operations, global markets (North America, Asia, Europe), growers, supply chain partners and post‑harvest operators. You will simplify complexity, lead change, manage risk, whilst championing innovation to deliver world‑class consistency and fruit quality.

This is a Hawke’s Bay based role with approximately six to eight weeks of international travel per year.

Accordingly, we are seeking individuals who can demonstrate the following:

• 10+ years’ experience in quality and/or technical management within a significant export environment.
• Experience in horticulture, primary industry, food retail or large‑scale FMCG environments supporting a short shelf-life product.
• Strong background in quality standards and market compliance; exposure to maturity monitoring and fruit quality systems is desirable.
• Experience working with an organised structured quality system with an understanding of the connection between quality and brand.
• Proven leadership of high‑performing teams and leading change across complex systems.
• Experience managing crises or major quality issues, displaying resilience and courage under pressure.
• Well developed stakeholder management, engagement and influencing skills to interact effectively with internal teams, growers and key external partners.
• Strong commercial acumen developed through supporting category and/or product growth.

To apply on a confidential basis, please submit your resume to [email protected] quoting reference number 1283.

To be considered for this opportunity, applicants must be a New Zealand citizen, permanent resident, or already hold a valid visa granting the right to work in New Zealand.