National Operations Manager

About the Business
As a 100% Kiwi-owned and operated company with over 200 dedicated employees, Green Gorilla operates New Zealand’s largest commercial, industrial, construction, and demolition resource recovery facility, supported by a network of transfer stations. Their positive environmental impact is expanding across New Zealand, with exciting projects underway in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty as they continue to offer comprehensive recycling and waste solutions to their customers.

To support continued growth, customer retention, and operational excellence, we are now seeking an experienced National Operations Manager to lead performance across the country.
  
About the Opportunity
Reporting to the executive team, this role provides end-to-end national operational leadership across a network of Branch Operations Managers and Supervisors. You will set the operating rhythm, lift capability, and ensure safe, reliable, and customer-centric delivery of waste and recycling services at scale.

This is a senior leadership role for someone who thrives in multi-site operations, enjoys leading leaders, and brings calm, commercial judgement to complex operational and customer challenges.
Key areas of focus include:

• Establishing consistent national operating standards and performance expectations
• Driving service reliability, SLA achievement, and customer retention
• Embedding a safety-first culture and strong critical risk controls
• Improving productivity, fleet utilisation, routing efficiency, and cost-to-serve
• Providing operational leadership for major tenders, renewals, and mobilisations

You will play a critical role in translating strategy into executable national plans, while developing leadership depth and succession across the branch network.
  
Key responsibilities

• National Operational Leadership – Lead and coach managers of managers, building accountability, capability, and bench strength across the country
• Customer Experience: Own national service performance, lead major escalations, and partner closely with commercial teams to protect and grow key contracts
• Safety, Risk & Compliance – Champion Health & Safety excellence, oversee serious incident governance, and ensure compliance with environmental and regulatory obligations
• Operational Excellence – Drive Continuous Improvement initiatives, leverage data to remove bottlenecks, and own national budgets and resource planning
• Tenders & Mobilisation – Provide operational input into service design, pricing assumptions, risk management, and ensure smooth, safe contract transitions

  
Key attributes
You will be a commercially astute, people-focused operational leader with experience delivering results through others in complex, asset-heavy environments.
You’ll bring:

• Senior multi-site operations leadership experience, including leading managers of managers
• Background in waste & recycling or adjacent sectors such as logistics, heavy transport, utilities, infrastructure, or industrial services
• Strong health & safety leadership in high-risk operational settings
• Proven success in improving service outcomes and customer retention in contract-based environments
• Experience contributing to major tenders, bids, or large contract renewals
• Solid commercial capability, including budget ownership and productivity improvement

  
Ideally, you’ll also have:

• Exposure to municipal or local government contracts
• Experience with Lean, operational transformation, or Continuous Improvement frameworks
• Working knowledge of NZ waste regulations and environmental consent requirements

You’ll be known as a calm, credible leader who can operate confidently from frontline to executive level — setting direction, holding the line on standards, and bringing people with you through change.
  
What’s in it for you?
This is a rare opportunity to step into a national leadership role where operational excellence, safety, and customer trust genuinely matter. You’ll have real influence over how services are delivered across New Zealand and the chance to shape the next phase of operational maturity for a critical national business.

If you’re motivated by leading large operational teams, improving performance at scale, and delivering reliable, essential services — this role offers both challenge and impact.
  
If this opportunity is of interest, please submit your CV via the link below.
For a confidential discussion, contact Wayne Fry on 021 656 502 or email waynef@huntercampbell.co.nz.