Manager - Maintenance Operations Centre

Te whiwhinga mahi – Our opportunity Drive transformation, successfully embed new processes, and build operational resilience. Effectively lead operational delivery and service standards at scale. Addington, Christchurch office based, full time permanent role + 5 weeks' annual leave and insurance benefits. This is a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in Kāinga Ora’s transformation as we move to a new national model for responsive maintenance. We’re looking for an experienced and thoughtful leader in Christchurch to establish and lead a new Maintenance Operations Centre for Kāinga Ora— a cornerstone of how we will deliver more consistent, responsive, and customer‑focused services. In this role, you will shape the way responsive maintenance is delivered at scale. You’ll bring teams together to deliver services under a clear operating rhythm, lift the quality and consistency of decision‑making, and ensure our customers receive timely, well‑considered maintenance solutions. Your leadership will directly influence how we balance efficiency, quality, and care — particularly for our most vulnerable customers. You’ll lead through others, setting direction and building a strong, disciplined operational culture. With a solid grounding in maintenance or a related field, you’ll provide practical insight to guide decisions on repair approaches, prioritisation, and risk — knowing when to challenge, when to support, and when to act. This is a hands‑on leadership role where you’ll stay close to the work, using structured approaches like Short Interval Management to keep performance on track, respond to issues quickly, and maintain momentum. You’ll also take ownership of complex escalations, ensuring decisions are fair, consistent, and reflect both operational and customer needs. Financial stewardship is a key part of your remit. You’ll manage a significant budget with care and discipline, ensuring strong forecasting, cost control, and value for money, while maintaining high standards of delivery. Just as importantly, you’ll build strong, trusted relationships across the organisation and with our partners and stakeholders. Your ability to connect, align, and represent the Operations Centre will help ensure stability and confidence during a time of change. This is a role for someone who enjoys bringing clarity to complexity, leading through structure and people, and making a tangible difference through practical, well‑judged decisions every day. Ngā pūmanawatanga ōu – What you will bring We’re looking for a seasoned senior leader who can operate confidently in complex, high‑volume environments, bring structure and pace to delivery, and drive performance through others. You’ll bring strong operational and financial judgement, practical maintenance insight, and the ability to use data, stakeholder perspectives, and sound decision‑making to lift outcomes at scale. Senior property, asset and maintenance experience, with strong knowledge of operational maintenance, large‑scale contracts, and the legislative or regulatory settings that shape service delivery. Leadership at scale, with experience leading leaders and high‑performing teams in complex, high‑volume, customer‑focused environments. Strong commercial and financial judgement, including budget oversight, cost control, value for money, risk, and performance management. Senior stakeholder engagement, with the ability to build trusted relationships across internal teams, external providers, senior leaders, and government agencies. Operational insight and continuous improvement, with the ability to spot trends in demand, capacity, customer needs, and industry change, then turn those insights into practical improvements. Navigating the public sector environment, with sound judgement around accountability, decision‑making, customer outcomes, and professional service delivery. Mō mātou – Our Organisation As a Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities employee, we want to make sure that you have all the tools and support you need. We want to ensure you are healthy and have work‑life balance. We also want to support and grow your personal and career development through on‑the‑job learning, training courses, secondments and study opportunities. At Kāinga Ora, our mahi sits at the heart of Aotearoa’s housing system. Every day, we help shape how our customers live today and into the future. It’s meaningful mahi, and we’re transforming how we work so we can deliver even better outcomes. Our transformation focuses on three things: Our future – building a high performing organisation that delivers quality housing for generations. Our tenants – warm, dry, well maintained homes and the right support to help people live well. Our people – simple processes, modern technology and opportunities to learn, grow and thrive. Guided by our values, we work together, put customers at the centre and continually challenge ourselves to be better. Kāinga Ora is a place where people feel valued and supported. You’ll find opportunities to grow your skills and build a career you’re proud of, with fair pay and flexible ways of working that support both our people and our customers. Ō tātou uara – Our values Manaakitanga – People at the Heart Mahi Tahi – Better Together Whanake – Be Bold Tūhono mai – Join us We value diversity and are committed to working with each other and our customers in an inclusive and respectful way. We welcome applicants from all walks of life and appreciate the richness of experience that your point of difference brings to the organisation. #J-18808-Ljbffr