Operations & manufacturing
Manufacturing recruitment agency for New Zealand SMEs
We recruit the people who keep New Zealand’s plants running: operations and production leaders, engineers, quality and supply chain professionals. Hamilton-based, placing NZ-wide.
Built around manufacturing from day one
RecruitNet started in 2020, in the middle of lockdown, when a lot of Waikato manufacturers were working out what their leadership teams needed to look like on the other side. Brigitta had more than 20 years in recruitment behind her, and the calls that came in were from plants: an operations manager here, a production leader there, an engineer who could take on a site.
That is still the core of what we do. We are a specialist manufacturing recruitment agency, not a generalist with a manufacturing page. Our networks run through the Waikato’s food, timber, fabrication, plastics and engineered-products businesses and out across the country, and we spend our days talking to the people who run them. Across Brigitta’s career that has added up to 1,850+ roles filled and a network of 10,000+ connections.
We work with SMEs and owner-operated businesses more than corporates, because that is where the fit matters most. In a 40-person plant a new operations manager changes everything. Our operations and manufacturing recruitment page covers the specialisation in detail; this page is about how we work for manufacturers specifically.
Why manufacturing hiring is different
A generalist agency screens a manufacturing CV the way it screens any other. We read it the way a plant manager would.
Shift leadership is a different skill
Running a 24/7 site means leading people you rarely see, through supervisors you have to trust. We test for it, because a great day-shift manager is not automatically a great plant manager.
Lean and CI have to be real, not on the CV
Everyone writes continuous improvement. We ask what changed, by how much, and what the team thought of it. The answers separate the people who ran a programme from the people who put up a board.
Plant and product knowledge matters
Food and beverage, timber, plastics, stainless fabrication, engineered products: each has its own compliance, its own rhythms and its own hazards. We look for transferable experience and are honest about the gaps.
The best people are not applying
Good manufacturing leaders are settled and well looked after. They move when someone they trust calls with the right role. Most of our shortlists come from approaches, not advertisements.
Manufacturing roles we recruit for
- Chief Operating Officer
- Operations Manager
- Production Leader/Manager
- Lean Manufacturing/Continuous Improvement
- Manufacturing Manager
- Site Manager
- HR Manager
- H&S Advisor/Manager
- R&D Manager
- Product Development Engineer
- Technical/Compliance Manager
- Quality Manager
- Automation Engineer
- Electrical Engineer
- Process Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Project Engineer/Manager
- Engineering Manager
- Plant/Maintenance Engineer
Manufacturers we have recruited for
We have recruited for Stainless Design, Kliptank, Kayasand, Escea, FTN Motion, Inghams, Frucor, Taranaki Pine, Kiwi Lumber, Gloster Engineering, IP Plastics and Pentair, among many others. Some are Waikato SMEs, some are national brands with multiple sites. The roles range from shift leaders to chief operating officers, and from a single engineer to building out a whole leadership team.
What they have in common is that they came back. Many have come back for a second and third role, which is the only endorsement that really counts in this industry.
How we work with manufacturers
- 1We come to the plant. A brief taken on site, with a walk of the floor, tells us more than any position description.
- 2We search before we advertise. Our first calls go to people we already know are good, then we widen from there.
- 3We test for the real job. Shift leadership, CI results, safety record, how they handle a bad week. Then references that ask the same questions.
- 4We manage the offer and the landing. Salary, counter-offer, notice, relocation if needed, and a check-in once they have started.
Permanent, contract or executive search: the process flexes to the role. See permanent recruitment and contract recruitment for the detail.
What manufacturers say
We have found Brigitta to be a clear standout performer in her field
“We’ve engaged the services of many recruiters over the years, and we have found Brigitta to be a clear standout performer in her field. She has the unique ability to be able to quickly ascertain the key strengths, skills and fit to the culture required from candidates for any position. I can thoroughly recommend her as a Recruitment Partner to any business.”
Manufacturing recruitment FAQs
The questions manufacturers ask us before they brief a role.
What does a manufacturing recruitment agency do?
A manufacturing recruitment agency finds and places the people who run production businesses: operations and plant managers, production and shift leaders, engineers, quality and H&S managers, supply chain and planning roles, and the finance and commercial people who support them. RecruitNet does this for New Zealand SMEs, using direct search as well as advertising, with the employer paying the fee only when the hire is made.
Which manufacturing sectors do you recruit for?
Food and beverage, timber and wood products, stainless and steel fabrication, plastics, engineered and industrial products, agricultural equipment and building products, among others. The common thread is that they are New Zealand-owned or NZ-run production businesses, mostly SMEs, with a plant to keep running and a leadership team to build.
How long does it take to recruit a manufacturing manager?
Typically six to ten weeks from brief to accepted offer for operations, production and engineering management roles, then the candidate's notice period. Roles that depend on scarce skills, such as automation engineers or experienced plant managers in regional locations, can take longer, and we will say so at the briefing rather than guess.
Do you recruit for manufacturers outside Hamilton and the Waikato?
Yes. We are Hamilton-based and the Waikato is our home market, but we recruit for manufacturers across New Zealand, including Auckland, the Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Rotorua and the South Island. For regional sites we often relocate candidates, and we are straightforward with clients about what that takes.
Do you place contract and interim manufacturing roles?
Yes, at the senior and specialist level: interim operations managers, project engineers for a plant upgrade, a quality manager to get a site through an audit, a finance manager for a system change. We do not do labour hire or temp staffing for production operators. See our contract recruitment page for how the interim model works.
Hiring for the plant? Let’s start the conversation
Ready to talk?
Whether you’re an employer looking to hire, or a job seeker keen to share your resume, contact us today and we’ll get back to you soon.