Head of Thoroughbred Welfare and Sustainability

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) is the regulatory and governing authority for the sport of Thoroughbred Racing in New Zealand. We are tasked with ensuring the overall health and successful development of the sport across New Zealand, seeking to enhance its attraction to customers and its position in the sporting and cultural landscape of the country. Racing contributes $1.6 billion (0.9% of GDP) to the New Zealand economy and directly employs approximately 10,000 people.

The industry is at a turning point as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the new Racing Industry Act assigns responsibility for all aspects of Thoroughbred racing to NZTR. We are therefore undergoing a period of change as the new industry arrangements are embedded and NTZR’s function and role expands across the industry.

About the Role

We have an exciting opportunity for a qualified Equine Welfare professional to join our team as Head of Thoroughbred Welfare and Sustainability. This newly scoped full-time permanent opportunity will be based in Cambridge and head the Thoroughbred Welfare function for New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing. The main purpose of this role is to plan, resource and manage delivery of the daily operations of NZTR’s Thoroughbred Welfare and Environmental Sustainability functions.

Some of the key responsibilities include:

• Managing the assessment of concerns and implementing initiatives relating to NZTR’s Thoroughbred Welfare.
• Efficiently and effectively delivering the Thoroughbred Welfare Strategy.
• Developing and delivering the initiatives enabled via the 1% Thoroughbred Welfare levy.
• Developing and coordinating future NZTR initiatives in relation to mitigating or adapting to environment change.

This role has a small team of two reporting to it, which will see it focus on the leadership, coaching and mentorship of these individuals in the day-to-day Thoroughbred Welfare activities.

About the Team

We are a small team of like-minded people, passionate about delivering key outcomes to drive our industry forward. As a team, we enjoy a good laugh and having some fun, in an environment where we learn from each other and always look for new and innovative ways to get the job done. We are a close-knit team looking for someone to grow and develop alongside us. If you are passionate about Equine welfare and are interested in delivering an effective Thoroughbred Welfare Strategy, then this is the job for you!

About the Person

The ideal candidate will have a relevant qualification in Equine welfare or similar alongside 5-10 years of relevant experience. Strong racing industry knowledge and/or passion is highly advantageous alongside previous leadership experience.

Our Cambridge office is based at the Velodrome, where we share an office with Cycling New Zealand. You will have an easy commute, free parking, flexible working, onsite café, annual racing passes and the opportunity to work with a cool bunch of people, what more could you want?

If you have a passion for horse racing and the welfare of Thoroughbred horses, and aspire to work within a dynamic and innovate environment, then we want to hear from you!

Contact our People & Culture Lead on [email protected]