Detector Dog Trainer | Auckland MPI Centre

Job Description

Detector Dog Trainer

Role type: Permanent full-time

Location: Auckland

Salary band & range: Border Clearance Services - $83,363 to $89,114 depending on skills and experience

About the Role - Kōrero mō te Tūranga

As a Detector Dog Trainer, your primary focus is to provide training and support to ensure Border Clearance Services staff in the detector dog programme are trained to a proficient level and maintain that level to effectively undertake their duties and responsibilities.

Your key responsibilities include:

• Provide technical information, instruction and advice to management and frontline staff.
• Mentoring and coaching for Detector Dog Handlers in the operational environment
• Supporting the Detector Dog Training and Leadership Teams through collaboration, collegiality, and open communication
• Facilitating validation classes and formal assessments to maintain, improve and review Dog Handler competency.
• Develop and maintain training and competency assessments, manuals and documentation.
• Travelling to different MPI sites to provide training and support across Aotearoa.

About You - Mōu

We are looking for an excellent communicator (both written and verbal) with preferably adult teaching qualification coupled with animal behaviour experience or qualification. This role requires patience, tact, diplomacy and the ability to deal within ambiguity.

Teaching and training of both people and canines are key aspects of this role and our ideal candidate must demonstrate this. You may come from an adjacent government detector dog programme or have a background in training working dogs.

In addition, our ideal candidate will:

• Be, or have the ability to become, a warranted quarantine officer
• Have knowledge of detector dog handling, dog behaviour and animal welfare requirements relating to canines
• Be experienced in the training, handling and deploying of working dogs
• Be able to work effectively under pressure
• Display an exceptional ability to communicate with impact and influence
• Strong interpersonal skills

You do not need to meet all of the role requirements to apply. We offer a breadth of development and learning opportunities and will welcome an application if you think you could make a great fit. 

About the Team - Mō tō mātou Rōpū

You will be based at the MPI Centre in Mangere, Auckland and work with other trainers to provide support to our Dog Handlers around the country. You will be working alongside the kennel team, which consists of a Team Leader, 7 dog care specialists and, of course, approximately 60 Detector dogs.

About MPI - Mō te Manatū Ahu Matua

Our role includes seizing export opportunities for our food and fibre sector, improving sector productivity, ensuring the food we produce is safe, increasing sustainable resource use, and protecting New Zealand from biological risk.

Benefits of working at MPI - Ngā hua o te mahi i te Manatū Ahu Matua

• Ability to purchase extra annual leave
• Annual Wellness payment
• Bi-annual paid eye test and contribution to the costs of corrective lenses/frames
• Career development and internal opportunities across the branch and organisation

Drug and Alcohol Screening - Whakamātau Whakapōauau me te Waipiro

Please note, given this position is safety sensitive the preferred candidates(s) for the position will be required to undergo a drug and alcohol pre-employment screening test. Further information on this process can be found on our careers site, here.

Are you ready to make a difference? - Kua rite koe mō tēnei mahi whaitake?
We are committed to being a good partner under Te Tiriti o Waitangi which includes working closely with iwi, hapū, whānau and hāpori.

We aspire to reflect the diverse communities we serve, so we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, and identities. As an organisation, we are committed to making Manatū Ahu Matua Ministry for Primary Industries a great place to work for all.

In your cover letter we'd like to know about you, your values; your interest and motivations for this role; the abilities, strengths, personal attributes and diverse perspectives you will bring to the role and this organisation, which may have also been gained outside of the workforce.

To view the position description and/or apply online, please click “APPLY FOR THIS JOB” or visit the MPI Careers Site. To apply, you must hold the right to work in New Zealand or be eligible to obtain it – click here to find out more about work visa eligibility and options.

Applications close at midnight on 7 July 2025.

If you have any questions about the role, please email Melissa.Heaney@mpi.govt.nz 

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