National Touring Operations Lead | The Ninja Run
The Ninja Run | Hamilton-based (Nationwide Travel Required)
Permanent Full-Time (Fixed-Term contract available for the right candidate) | Seasonal Touring (Approx. October – April)
We Are Not Just an Event. We Are Here to Help People Come Alive.
At NinjaVerse, we believe movement, play, and connection build confidence, courage, and joy. The Ninja Run is a traveling movement that helps children, families, and communities discover energy and connection through movement. Every family that crosses our finish line creates a memory that stays with them forever.
We are hiring a Permanent Full-Time National Touring Operations Lead starting with our upcoming 2026/2027 national tour. While this is ideally a permanent role, we are open to a fixed-term contract covering the touring season (Oct–Apr) for the right candidate.
As the senior operational decision-maker on site when the Events Manager is off-site, you will serve as the operational, logistics, and cultural anchor across every event build, live day, and pack-down.
You Lead the Tour Experience
This role is hands-on, high-momentum, and operational. You are not here to stand around or supervise—you shape experiences and master site execution.
You will lead the physical build and pack-down of our obstacle course, manage 15 touring crew (Operations and Logistics), liaise with host venue managers and councils, and coordinate a minimum of 50 local city volunteers per event into a unified, high-performance team.
How You’ll Bring the 6 Es to Life on Tour
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Experience: Ensure site presentation, queue flow, and finish-line moments are seamless and unforgettable.
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Energy: Bring positive, alert energy that lifts the crew during long setups, pack-downs, and live event days.
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Engagement: Stay visible on site, support crew, and step into key operational moments.
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Encouragement: Coach crew and volunteers to celebrate effort and build confidence across the event village.
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Education: Run daily briefings, site safety inductions, and clear operational handovers.
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Enforcement: Champion Health & Safety and risk protocols with calm, mature discipline.
What the Role Involves
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Site Build & Logistics: Directing obstacle inflation/rigging, power setup, site layout, load-in/out, and operating forklifts to handle event kit safely with zero damage.
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Host Venue Relations: Serving as the primary operational contact onsite for venue managers, stadium directors, and council park teams to protect site integrity.
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Live Operations & Crew Leadership: Running daily event shifts, morning huddles, volunteer rosters, and supporting crew wellbeing in shared accommodation.
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Safety & Kaizen: Managing incident responses, and leading end-of-shift debriefs to sharpen execution at every stop.
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Off-Season Care & Tour Prep: During the off-season (approx. May – September), you’ll lead activations, kit cleaning, gear maintenance, and inventory resets, while partnering with the Events Manager to plan logistics, routes, and site layouts for the upcoming tour.
You’ll Thrive in This Role If You Have:
- Proven leadership in live events, festival builds, outdoor recreation, or sports venue operations.
- Physical grit, structural setup experience, and the ability to drive tight build and pack-down schedules.
- Strong communication skills to build quick, trusted relationships with host venue and council stakeholders.
- Full availability for national travel during the touring season (approx. October through April each year) and comfort living in shared team accommodation.
- Full NZ Driver Licence
- Current First Aid Certificate (Preferred)
- Forklift Licence (Preferred).
Why Join The Ninja Run Tour?
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Travel New Zealand: Extensive national travel during the event season (Whangārei – Invercargill) with all tour accommodation and travel covered per company policy.
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High-Impact Leadership: Direct leadership over touring crew and large regional volunteer networks in a permanent, year-round role.
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Purpose-Driven Culture: Join a team guided by authentic values and a mission to help communities come alive through movement.
How to Apply
If you have the operational grit, logistics capability, and spirit to lead The Ninja Run across New Zealand, we want to hear from you.
Submit your CV and a Cover Letter telling us:
- Why leading The Ninja Run tour excites you.
- Which of our 6 Es (Experience, Energy, Engagement, Encouragement, Education, Enforcement) best describes your leadership style on site and why?
