Category Manager – Emerging & International

Foodstuffs North Island Limited; Auckland; On-site; NZD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free carparking

Onsite café and meals discount

Health insurance

Flexible working options

In-house learning and development

Job summary

Foodstuffs North Island Limited is seeking a Category Manager for Emerging & International to shape our International and Local ranges and bring world-class products to life for our stores and customers.

You will collaborate with a diverse mix of suppliers, including small businesses and importers, applying commercial insight and high EQ to develop compelling ranges that reflect New Zealand’s communities and cultures.

Qualifications

• Experience in FMCG, grocery retail or supplier-side roles.
• Strong EQ and ability to work with diverse supplier base.
• Commercial mindset with ability to translate insights into ranges.
• Organised, process-driven with ability to manage multiple priorities.

Responsibilities

• Support the category strategy for International and Local using insights to unlock growth.
• Build trusted relationships with suppliers and Owner Operators.
• Shape ranges reflecting New Zealand’s diverse communities and drive store adoption.
• Lead pricing, promotions, range changes, new product development and supplier plans with strong financial control.
• Deliver seasonal programmes and explore ways to enhance the customer experience.

Skills

Emotional intelligence

Commercial thinking

Stakeholder management

Supplier relationship management

Project management

Job description

Category Manager – Emerging & International

Ko Wai Mātou – About Us

Kia ora. We’re Foodies. You know New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square right? That’s us! With 300+ stores and over 24,000 Foodies across Te Ika‑a‑Māui, our North Island Co‑op has the privilege of helping New Zealanders get more out of life. Locally owned, we reflect the communities we serve, and we celebrate our people – our taonga – every day for being uniquely them.

Our Merchandise team works with supplier partners and store teams on category ranging, buying, pricing and promotions so we can get the right products on the right shelves at the right time for our customers.

Te Tūranga – About The Role

This is an exciting opportunity to help shape our International and Local categories, bringing your own flair to how we range world-class international products and local artisan suppliers, connect with diverse customer communities and help stores bring these products to life.

You’ll work with a diverse supplier base, including small business owners and importers who have poured their passion, identity and life’s work into their products. This calls for a Category Manager with high EQ who can combine empathy and cultural awareness with strong commercial thinking, disciplined execution and a sleeves‑rolled‑up approach.

In This Role, You’ll

• Support the category strategy for International and Local, using customer insights, commercial performance and global and local trends to unlock growth.
• Build trusted relationships with suppliers and Owner Operators, creating clearer and more consistent ways for suppliers to engage with stores.
• Shape ranges that reflect New Zealand’s diverse communities, then drive awareness and help stores understand how to bring those ranges to life.
• Lead pricing, promotions, range changes, new product development and supplier plans while maintaining strong control of financial and operational performance.
• Deliver relevant seasonal programmes and continually explore what we could do differently to create a world‑class customer experience.

Ngā Painga – What We Offer

We’re committed to providing awesome experiences for our people, including a range of benefits such as:

• Free carparking – over 1,000 carparks including free EV charging
• Onsite café with subsidised meals, mini‑mart, and 5% discount at our retail stores
• Southern cross health insurance
• Flexible working options, a day off on your birthday
• In‑house learning and development programmes, flu vaccinations, and social network groups (we call them Tribes)

He Kōrero Mōu – About You

You’ll be commercially sharp, customer‑led and genuinely passionate about food, particularly the artisan, international and ethnic space. You could come from an FMCG, grocery retail or supplier background, but most importantly, you’ll know how to build trust across a broad range of people while keeping pace with a busy, detail‑heavy portfolio.

Ideally, You’ll Bring

• Experience in FMCG, B2B, grocery retail, account management or a supplier‑side commercial role.
• High emotional intelligence, empathy and the ability to build respectful relationships with diverse suppliers, small business owners and store teams.
• Strong customer and commercial instincts, with an understanding of how demographics, culture and market trends influence food choices.
• A process‑driven and highly organised approach, with the capacity to manage a high volume of emails, paperwork, NPD activity and competing priorities.
• Curiosity, initiative and resilience, with the ability to think strategically, negotiate effectively and put your head down to deliver quality work at pace.

We’re proud to have a focus on Diversity & Inclusion here at Foodies and welcome courageous behaviour, encourage togetherness, inspire our people to be their best selves in our Foodies whānau.

If you require accessibility support to ensure you can fairly access our recruitment process, please reach out to [email protected] . Accessibility support could include, interview location, sign language interpreter, assistive technology.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but does not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.