Category Manager - Produce

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

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Bonus and tool of trade vehicle

Free carparking

Subsidised health insurance

Onsite café with subsidised meals

Flexible working options

Birthday day off

Long service leave

In-house learning and development

Job summary

Foodstuffs North Island Limited is seeking a Category Manager for Produce to own a fast-moving category centered in customers’ baskets. You will work with growers, suppliers and owner-operators to develop strategies, drive sales, negotiate pricing and ensure stores have access to quality produce at value.

This highly commercial role balances strategic category management with day-to-day trading decisions, delivering exceptional results across a diverse produce category.

Qualifications

• Experience in category management or Produce/Fresh experience is beneficial.
• Strong commercial acumen with ability to analyse data and identify opportunities.
• Excellent relationship building and negotiation skills across suppliers, growers and stores.
• Strong planning, communication and organisational skills.
• Collaborative leadership style with experience coaching others.

Responsibilities

• Run the category as a strategic business unit, delivering targets across sales, volume and margin.
• Develop and execute category plans aligned to customer needs and seasonal trends.
• Build strong relationships with growers, suppliers and stores to optimise the produce supply chain.
• Lead pricing, promotions, range reviews and category performance analysis.
• Use customer insights and market trends to make data-driven decisions and identify opportunities.
• Lead, coach and develop your team fostering a high-performing culture.

Skills

Commercial acumen

Data analysis

Negotiation

Planning

Communication

Organisational skills

Leadership & coaching

Job description

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-Maui, 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

As a Category Manager for Produce, you'll take ownership of a diverse and fast-moving category that sits at the heart of our customers' shopping baskets. Working closely with growers, suppliers and our Owner Operators, you'll develop category strategies, drive sales performance, negotiate pricing and ensure our stores have access to quality fresh produce at the best possible value.

This is a highly commercial role where no two days are the same. You'll balance strategic category management with day-to-day trading decisions, delivering exceptional results across a diverse and fast-moving category.

To Achieve This, Some Of What You'll Do Is

• Run your category as a strategic business unit, delivering financial targets and identifying opportunities for growth across sales, volume and margin.
• Develop and execute category plans aligned to customer needs, seasonal trends and overall business strategy.
• Build strong relationships with growers, suppliers and stores to ensure great outcomes across the produce supply chain.
• Lead pricing, promotions, range reviews and category performance analysis to maximise value for our customers and member stores.
• Use customer insights, market trends and category analytics to make fact-based decisions and uncover new opportunities.
• Lead, coach and develop your team while fostering a collaborative and high-performing culture.

He Kōrero Mōu – About You

You might already be working in Produce, FMCG, Retail, Wholesale, Agriculture or another category-led commercial environment. You're commercially minded, thrive in a fast-paced setting and enjoy building strong relationships that create mutually beneficial outcomes.

Key To Your Success In This Role Will Be

• Experience in category management OR Produce/Fresh experience while not essential, would be beneficial.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to analyse data, identify opportunities and make informed decisions.
• Exceptional relationship building and negotiation skills, with confidence working across suppliers, growers and stakeholder groups.
• Strong planning, communication and organisational skills.
• The ability to adapt quickly, manage competing priorities and thrive in a dynamic trading environment.
• A collaborative leadership style and experience coaching others to achieve results.

Ngā Painga – What We Offer

We're committed to providing awesome experiences for our people, including offering a range of benefits:

• Competitive base salary, bonus and tool of trade vehicle
• Free carparking - we've got over 1,000 carparks including free EV charging stations.
• Subsidised Southern Cross health insurance.
• Onsite café with subsidised meals, mini mart and 5% discount at our retail stores.
• Flexible working options, a day off on your birthday and long service leave.
• In-house learning and development programmes, flu vaccinations and social network groups (we call them Tribes).

Experience Awesome. Achieve Awesome. Be Awesomely You.

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

We encourage you to apply with all your awesomeness and welcome your diverse background, including any disability, additional health and mental health needs, and/or neurodiversity.

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