Graduate Programme (Rolling Intake)

HTU; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Mainfreight is offering a 3-year Graduate Development Programme in Auckland, designed to kickstart your career with real hands-on experience across our global operations.

During the programme you’ll rotate through operations and other areas, develop leadership and business acumen, and have opportunities to grow within the company from within. We welcome graduates looking to lay a strong foundation and build a diverse skill set.

Qualifications

• NZ citizen or resident
• Pass pre-employment drug and alcohol test
• Pass a background check

Responsibilities

• Engage in a 3-year graduate journey across Mainfreight's divisions to understand core operations.
• Roll up sleeves in hands-on roles such as loading/unloading, picking, packing and devanning where applicable.
• Develop leadership fundamentals and business acumen through structured development courses and mentoring.
• Explore pathways in Sales, Operations, Customer Service, Supply Chain or Management with internal promotion as a core value.
• Collaborate with teams across global operations to contribute to continuous improvement and service delivery.

Job description

Have you recently graduated?

If you're looking for a role where you can roll up your sleeves, take on real challenges, and jump into new experiences, that’s exactly what the Mainfreight Development Programme offers. Throughout the programme, you’ll not only focus on your own growth and career path but also have the chance to meaningfully contribute to Mainfreight’s established and ever‑growing global operations.

You’ll discover your strengths and explore what excites you most within the business—whether that’s leadership, sales, operations, business development, IT, finance or elsewhere. The direction you take is entirely up to you, and this programme gives you the opportunity to shape it.

Here at Mainfreight we recruit on a rolling basis, meaning we take on graduates throughout the whole year as opportunities arise in our Branches nationwide and aren't limited to traditional graduate role intake periods. Because of this rolling recruitment, we recommend people to apply when they are 2 months or less away from being ready to begin work.

Mainfreight is more than simply a transport business; we are involved in all the following:

• Domestic Freight Transport
• Domestic Warehousing
• Global Imports and Exports
• Global Supply Chain Solutions

What will your 3-year graduate journey look like?

In your first 12 months, roll up your sleeves for a practical and hands‑on learning experience at the core of our physical operation within one of our divisions to understand the fundamentals, the “what and “why”. This could include loading and unloading trucks on a forklift, picking, and packing orders, or devanning containers depending on the division.

Alongside your day to day work in the operations for 12 months, you will begin to develop your business acumen through a multitude of soft skill and development courses, digging deeper into leadership fundamentals, mentoring, and attending regular catch‑ups each year.

Following this time in the operations learning the fundamentals of why we do what we do, you will have the opportunity to explore what pathway excites you. As we value promotion from within, all roles in the business are filled from team that have started in the operations so there are a multitude of opportunities if you go after it.

The opportunities for growth are endless, offering the ability to develop your career in:

• Sales/Account Management
• Operations
• Customer Service
• Supply Chain Management
• Management
• Training and Development
• And many others

What do I need to be eligible?

We see your qualifications as just a part of who you are. We don’t look for specific degrees, we are keen to take on people with all different perspectives to provide diverse ways of thinking and approaching challenges. We're just as interested in your sports and interests, your part‑time jobs, and how you'll fit into our special culture.

To be considered for this position, you must:

• be a New Zealand citizen or resident
• pass a pre‑employment drug and alcohol test
• pass a background check