Group Fleet Manager

Open Country Dairy Ltd; Auckland; On-site; NZD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Open Country Dairy Ltd. seeks a commercially sharp Group Fleet Manager to lead strategy, performance, and whole-of-life management of transport-related mobile assets across seven factory sites and head office.

You will influence asset planning, procurement, maintenance, utilisation, and optimisation to lift safety, reliability, sustainability, and total cost outcomes in a complex operating network.

Qualifications

• 7-10+ years' experience in fleet, transport, logistics, or asset management.
• Strong understanding of NZ heavy vehicle compliance, permits, driver work-time rules, and Road User Charges.
• Experience with telematics, route optimization, lifecycle costing, asset management, or similar systems.
• Commercial capability across supplier management, procurement, contracts, and servicing arrangements.
• Ability to influence across sites, contractors, and senior stakeholders in a complex operating environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the group fleet strategy, including asset mix, utilisation, lifecycle planning, and replacement decisions.
• Own fleet capital planning and build strong business cases for renewal, growth, and technology upgrades.
• Drive smarter tools for route planning, telematics, and optimisation to reduce mileage, fuel, RUC, and downtime.
• Manage key supplier relationships, service standards, procurement processes, and contractor fleet expectations.
• Set clear standards for fleet compliance, permits, safety, calibration, certification, and sustainability performance.

Skills

Fleet strategy

Commercial acumen

Data-driven decisions

Stakeholder engagement

Asset management

Tools

Telematics systems

Lifecycle costing tools

Job description

• Lead strategy and performance across a large, multi-site fleet network
• Shape safety, compliance, utilisation, sustainability, and cost performance
• High-impact role with broad influence across operations, suppliers, and capital planning

• Lead strategy and performance across a large, multi-site fleet network
• Shape safety, compliance, utilisation, sustainability, and cost performance
• High-impact role with broad influence across operations, suppliers, and capital planning

About The Role

Open Country is looking for a commercially sharp Group Fleet Manager to lead the strategy, performance, and whole-of-life management of our transport-related mobile assets across seven factory sites and head office.

This role sits at the centre of fleet performance. You will influence how our assets are planned, procured, maintained, utilised, and optimised — helping the business lift safety, reliability, sustainability, and total cost outcomes across a complex operating network.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the group fleet strategy, including asset mix, utilisation, lifecycle planning, and replacement decisions.
• Own fleet capital planning and build strong business cases for renewal, growth, and technology upgrades.
• Drive smarter tools for route planning, telematics, and optimisation to reduce mileage, fuel, RUC, and downtime.
• Manage key supplier relationships, service standards, procurement processes, and contractor fleet expectations.
• Set clear standards for fleet compliance, permits, safety, calibration, certification, and sustainability performance.

About You

You will be a confident fleet, transport, logistics, engineering, or supply chain professional who can operate strategically while staying close to practical operational realities. You will bring commercial judgement, strong compliance awareness, and the ability to influence through data, relationships, and clear business cases.

To be successful, you will ideally bring:

• 7-10+ years' experience in fleet, transport, logistics, or asset management.
• Strong understanding of NZ heavy vehicle compliance, permits, driver work-time rules, and Road User Charges.
• Experience with telematics, route optimisation, lifecycle costing, asset management, or similar systems.
• Commercial capability across supplier management, procurement, contracts, and servicing arrangements.
• Ability to influence across sites, contractors, and senior stakeholders in a complex operating environment.

What will set you apart

• Experience in dairy, FMCG, food manufacturing, agri-logistics, or another seasonal transport network.
• Exposure to milk tanker operations, farm collection networks, mass flow metering, or specialised transport assets.
• Experience with seasonal capacity planning, contracted transport providers, or fleet sustainability initiatives.

Why join us?

This is an opportunity to take ownership of a critical group-wide fleet function and influence the way transport-related mobile assets are planned, managed, procured, maintained, and optimised. You will work with internal and external stakeholders across a broad operational network and contribute directly to safe, reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective fleet performance.

Applications close on 17 October 2026 or on appointment.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in New Zealand.