Manager, Risk Partnering

Fonterra; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellbeing programs

Flexible/hybrid working where possible

Employee recognition

Job summary

Fonterra Te Mātāpuna is seeking a Manager, Risk Partnering to work with senior operations leaders, translating risk appetite into practical guidance and shaping decisions that affect safety, continuity, cost, and resilience.

You will bring enterprise risk discipline (ISO 31000) and a proven ability to influence at executive level in asset-intensive environments, delivering concise narratives for governance and performance deliberations.

Qualifications

• Experience partnering with senior leaders in complex operational environments.
• Strong risk management capability based on ISO 31000.
• Experience in asset-intensive or high-hazard industries.
• Ability to translate risk appetite into actionable guidance.

Responsibilities

• Partner with senior leaders to frame complex problems and trade-offs.
• Translate risk appetite into practical decision guidance.
• Bring risk into planning, performance and investment conversations.
• Create concise, credible communications for governance and leadership.
• Challenge thinking and influence leaders to make disciplined decisions under uncertainty.

Skills

Executive communication

Stakeholder influence

Risk assessment

Decision framing

Ambiguity management

Education

Tertiary qualification in operational risk management or related discipline

Job description

At Fonterra Te Mātāpuna, we want everyone to feel they can be themselves.

Whether you're early in your career or ready for your next step, Fonterra offers a unique opportunity to grow with a global dairy co-operative that values care, collaboration, and contribution.

Owned by New Zealand dairy farmers and supported by a dedicated team, we are all working together to create a better future. Imagine tomorrow with us, where your career can grow, and you can create positive change.

Fonterra is a global dairy co-operative owned by New Zealand farming families. Our operations span complex manufacturing, processing and logistics networks. Across this environment, thoughtful risk decisions are critical to protecting our people, products, communities and performance while enabling the business to move forward.

About the Opportunity | Mō tēnei tūranga

This is a true business partnering role, not a traditional audit or compliance position. As Manager, Risk Partnering, you’ll work alongside senior operational leaders as a trusted adviser, helping them make confident decisions where the path is not always clear and the trade-offs are real.

You’ll bring structure to ambiguity, translate risk appetite into practical decision guidance, and shape a clear narrative that connects risk with performance, resilience and delivery. The role will support decisions involving competing considerations such as safety, operational continuity, cost, pace, investment, reputation and long-term resilience.

A few areas of focus will be to:

• Partner with senior leaders and leadership teams to frame complex problems, clarify choices and facilitate robust trade-off discussions.
• Turn operational uncertainty into a small number of clear options, outlining consequences, exposure and recommended actions.
• Translate risk appetite into practical guidance that leaders can use in real-time decision forums, including when to act, avoid, elevate or monitor.
• Bring risk into planning, performance and investment conversations so it supports business outcomes rather than sitting alongside them.
• Shape concise, credible communications for senior leaders and governance, focusing on what has changed, what matters and what decision is required.
• Constructively challenge thinking, influence without authority and build confidence in leaders to make disciplined decisions under uncertainty.
• Create a consistent risk narrative across operational areas including health and safety, food safety and quality, environment, engineering, assets and energy.

You are an experienced risk partner or strategic adviser who combines strong operational risk judgement with the presence and credibility to influence senior leaders. You are comfortable stepping into ambiguous, high-stakes situations, asking the questions others may avoid, and helping stakeholders reach a clear and defensible way forward.

You will bring:

• Deep experience partnering as a trusted adviser to senior leaders in complex operational environments.
• Strong functional risk management capability, grounded in recognised enterprise risk principles such as ISO 31000.
• Proven experience in operational risk within an asset-intensive or high-hazard environment such as manufacturing, engineering, energy, mining, oil and gas, or a similarly complex setting.
• A strong track record of framing decisions, options and trade-offs under uncertainty, with clear problem definition and concise recommendations.
• Exceptional stakeholder influence, facilitation and negotiation skills, including the confidence to lead courageous conversations and challenge constructively.
• Executive-level communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex issues without losing substance.
• Commercial and strategic thinking, enabling you to balance risk, reward, pace, cost and resilience in support of business priorities.
• Resilience, sound judgement and a high level of comfort operating where information is incomplete and priorities compete.
• A relevant tertiary qualification in operational risk management, business, engineering or a related discipline. Training or experience in resilience and complex decision frameworks would be advantageous.

At Fonterra, our values of Good Together, Better Every Day, and Every Drop Counts, are for everyone – no matter your background, identify or experience. These values guide us in delivering exceptional outcomes for our farmers, customers, communities, and each other. Discover how your values align with ours by taking our Values Quiz

We care for our people globally. Our comprehensive benefits support your well-being, development, and work-life balance:

• Fair and equitable pay
• Health and well-being programs (medical, mental health support)
• Work-life balance options (flexible/hybrid working where possible)
• Employee recognition
• Support for community involvement and cultural connection

At Fonterra, we are inspired by purpose and guided by our principles and values. Together, we create goodness for generations and make a global impact at a local level. As part of our Co‑operative, you are an everyday creator, imagining what Fonterra, dairy, and you can be here.

Does this sound good to you? Come join our whānau - bring your whole self, and let's solve for better together.

Together, we're shaping a future of inclusion | He Wāhi mō te Katoa

Inclusion is key to our Co‑operative. We're building a team that reflects the diverse world we live in, believing it drives better decisions and innovation.

We welcome applications from all backgrounds (ethnicities, genders, identities, orientations, ages, abilities, neurotypes, cultures, religions).

Even if you don't meet every requirement listed, we encourage you to apply; we value your potential and growth.

If you face accessibility issues or need accommodations during the process, please contact your recruiter. We ensure fair participation, allowing you to be at your best. Tātou, tātou.

Applications close at midnight on Thursday 19th November