Senior Commercial Optimization Manager - Dairy

Goodman Fielder; Auckland; On-site; NZD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Strategic influence

Meaningful impact

Career development

Collaborative environment

Innovation & transformation

Job summary

Goodman Fielder in New Zealand is seeking a Senior Commercial Optimisation Manager – Dairy to drive value across exports and domestic opportunities. You will combine financial insight with operational understanding and partner with senior leaders across Finance, Sales, Supply Chain and Operations.

Lead dairy milk supply optimisation, product mix, and manufacturing efficiency, turning data-driven insights into measurable business results.

Qualifications

• Proven dairy industry experience with a commercial partnering mindset.
• Degree in Commerce or Finance with CA/CPA/CIMA or MBA.
• Senior-level commercial finance, analytics or business partnering experience in manufacturing.
• Strong financial modelling and advanced Excel; experience with SAP or large ERP systems.
• Ability to challenge status quo and influence senior stakeholders.
• Growth mindset with a track record of driving change.
• Collaborate across functions and bring people along on the journey.
• Costing and operational finance experience is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Develop milk valuation models and identify opportunities to improve product mix and returns.
• Identify opportunities to improve the commercial output of the milk stream through changes in product mix, channel & markets, manufacturing allocation and commercial strategy.
• Lead end-to-end dairy optimisation, maximising milk value, profitability and asset utilisation.
• Partner with Sales, Supply Chain, Operations and Finance to influence decisions and drive business-wide alignment.
• Challenge existing practices, using data, scenario analysis and commercial insight to identify new opportunities.
• Lead the commercial evaluation of growth initiatives, investment proposals and manufacturing opportunities.
• Establish a pipeline of value-creation initiatives, tracking delivery and measurable financial benefits.
• Leverage analytics, automation and AI-enabled tools to improve decision-making and business performance.

Skills

Dairy industry experience

Commercial finance partnering

Advanced Excel

Analytical & problem solving

Stakeholder influence

Collaboration across functions

Education

Commerce or Finance degree

CA/CPA/CIMA/MBA

Tools

SAP/ERP systems

Job description

Job Description

• Make a Measurable Impact: Transform how we value milk and embed this thinking into current and future business models.
• Influence at Scale: Lead initiatives that maximise milk value, profitability and manufacturing performance, partnering with senior leaders acrossFinance, Sales, Supply Chain and Operations to drive strategic decisions.
• Challenge the Status Quo: Turn commercial insights into action, lead change and unlock new growth opportunities.

The Opportunity

This is your opportunity to shape how Goodman Fielder maximises the value of its dairy business.

We're looking for a commercially astute Senior Commercial Optimisation Manager – Dairy to bring together financial insight, operational understanding and strategic thinking to drive the business performance with a primary focus on dairy exports while also supporting domestic opportunities.

You’ll lead initiatives that optimise our dairy milk supply, improve product mix and manufacturing efficiency, and unlock greater commercial returns. Working closely with senior stakeholders across Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, Operations and the wider group network, you’ll challenge the status quo, influence strategic decisions and turn data-driven insights into tangible business results.

If you're a confident business partner with a growth mindset, a passion for driving change and the ability to bring people along on the journey, this is your opportunity to make a measurable impact.

What you will do

• Develop milk valuation models and identify opportunities to improve product mix, customer allocation and commercial returns.
• Identify opportunities to improve the commercial output of the milk stream through changes in product mix, channel & markets, manufacturing allocation and commercial strategy.
• Lead end-to-end dairy optimisation, maximising milk value, profitability and asset utilisation.
• Partner with Sales, Supply Chain, Operations and Finance to influence decisions and drive business-wide alignment.
• Challenge existing practices, using data, scenario analysis and commercial insight to identify new opportunities.
• Lead the commercial evaluation of growth initiatives, investment proposals and manufacturing opportunities.
• Establish a pipeline of value-creation initiatives, tracking delivery and measurable financial benefits.
• Leverage analytics, automation and AI-enabled tools to improve decision-making and business performance.

What you will bring

• Essential: Proven dairy industry experience, with a strong commercial business partnering mindset.
• A degree in Commerce or Finance, alongside a CA, CPA, CIMA or MBA qualification.
• Senior-level commercial finance, analytical or business partnering experience, within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong financial modelling, analytical and problem-solving skills, including advanced Excel and SAP or large ERP systems.
• The confidence to challenge the status quo, influence senior stakeholders and translate complex analysis into clear recommendations.
• A growth mindset, with a track record of driving change, building relationships and delivering commercial results.
• The ability to collaborate across functions, motivate others and bring people along on the journey.
• Costing and operational finance experience will be an advantage.

About us

At Goodman Fielder, our purpose is Making everyday food better for everyone. We're behind some of New Zealand's most loved food brands, with a business that spans dairy, baking, ingredients and more.

As part of the wider Wilmar group, we combine the scale of a global organisation with opportunities to make a meaningful impact locally. We're focused on continuous improvement, innovation and finding smarter ways to create value for our customers and our business.

Benefits

• Strategic influence: Partner with senior leaders and help shape key commercial and operational decisions.
• Meaningful impact: Deliver measurable improvements to profitability, productivity and business performance.
• Career development: Broaden your exposure across Finance, Operations, Supply Chain and international dairy markets.
• A collaborative environment: Work with diverse teams who value fresh thinking, constructive challenge and shared success.
• Innovation and transformation: Help shape how data, technology and new ways of working unlock future opportunities.

If you're ready to turn commercial insight into action and help shape the future of our dairy business, we'd love to hear from you.