Strategic Supplier Relationship Manager
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) in Wellington is seeking a Strategic Supplier Relationship Manager to shape how the organisation manages and grows value from key supplier partnerships. You will work with contract managers, business experts and senior leaders to balance commercial realities with supplier opportunities.
This permanent, full-time role offers the chance to establish frameworks, drive improvements, and lift capability across teams, delivering lasting value for MPI and New
Qualifications
- Experience managing strategic supplier relationships.
- Strong governance, reporting and risk management skills.
- Ability to influence across diverse stakeholder groups.
- Experience resolving complex supplier issues.
- Proven ability to drive value realisation outcomes.
- A relevant tertiary qualification, MCIPS, WorldCC qualification or equivalent experience.
Responsibilities
- Develop frameworks that strengthen supplier partnerships.
- Support contract managers with commercial insights.
- Lift capability and share best practice across teams.
- Balance operational needs with strategic opportunities.
- Influence positive outcomes through strong collaboration.
Skills
Education
Job description
Job title: Strategic Supplier Relationship Manager
Role type: Permanent, full-time (part-time considered, minimum 25 hours per week)
Location: Wellington
Salary band & range: GSR C $121,764 to $156,743 depending on skills and experience
This is a newly created role offering a rare opportunity to shape how MPI manages and grows value from strategic supplier relationships. Working across a broad range of stakeholders, you will connect people, insights, and commercial opportunities, engaging with everyone from senior leaders and contract managers through to supplier representatives. You'll bring strong communication and relationship management skills, along with a sound understanding of commercial realities, helping balance organisational needs with supplier opportunities and constraints.
As the Strategic Supplier Relationship Manager, you'll establish frameworks, identify opportunities for improvement, and help create long-term value from key supplier partnerships. You'll work closely with contract managers and business experts to strengthen capability, enhance relationships, and drive strategic outcomes. This is a role you can truly make your own, leaving a lasting mark on how supplier relationships are managed across the organisation.
In this role, you will:
- Develop frameworks that strengthen supplier partnerships.
- Support contract managers with commercial insights.
- Lift capability and share best practice across teams.
- Balance operational needs with strategic opportunities.
- Influence positive outcomes through strong collaboration.
You are a confident relationship builder with strong commercial acumen and a talent for bringing people together to achieve shared outcomes. An effective communicator, you thrive in complex environments, working across multiple stakeholder groups and balancing organisational needs with commercial realities. You can confidently engage with contract managers, senior leaders, and suppliers, providing insight, challenge, and advice that supports better decision-making.
You enjoy taking a strategic view while staying connected to operational delivery and can identify opportunities to improve supplier performance, relationships, and value. Comfortable navigating competing priorities, you influence outcomes through collaboration, sound judgement, and a focus on continuous improvement. This role will suit someone who enjoys shaping new approaches, building capability, and leaving a lasting impact.
To be successful in this role, you will have:
- Experience managing strategic supplier relationships.
- Strong commercial contract management expertise.
- Ability to influence across diverse stakeholder groups.
- Experience resolving complex supplier issues.
- Strong governance, reporting, and risk management skills.
- Ability to identify strategic opportunities and improvements.
- Strong analytical and performance insight capabilities.
- Experience engaging effectively with senior leaders.
- Proven ability to drive value realisation outcomes.
- A relevant tertiary qualification, MCIPS, WorldCC qualification or equivalent experience.
You do not need to meet all of the role requirements to apply. We offer a breadth of development and learning opportunities and will welcome an application if you think you could make a great fit.
You'll join a collaborative and supportive team that is committed to achieving great outcomes together. Led by an approachable and experienced people leader, the team fosters a positive environment where knowledge is shared, questions are welcomed, and everyone is encouraged to contribute. While this role has its own areas of responsibility, you'll be surrounded by colleagues who are willing to help, provide guidance, and work together to solve challenges and create opportunities. The team values strong relationships, open communication, and a collective focus on delivering the best outcomes for MPI.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) partners with New Zealand's food and fibre sector to be the world's most trusted provider of high‑value food and fibre products.
Additional MPI leave days
- Ability to purchase extra annual leave
- Annual Wellness payment
- Bi-annual paid eye test and contribution to the costs of corrective lenses/frames
Please note, given this position is identified as carrying financial risk, the preferred candidate(s) will be required to satisfactorily pass a credit check.
We are committed to being a good partner under Te Tiriti o Waitangi which includes working closely with iwi, hapū, whānau and hāpori.
We aspire to reflect the diverse communities we serve, so we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, and identities. As an organisation, we are committed to making Manatū Ahu Matua Ministry for Primary Industries a great place to work for all.
In your cover letter we'd like to know about you, your values; your interest and motivations for this role; the abilities, strengths, personal attributes, and diverse perspectives you will bring to the role and this organisation, which may have also been gained outside of the workforce.
To apply, you must hold the right to work in New Zealand or be eligible to obtain it.
If you have any questions about the role, please email Sophie.Hallett@mpi.govt.nz
Links to Facebook, MPI Careers, LinkedIn, X
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