Transport Operations Manager

Westland Milk Products; Hokitika; On-site; NZD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Westland Milk Products in Hokitika seeks an experienced Transport Operations Manager to lead our Milk Collection transport operation across the New Zealand network. You will manage fleet performance, maintenance planning and asset lifecycle programmes while driving cost efficiency and service standards.

The role reports to the GM Environment & Milk Supply and requires strong leadership of a large team, robust stakeholder management, and rigorous compliance with health, safety and quality

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in large-scale transport, logistics or fleet.
• Experience managing heavy vehicle fleets and workshop operations.
• Strong commercial and financial management capability.
• Track record of leading teams and driving continuous improvement.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Knowledge of Health & Safety, compliance and transport regulations.

Responsibilities

• Leading the Milk Collection transport operation across the network.
• Managing fleet performance, maintenance planning and asset lifecycle programmes.
• Driving operational efficiency, service delivery and cost optimisation.
• Managing third-party transport contracts and supplier relationships.
• Collaborating with Supply Chain and Operations to meet forecasts.
• Championing health, safety, environmental and quality standards.
• Leading, developing and empowering a large and diverse team.

Skills

Transport leadership

Fleet management

Budgeting

Cost control

Stakeholder management

Job description

Lead the future of milk logistics across New Zealand

At Westland Milk Products, we're passionate about creating high-quality dairy nutrition that's enjoyed around the world. As part of the Yili Oceania Group, alongside brands including Canary Foods, EasiYo, Oceania Dairy and Pure Nutrition, we're committed to excellence, innovation, accountability, respect and delivering win-win outcomes.

We're looking for an experienced and commercially minded Transport Operations Manager to lead our Milk Collection transport operation. This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for ensuring the safe, efficient and cost-effective collection of milk from supplying farmers and movement of product across our processing sites.

About the role

Reporting to the GM Environment & Milk Supply, you'll lead a large operational team and oversee the strategic and day-to-day management of our transport network, fleet operations and third-party transport providers. You'll play a key role in driving operational excellence while ensuring safety, quality, environmental compliance and service performance remain at the forefront of everything we do.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the Milk Collection transport operation across the Yili Oceania network.
• Managing fleet performance, maintenance planning and asset lifecycle programmes.
• Driving operational efficiency, service delivery and cost optimisation.
• Managing third-party transport contracts and supplier relationships.
• Working closely with Supply Chain and Operations teams to ensure production forecasts and milk movements are achieved.
• Championing health, safety, environmental and quality standards.
• Leading, developing and empowering a large and diverse team.

About you

You'll be a proven transport leader who thrives in a fast-paced operational environment and enjoys balancing strategy with hands-on leadership.

To be successful you'll bring:

• Senior leadership experience within a large-scale transport, logistics or fleet environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing heavy vehicle fleets and workshop operations.
• Strong commercial and financial management capability.
• A track record of leading high-performing teams and driving continuous improvement.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Sound knowledge of Health & Safety, compliance and transport regulations.
• The ability to influence across all levels of an organisation and build strong relationships both internally and externally.

Why Westland?

This is an opportunity to join a business with strong values, iconic brands and ambitious growth plans. You'll have the chance to make a significant impact on a critical part of our operation while leading a talented team through the next phase of development.

At Westland, we're committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive, grow and succeed together.