Category Manager – Pantry Staples & Non‑Commodities

Category Manager – Pantry Staples & Non‑Commodities (Secondment ends 2^nd of August)

Ko wai mātou – About us

Kia ora.  We’re Foodies.  You know New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square right? That’s us!  With 300+ stores and over 24,000 Foodies across Te Ika-a-Maui, our North Island Co-op has the privilege of helping New Zealanders get more out of life.  Locally owned, we reflect the communities we serve, and we celebrate our people - our taonga, every day for being uniquely them.   

Te Tūranga – About the role

We’re looking for a Category Manager – Pantry Staples & Non‑Commodities to take ownership of a broad complex portfolio that plays a critical role in everyday value for our customers.

This role spans essential pantry staples and non-commodity grocery ranges, requiring a strong commercial mindset, resilience, and the ability to operate confidently at pace. You’ll work across multiple banners and with a wide supplier base, balancing value, availability, innovation and margin while navigating complex stakeholder relationships.

• End‑to‑end ownership of the Pantry Staples & Non‑Commodities categories, aligned to Co‑op and banner strategies
• Leading category planning, execution and performance across multiple banners
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with major suppliers, stores and senior internal stakeholders
• Developing, negotiating and managing joint business plans with key supplier partners
• Reviewing and optimising pricing, promotions and ranging to maximise customer value and commercial outcomes
• Confidently navigating complex and challenging stakeholder conversations
• Managing high volumes of work through strong prioritisation, time management and resilience
• Leading, coaching and developing a team to foster a high‑performance, inclusive and engaged culture

Ngā painga – What we offer

This role offers a strong opportunity for internal talent to broaden their commercial exposure and build capability at scale within our Merchandise function.

• Ownership of a complex and high‑impact category, critical to everyday customer value
• Exposure to senior leaders, key suppliers and multi‑banner decision‑making
• The opportunity to strengthen strategic category leadership capability, including pricing, supplier negotiations and performance management at scale
• The chance to build a clear progression pathway within Merchandise and the wider Co‑op

He kōrero mōu – About you

You’ll bring strong commercial experience and the credibility to lead complex, high‑volume categories at scale. You’re comfortable influencing at senior levels, known for your resilience and organisation, and able to stay solution‑focused in a fast‑moving environment.

You can adapt your leadership style to suit different audiences and bring others along the journey while maintaining clear commercial focus.

Ideally, you’ll have:

• Experience in grocery retail, FMCG and/or B2B environments is advantageous
• Proven experience managing complex or high-value categories
• A track record of influencing multiple stakeholders and navigating challenging conversations
• Strong commercial capability across pricing, promotions, supplier negotiations and performance management
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including coaching and developing others
• Excellent planning, communication and problem-solving skills

Experience awesome. Achieve awesome. Be awesomely you. 

We’re proud to have a focus on Diversity & Inclusion here at Foodies and welcome courageous behaviour, encourage togetherness, inspire our people to be their best selves in our Foodies whānau. 

If you require accessibility support to ensure you can fairly access our recruitment process, please reach out to  [email protected].  Accessibility support could include, interview location, sign language interpreter, assistive technology. 

Don’t ‘cart’ around – apply now! 

Applications close Tuesday 31^st of March

Category Manager – Pantry Staples & Non‑Commodities (Secondment ends 2^nd of August)

Ko wai mātou – About us

Kia ora.  We’re Foodies.  You know New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square right? That’s us!  With 300+ stores and over 24,000 Foodies across Te Ika-a-Maui, our North Island Co-op has the privilege of helping New Zealanders get more out of life.  Locally owned, we reflect the communities we serve, and we celebrate our people - our taonga, every day for being uniquely them.   

Te Tūranga – About the role

We’re looking for a Category Manager – Pantry Staples & Non‑Commodities to take ownership of a broad complex portfolio that plays a critical role in everyday value for our customers.

This role spans essential pantry staples and non-commodity grocery ranges, requiring a strong commercial mindset, resilience, and the ability to operate confidently at pace. You’ll work across multiple banners and with a wide supplier base, balancing value, availability, innovation and margin while navigating complex stakeholder relationships.

• End‑to‑end ownership of the Pantry Staples & Non‑Commodities categories, aligned to Co‑op and banner strategies
• Leading category planning, execution and performance across multiple banners
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with major suppliers, stores and senior internal stakeholders
• Developing, negotiating and managing joint business plans with key supplier partners
• Reviewing and optimising pricing, promotions and ranging to maximise customer value and commercial outcomes
• Confidently navigating complex and challenging stakeholder conversations
• Managing high volumes of work through strong prioritisation, time management and resilience
• Leading, coaching and developing a team to foster a high‑performance, inclusive and engaged culture

Ngā painga – What we offer

This role offers a strong opportunity for internal talent to broaden their commercial exposure and build capability at scale within our Merchandise function.

• Ownership of a complex and high‑impact category, critical to everyday customer value
• Exposure to senior leaders, key suppliers and multi‑banner decision‑making
• The opportunity to strengthen strategic category leadership capability, including pricing, supplier negotiations and performance management at scale
• The chance to build a clear progression pathway within Merchandise and the wider Co‑op

He kōrero mōu – About you

You’ll bring strong commercial experience and the credibility to lead complex, high‑volume categories at scale. You’re comfortable influencing at senior levels, known for your resilience and organisation, and able to stay solution‑focused in a fast‑moving environment.

You can adapt your leadership style to suit different audiences and bring others along the journey while maintaining clear commercial focus.

Ideally, you’ll have:

• Experience in grocery retail, FMCG and/or B2B environments is advantageous
• Proven experience managing complex or high-value categories
• A track record of influencing multiple stakeholders and navigating challenging conversations
• Strong commercial capability across pricing, promotions, supplier negotiations and performance management
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including coaching and developing others
• Excellent planning, communication and problem-solving skills

Experience awesome. Achieve awesome. Be awesomely you. 

We’re proud to have a focus on Diversity & Inclusion here at Foodies and welcome courageous behaviour, encourage togetherness, inspire our people to be their best selves in our Foodies whānau. 

If you require accessibility support to ensure you can fairly access our recruitment process, please reach out to  [email protected].  Accessibility support could include, interview location, sign language interpreter, assistive technology. 

Don’t ‘cart’ around – apply now! 

Applications close Tuesday 31^st of March