Optimisation and Productivity Lead

18-month fixed-term opportunity during an exciting time of change implementation
Flexible location in the North Island – Lower North Island preferred
Support day-to-day business operations and get involved in new projects
Ko wai mātou – About us
Kia ora. We’re Foodies. You know Gilmours, New World, PAK’nSAVE, and Four Square, right? That’s us!
With more than 320 stores and over 27,000 Foodies across Te Ika-a-Māui, Foodstuffs North Island is a co-operative proudly owned by our Members. Our purpose is simple – making sure New Zealanders get more out of life, and we’re driven by our aspiration to be one of New Zealand’s most customer-driven and productive retailers.
Te Tūranga – About the role
As our Supply Chain Optimisation & Productivity Lead, you’ll work closely with 8 stores across the Gilmours network to identify opportunities, simplify processes and embed best-practice ways of working.
This is not a role where you’ll be improving operations from behind a desk. You’ll spend time with store teams, understanding how work happens in practice, identifying root causes and helping turn operational challenges into practical, sustainable improvements.
Lead the review, design and optimisation of end-to-end supply chain and store operational processes
Establish clear operating standards, routines and accountabilities that can be consistently adopted across stores
Act as the Wholesale subject matter expert for SAP EWM and operational systems
Map and improve processes across goods receipt, storage, replenishment, picking, dispatch, customer service, sales support and post-sale activity
Partner with store leadership teams to understand operational challenges and develop fit-for-purpose solutions
Support the rollout and adoption of new systems, tools, features and business processes
Create practical process documentation, training resources and simple frontline guides
Use operational KPIs, dashboards and insights to identify bottlenecks, prioritise activity and measure impact
Work across DNA, IT, Customer, Supply Chain, Finance and store teams to develop scalable improvements
Lead and contribute to transformation and productivity initiatives that improve cost-to-serve, labour productivity, inventory accuracy, service execution and customer experience
He kōrero mōu – About you
You’re an experienced supply chain or operational improvement specialist who knows how to balance processes, systems and data with the realities of a busy store or warehouse environment.
Strong supply chain, warehouse, logistics or store operations experience, ideally gained within wholesale, FMCG, retail or another complex multi-site environment
Deep working knowledge of SAP EWM or a similar ERP warehouse management system
Proven experience delivering process improvement, operational excellence, transformation or change initiatives
Strong process mapping, root-cause analysis and problem-solving capability
The ability to simplify complex operational challenges and develop practical solutions
Excellent stakeholder engagement, coaching and influencing skills
Confidence building trust and credibility with store teams, owner-operators and senior leaders
A willingness to work alongside stores to observe, test, refine and embed improvements in live environments
Strong data literacy, including using reports, dashboards and performance measures to guide decisions
Commercial understanding of how productivity, inventory accuracy, cost-to-serve and service execution influence customer experience, margin and growth
Clear communication skills, with the ability to translate technical or operational concepts for different audiences
Most importantly, you’ll be curious, collaborative and resilient, with a practical mindset and a genuine commitment to helping teams adopt new ways of working that stick
Ngā painga - What we offer
We’re committed to providing awesome experiences for our people, including offering a range of benefits
Free carparking - we’ve got over 1,000 carparks including EV plugs
Onsite café with subsidised meals, mini mart, 5% discount at our retail stores
Flexible working options, a day off on your birthday, lots of fun on site activities
Inhouse learning and development

Employment type
Fixed Term Contract

Work arrangement
Hybrid