Procurement Manager

Imagine travelling to cocoa farms in West Africa, meeting directly with farming cooperatives, negotiating with suppliers across Southeast Asia and South America, and helping shape the future of one of New Zealand's most loved brands. Whittaker's is proudly family-owned, internationally recognised, and committed to doing business the right way. Their direct relationships with growers mean procurement sits at the heart of commercial decision-making and sustainability

One of the standout features of this opportunity is the long-term career potential. As the business continues to grow both in New Zealand and internationally, you'll have the opportunity to broaden your leadership responsibilities and influence the future direction of the procurement function.

What you'll be doing

Reporting to the Chief Supply Chain Officer, you'll lead the procurement function while balancing strategic sourcing with operational excellence.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Developing and executing global sourcing strategies across key raw material categories.
• Leading commercial negotiations with international suppliers and manufacturers.
• Building long-term supplier partnerships and driving supplier performance.
• Travelling internationally to visit suppliers, farming communities and manufacturing partners.
• Supporting the Quality team with supplier audits and supplier assurance activities.
• Monitoring global commodity markets and identifying commercial opportunities and supply risks.
• Leading procurement reporting, insights and recommendations for the Executive Leadership Team and Board.
• Managing procurement governance, ERP data integrity and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Leading and developing the procurement team while fostering strong cross-functional relationships across Planning, Manufacturing, Finance, Quality and NPD.

About you

We're looking for a commercially astute procurement leader who enjoys building relationships, solving complex supply challenges and influencing business outcomes.

You'll bring:

• Proven procurement leadership experience within manufacturing, FMCG or a similarly complex environment.
• Strong strategic sourcing and category management capability.
• Exceptional commercial negotiation and supplier relationship management skills.
• Experience managing global suppliers and complex supply chains.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to balance long-term strategy and operational delivery.
• Experience presenting procurement insights and recommendations to senior executives.
• Experience with ethical sourcing, supplier risk management and ESG, with particular knowledge of Modern Slavery legislation and responsible sourcing practices.
• Experience using ERP systems to manage procurement activities, with Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) highly regarded.
• A collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence across all levels of the business.

If you're ready to take your procurement career to a truly global level while working for one of New Zealand's most iconic companies, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now or call Serena Daysh on 022 184 2126 / serena.daysh@robertwalters.co.nz

Robert Walters endeavours to review all applications in a maximum of five working days. If you have not received correspondence within this timeframe please do not hesitate to contact Serena Daysh on +6444719734