Supply Chain Manager

Our client, Waimea Group designs and manufactures specialist utility vehicles, trucks and equipment that keep essential infrastructure running for communities across New Zealand and Australia. Alongside the core Waimea brand, they manufacture the Endura range of utility trucks, cranes and toolboxes, and support customers further through rental and servicing. They’re on the verge of a major international growth phase, expanding their sourcing and manufacturing footprint offshore while continuing to scale across New Zealand and Australia. To lead them through it, we're looking for an experienced, commercially astute Supply Chain Manager to bring structure, rigour and pace to their procurement, warehousing and logistics operation. About the role Reporting into the Operations Manager, you'll take full ownership of Waimea's end-to-end supply chain, leading a team covering international and domestic procurement, production, warehousing and logistics. You'll act as the strategic link between Sales, Production, Service, Finance and Logistics, ensuring materials flow efficiently across all Waimea’s business units while improving service levels, protecting margin and controlling cost. This is a hands‑on leadership role in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment. You'll need to be across the detail of procurement, inventory, fabrication and freight, while mentoring and developing a growing team. What you’ll be doing Lead, coach and develop the supply chain team, driving accountability and a high-performance culture Own procurement strategy across international and domestic suppliers Oversee warehouse operations, including receipting, dispatch, stock accuracy and continuous improvement of pick/pack/ship processes Manage domestic and international freight, negotiating best-value rates and service levels Manage external and offshore production and fabrication relationships, supporting an internal tendering model that keeps Waimea’s in house production team competitive Build and maintain supplier quality processes, from onboarding new suppliers through to sign-off and repeat ordering Partner with the Innovation team on sourcing for new product development and R&D projects Support After Sales with parts availability, stock levels and reliable lead times for our customers and service agents Lead monthly demand planning meetings with Sales, Production and Service, and report on inventory accuracy, on-time delivery and cost performance What we’re looking for Extensive, senior-level experience across supply chain, procurement, warehousing and logistics, ideally 15+ years A strong purchasing and procurement background covering both domestic and international suppliers, including hands‑on negotiation experience with overseas suppliers Practical exposure to manufacturing, fabrication or assembly environments, so you can assess supplier quotes and production tenders with confidence Proven leadership of a warehouse or supply chain team, including performance management and team development Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills, balanced with the emotional intelligence to read people and situations and adapt your approach Experience managing inventory, demand forecasting and vendor contracts, ideally using systems such as WorkflowMax, Unleashed or similar The maturity and resilience to hold your ground with key stakeholders, and the pace to get up to speed quickly in a fast-moving business What’s on offer A genuinely broad, senior leadership role at a business entering an exciting international growth phase The autonomy to build and shape the supply chain function, with strong backing from the leadership team A Collaborative work culture where everyone is striving for excellence and innovation Competitive package coupled with the great lifestyle benefits Nelson can provided Please note: You need to be living in New Zealand with either citizenship, residency or a valid New Zealand work Visa to be eligible to apply for this role. #J-18808-Ljbffr