Category Manager - Private Label

About the Company

Foodstuffs Own Brands Limited is a New Zealand-owned and operated business, jointly owned by the two Foodstuffs regional co-operatives. The company develops, sources, and oversees quality control for private label products, including the well-known Pams range. What began with a small selection of baking and custard powder has grown into a portfolio of more than 3,000 products across baking, butchery, fresh produce, and grocery.

About the Role

This position sits within the Own Brands team and focuses on shaping the future of private label and exclusive brands in New Zealand. You will own the strategy, market performance, and ongoing development of a portfolio of Own Brand products, with the goal of creating strong value for customers and the wider co-operative.

The role works closely with regional category teams and supplier partners to define category direction, accelerate growth, and develop customer-led product innovation.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the end-to-end journey of Own Brand products, from initial concept through to ongoing performance improvement.
• Create and execute category and brand plans that reflect customer understanding and regional business priorities.
• Develop productive working relationships with internal teams and external suppliers.
• Run category reviews and uncover growth opportunities using market and shopper data such as Nielsen and Dunnhumby.
• Manage supplier performance, commercial agreements, and negotiation processes.
• Support new product development, product refreshes, and innovation pipelines.
• Track and interpret results across sales, margin, and market share.
• Ensure products meet food safety, regulatory, and Own Brand standards.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives and projects that contribute to strategic business goals.

About You

You are a commercially minded product or category professional who performs well in a dynamic, fast-moving environment. You bring strong business judgement, strategic thinking, and hands-on experience in product, category, or brand management.

You are comfortable working with data and insights to guide decisions and improve outcomes. You also have strong relationship-building ability, stakeholder management skills, and the confidence to influence both internal colleagues and external partners.

A proactive, detail-oriented approach and a strong focus on results are essential. Experience in FMCG, retail, or the food sector is preferred, whether in New Zealand or overseas. Exposure to grocery retail or private label brands is an advantage, along with familiarity with tools such as Nielsen or Dunnhumby and experience dealing with suppliers and procurement.

Benefits

• Complimentary parking, with more than 1,000 car parks available, including EV charging.
• Southern Cross health plans for you and your family.
• Onsite café with subsidised food, a mini mart, and a 5% discount at retail stores.
• Flexible work arrangements, a birthday day off, and regular onsite social activities.
• Internal learning and development programmes and courses, flu vaccinations, and social groups known as Tribes.

Diversity and Inclusion

Foodstuffs places a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion, and welcomes people from varied backgrounds, including those with disabilities, additional health or mental health needs, and neurodiversity.

If you need accessibility support to take part in the recruitment process, assistance can be arranged for items such as interview location support, a sign language interpreter, or assistive technology.

Hiring Process Notice

The employer may use artificial intelligence tools during parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, assessing responses, analysing CVs, or identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals. These tools support the recruitment team but do not replace human judgement. Final hiring decisions are made by people. For more information about data processing, applicants may contact the employer directly.