Category Manager - Private Label

As a Product Manager in our Own Brands team, you will be part of building the most preferred Private Label and Exclusive brands in New Zealand! 

You’ll lead the strategy, performance, and development of a portfolio of Own Brand products—ensuring they deliver value for our customers and our co-operative.

This is a unique opportunity to work closely with regional category teams and supplier partners to shape category strategies, drive growth, and bring innovative, customer-led products to life.

• Managing the full lifecycle of Own Brand products—from concept through to performance optimisation
• Developing and delivering category and brand strategies aligned with customer insights and regional priorities
• Building strong relationships with internal stakeholders and supplier partners
• Leading category reviews and identifying growth opportunities through data and insights (e.g. Nielsen, Dunnhumby)
• Managing supplier performance, contracts, and negotiations
• Driving new product development, renovations, and innovation pipelines
• Monitoring performance metrics including sales, margin, and market share
• Ensuring compliance with food safety, regulatory, and Own Brand standards
• Leading projects and cross-functional initiatives to deliver strategic outcomes

You’re a commercially savvy product or category professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment!  You bring strong commercial acumen and strategic thinking, along with proven experience in product, category, or brand management. Confident and adaptable, you’re comfortable using data and insights to inform decisions and drive performance.

You’re also a strong relationship builder, with excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills that enable you to work effectively across teams and with external partners. With a proactive, results-driven mindset and keen attention to detail, you take ownership of outcomes and consistently look for opportunities to improve and deliver value.

Ideally, you’ll have experience in FMCG, retail, or the food industry, either in New Zealand or internationally. Exposure to grocery retail or private label brands is highly regarded, as is familiarity with tools such as Nielsen or Dunnhumby, and experience working with suppliers and procurement processes.