Sales Manager

Role overview

This Hamilton-based Sales Manager position in New Zealand is focused on building profitable, long-term growth with the local customer base. The role combines account ownership with business development, requiring someone who can shape strategy, strengthen existing partnerships, and create new commercial opportunities in the NZ market.

You will work closely with colleagues across sales, marketing, supply chain, leadership, processing, and services to deliver customer plans that generate immediate results while also creating a healthy future pipeline. Because many customers operate internationally, the role brings exposure to export-focused business. A solid understanding of sustainability and evolving regulatory expectations will be important, and support will be available to help customers navigate those changes.

Based in Hamilton, this position sits within a highly collaborative matrix structure where influence, communication, and coordination are essential. Around 25% of your time will involve travel.

Key duties

• Develop trusted, long-term relationships with major New Zealand manufacturing customers serving both local and international markets.
• Work across a complex matrix environment and coordinate smoothly with sales, marketing, supply chain, and leadership teams.
• Turn customer insights into practical solutions that create value for both the customer and the business.
• Create and deliver joint business plans that balance near-term performance with long-range growth.
• Lead negotiations and help shape outcomes with key stakeholders and decision-makers.
• Partner with Marketing to track market movements, customer performance, and emerging risks or opportunities.
• Shape and deliver the NZ business development strategy in line with the Oceania growth roadmap and the Australian business development team.
• Organise and prioritise work effectively to ensure the highest-impact activities receive attention first.
• Support customers’ growth needs by matching them with suitable portfolio solutions.
• Align on shared objectives and commercial targets with customers, while ensuring the support team reinforces the value proposition.
• Build proposals with internal teams that quantify benefits for both the customer and the company.
• Balance immediate commercial goals with future opportunity development, including ROI-based business cases.
• Identify portfolio gaps with Marketing and contribute input to customers’ product and packaging innovation plans.
• Connect customers with co-manufacturers when helpful for faster market entry.
• Work with Processing and Services Account Managers on integrated account plans and turnkey customer solutions where relevant.
• Improve customer satisfaction and partnership outcomes through the global process, including follow-up on feedback actions and issue resolution.
• Maintain accurate sales forecasts and support accounts receivable expectations for assigned accounts.
• Coordinate account activity across functions, support team capability growth, share best practices, and encourage continuous improvement; this role leads initiatives but does not include direct people management.

Candidate profile

The ideal candidate is a confident communicator with commercial instincts, a strategic mindset, and a strong customer focus. You should enjoy working in fast-moving, collaborative environments and be comfortable influencing across all levels of an organisation. A proactive, growth-oriented approach is important for both existing business and new opportunities.

Requirements

• Relevant experience in sales and/or marketing, ideally within FMCG, with dairy or grocery experience preferred.
• Proven ability to perform well in a matrix organisation.
• Strong stakeholder management and clear communication skills.
• Strategic thinking supported by sound commercial judgement.
• Experience balancing short-term delivery with longer-term growth planning.
• Confidence in presenting, negotiating, and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Ability to handle challenging stakeholders constructively while working seamlessly across functions.
• Practical capability in value selling and account management.
• Fluency in spoken and written English; Mandarin is an advantage.
• Knowledge of, or exposure to, export markets in South East Asia and China is a bonus.

Benefits

• Varied and engaging work with strong opportunities for learning, development, and training in a global environment.
• A culture that encourages innovation and visible business impact.
• An inclusive, equal-opportunity workplace that values diversity.
• Competitive pay and benefits, plus flexible working arrangements.

Additional information

This position is based in Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand. It is a full-time onsite role with no direct people management responsibility. The role requires approximately 25% travel. The posting is scheduled to close on 9 July 2026.

About the employer

The organisation is committed to protecting what is good for food, people, and the planet. It also places strong emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion, aiming to create a workplace where people can belong, develop, and succeed.