Wholesale Butchery - Lead Buyer

About the role:

As a Wholesale Butchery – Lead Buyer you’ll take ownership of the Fresh Butchery buying portfolio, ensuring product is in full supply, within specification and delivering against agreed financial and operational KPI’s. You’ll work closely with suppliers, processors, distribution centres and internal teams to ensure a resilient and responsive supply chain.

You’ll play a key role in shaping the performance of the category including balancing costs, quality, service levels and compliance. You will take the lead on identifying opportunities to improve how we buy, range and supply product across the cooperative.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead the strategic sourcing and procurement of Butchery products, ensuring reliable cost-effective supply.
• Build and maintain strong ethical relationships with our suppliers, processors and distributors to deliver consistent service levels.
• Own and manage the butcher product portfolio ensuring full supply, specification compliance and delivery against DC KPI’s
• Delivery agreed profitability and financial KPI’s for the butchery merchandise cost centre

About you:

You’ll be a commercially savvy buyer with strong experience in the meat industry or closely related sector. You’re confident negotiating, comfortable working with data and motivated by delivering results that benefit both FSSI and our member stores.  Ideally you will also bring:

• Strong financial and commercial acumen, with a clear understanding of end-to-end buying financials
• Proven negotiation and influencing skills, with the ability to secure mutually beneficial outcomes.
• Excellent stakeholder relationship management skills and a personable professional approach.
• Confidence using Microsoft tools (Excel, Outlook, SharePoint) and working across procurement systems.

Don't Meet Every Requirement?

We encourage you to apply anyway. We are looking for individuals with diverse experiences and are keen to hear from those who believe they have the drive and potential to succeed in this role.

How to apply:

Ready to take on the challenge? We'd love to hear from you – apply now. If you have any questions, please reach out to our recruitment team at careers@foodstuffs-si.co.nz.

Applications close 12 Febuary 2026. 

Why join us?

• Our approach to flexible working is based on trusting and empowering our people to manage their time and deliver results while balancing the needs of their personal lives.
• We’re committed to equitable outcomes, and we offer additional paid parental leave, free period products and financial health checks to name a few.
• We support your wellbeing with Southern Cross health insurance for you and your family after a qualifying period, discounts at local gyms, access to online wellbeing tools, and a prayer and privacy room onsite.
• You can access Enhanced leave; Lifestyle leave and sick leave from day one of joining the Foodies team.
• We offer continuous learning and professional growth, as well as access to our extensive online training library and endless opportunities.
• We’re proud of our supportive team environment, and our positive and friendly culture that’s made fun by Furry Friend Fridays and monthly social events!
• Our Papanui based office has free carparking, an in-house café.

About us:

We’re a team of 14,000 who make sure South Islanders have access to the groceries and essentials they need. Proudly 100% Kiwi-owned and operated, our co-operative has more than 200 PAK’nSAVE, New World, Four Square and On the Spot stores feeding the South Island.

We value being at the heart of our communities, like we’ve always been, to make the South Island a better place – for today and for many generations to come. From sunny Golden Bay all the way to Stewart Island, there’s a Foodstuffs store serving you and your whānau.

Our success is down to our people who bring their skills, experience, passion, and expertise to make Foodies an amazing and rewarding place to work. Our co-op has a wide variety of roles to offer, and endless opportunities for development.

Our values:

At Foodies, together we drive success to be our best and care for our whānau. We recognise that it takes a collective effort to achieve success, and we thrive on fostering a culture of collaboration to drive innovation and embracing challenges as a united team. We are committed to supporting our people, and to positively impact the lives of South Islanders every day.