National Manager – Purchasing and Inventory

Company Overview

NZ Safety Blackwoods, part of Wesfarmers Industrial and Safety, ranks among New Zealand's foremost suppliers of industrial, safety, and engineering goods. Its extensive distribution and trade network serves customers nationwide. The company is entering an important phase of modernization, focusing on advanced technology adoption and distribution consolidation to foster future growth. The organisation prioritizes supporting its staff, developing capabilities, and cultivating a high-performance culture within its supply chain division.

Role Summary

Reporting directly to the Head of Operations, your role is to lead and transform the purchasing and inventory departments. This involves setting strategic priorities for procurement, stock replenishment, and logistics throughout the company. You will oversee a team of more than 20 individuals across areas including inventory operations, projects, purchasing, and planning. You will be accountable for managing up to $50 million in inventory and ensuring stock availability that supports customer delivery performance.

This position encompasses a broad scope, including strategic planning, team leadership, system implementation, and commercial performance. Beyond standard supply chain duties and managing personnel, you will spearhead the deployment and integration of a new advanced planning system to enhance forecasting and stock control across the network. This opportunity calls for a proactive and experienced supply chain leader ready to improve capabilities, upgrade systems and processes, and elevate the function's overall effectiveness.

Primary Responsibilities

• Define and implement strategic initiatives across planning, procurement, inventory management, replenishment, and logistics.
• Lead the implementation and adoption of the advanced planning system (APS) to enhance forecasting accuracy and stock availability.
• Facilitate the ongoing transition to the centralized Drury distribution centre.
• Build and mentor high-performing teams within inventory and purchasing divisions.
• Drive enhancements in processes and systems to decrease manual workload, improve productivity, reduce costs, and improve service quality.
• Develop and nurture strategic supplier partnerships to increase reliability, responsiveness, and shorten lead times.
• Own and manage key performance indicators related to stock availability, delivery reliability, inventory valuation, and working capital efficiency.
• Manage inventory budgets, purchasing expenditures, and maintain auditable controls.

Required Skills and Experience

• A minimum of five years' senior leadership experience in inventory, procurement, and supply chain management.
• Proven ability to lead large teams and manage cross-functional projects effectively.
• Experience in deploying new technologies and systems, particularly advanced planning systems or similar tools.
• Strong commercial insight paired with strategic planning skills to prioritize initiatives and set direction.
• Track record as a change agent capable of transforming processes, infrastructures, and workplace culture.
• Superior communication and stakeholder engagement skills across varied internal and external audiences.
• A customer-focused approach with a strong drive for measurable results.
• Secondary qualifications are essential, and higher education in relevant fields is preferred.

About You

You are a strategic and commercially savvy supply chain leader who thrives on transformational challenges rather than business-as-usual maintenance. You combine a big-picture mindset with keen attention to detail, driving teams to execute effectively. You excel at steering large teams through significant change, setting clear goals, holding people accountable, and enhancing capabilities. You are experienced in leading major systems and network changes simultaneously, adept at aligning broad stakeholder groups and achieving consensus.

Benefits and Opportunities

• This role offers the chance to lead and redefine a national supply chain function in a well-established New Zealand company committed to investing in its future.
• You will have responsibility for strategy, teams, systems, and commercial outcomes, with a clear mandate to modernize operations supported by organizational investment in technology and talent development.
• This senior leadership position is based in Auckland with onsite parking available.
• The company maintains a strong, high-performance culture and provides genuine opportunities for career growth.