Category Lead - Culinary - Auckland - 15107 - Fonterra

General Information

Date Published

20-Mar-2026

Advertising Ends

06-Apr-2026

ID#

15107

Role Type

Marketing & Comms

Work Type

Permanent Full-Time

Workplace Type

Hybrid

Country

New Zealand

Location

Auckland

Position Description

Iconic dairy brands, exciting dairy future!

Mainland Dairy is entering a bold, new chapter. Evolving from our roots with Fonterra, we are set to become a division of the Lactalis Group, the world’s largest dairy company known for its firm belief in the future of dairy and rapid, consumer-driven growth.

We’re looking for highly skilled and knowledgeable people who are energised by the opportunity, a change that is projected for the first quarter of 2026 (pending sale completion) but starting as soon as the right person is identified and available.

At Mainland Dairy, we believe that from Goodness comes Greatness, and we’re excited by our future. Come join us and help shape a consumer-focused future to be proud of.

About the Opportunity

Reporting to the Category Manager – Cultured, you will immerse yourself in understanding the dynamics of the Cultured market, leveraging your expertise to shape the future of Fonterra’s Culinary and Yoghurt portfolio. This role is all about driving insights that deliver growth, enhancing our market leadership, and helping our iconic brands stand out on the shelf. In addition to this you will:

Be the go-to expert for the Culinary category, turning data into actionable insights
Lead category reviews for a defined portfolio, delivering compelling recommendations that influence our customers and internal stakeholders
Execute pricing, promotions, shelf layouts, and range optimization strategies to ensure growth and market leadership
Collaborate on exciting new product developments across the Cultured portfolio, and provide critical category inputs
Drive results through clear, impactful category selling stories and regular review meetings.
Provide Category support to the broader Cultured team, contributing to Project Based work within the Cultured Category
Support formulating growth assumptions to deliver to our 3-year plan for the Cultured Category
Lead monthly Category Review Meetings for the Culinary Category, to deliver actionable outcomes

About You

You are passionate about all things Cultured, thrive on data-driven decision-making, leverage insights to create category stories and are ready to lead a category to success. Your commercial acumen, communication skills and inquisitive mind set you apart, and you’re motivated by opportunities to make an impact.

Your familiarity and understanding of the FMCG market will help you understand the realities of our customers and stores. In addition to this you will have:

Proven experience in category management, FMCG, or a related field
Experience using data platforms like Nielsen, Dunnhumby or Quantium will be beneficial
Strong communication skills and the ability to influence across diverse stakeholders
The ability to manage projects, take initiative and deliver results in a fast-paced environment
A collaborative mindset with a focus on achieving business goals within a cross-functional team

Be Part of Dairy’s Future

Great people continue to power this business forward. Our people thrive within a positive working environment, a collaborative and caring culture and leadership that continues to inspire.

Located on Fanshawe St in Auckland’s CBD, our office is home to New Zealand headquarters and central support functions. Overlooking Victoria Park, our modern and activity-based layout brings together leadership, corporate, sales and export teams, enabling collaboration across our business.

We believe in you bringing your best and most authentic self to work and we want you to succeed in a way that allows you to win, in every aspect of your life. We strongly encourage applications from First Nations people, as well as individuals of diverse cultural and social backgrounds. Our team is dedicated to supporting your professional development and personal wellbeing.

We look forward to the possibility of you joining our inclusive team.

Let’s make this your best move yet. Apply now!

Please note that applicants must have full working rights for New Zealand to be considered.

We are politely declining recruitment agency support and approaches for this role.

Fonterra Home Page

Fonterra Home Page

Category Lead - Culinary

General Information

Position Description