Director People & Culture - Operations

Ata whakaarohia tō āpōpō | Imagine Tomorrow with UsAt Fonterra, we want everyone to feel they can be themselves.

Whether you're early in your career or ready for your next step, Fonterra offers a unique opportunity to grow with a global dairy co-operative that values care, collaboration, and contribution.

Owned by New Zealand dairy farmers and supported by a dedicated team, we are all working together to create a better future. Imagine tomorrow with us, where your career can grow, and you can create positive change.Mō tēnei tūranga |

About the opportunity

At Fonterra, our ambition is bold: to be the world’s most valued source of dairy. To realise this, our strategic choice, "Invest in operations for the future", focuses on building a globally competitive, efficient, and adaptable manufacturing and supply chain network.

As Director People and Culture Operations, you’ll lead the people strategy for our 8,400-strong Operations workforce across manufacturing, global supply chain, engineering & technical excellence, and global safety, quality, and regulatory functions, in Aotearoa.

This executive role sits on both the Chief Operating Officer and Group People & Culture leadership teams. You’ll help shape the evolution of our Co-op, drive technical capability, lead global succession planning, and create high-trust, collaborative employment relations in a multi-union environment.

Grounded in care and collaboration, you’ll deliver transformational solutions that ensure the right skills are in the right place at the right time, accelerating leadership development, cultural alignment, and performance across diverse, distributed teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic People Leadership: Align workforce capability, culture, and transformation with our operational vision.
• Leadership Development & Talent Excellence: Build future-ready talent pipelines and embed technical excellence.
• Stakeholder & Union Engagement: Lead complex stakeholder relationships and develop CEA bargaining strategies.
• Workforce Transformation & Diversity: Drive capability uplift and create resilient, diverse talent pools.
• Enterprise HR Alignment: Contribute to succession, engagement, and performance initiatives across the Co-op.
• Team Leadership: Lead senior HR practitioners across Aotearoa with clarity, coaching, and a focus on capability development.Mōu |

About You

You’re a strategic, values-led leader with deep HR expertise and commercial acumen. You bring experience from complex, global manufacturing environments where people, performance, and purpose intersect.

You’ve led transformation, partnered with executives, and delivered measurable outcomes. You’re known for your inclusive leadership, ability to navigate complexity, and commitment to building high-performing, purpose-driven teams.

Ngā Uara |

Our Values

We live our values every day—Good Together, Better Every Day, and Every Drop Counts. They are for everyone and guide how we show up for each other, our farmers, and our communities. Take our Values Quiz to reflect on how your values align with ours. Click [1] here.

Tā mātou oati | Our Commitment to You We’re committed to helping you grow, empowering you to be your best self, and encouraging you to contribute and learn. You’ll find support through: Career development and mentoring Work-life balance options (flexible/hybrid working where possible) Recognition and internal mobility pathways A safe, inclusive environment where you can thrive Tātou Tātou |

Join Us

Does this sound good to you? Come join our whānau - bring your whole self, and let's solve for better together.

You, me, us together, Tātou, tātou. If you face accessibility issues or need reasonable accommodations during the process, please contact your recruiter. We ensure fair participation, allowing you to be at your best. Tātou, tātou.

ReferencesVisible links1. https://values.fonterra.com/?utm_source=internal+job+ad&utm_medium=job+ad&utm_campaign=imagine+tomorrow&utm_term=&utm_content=values