People Systems Team Lead

 Ko wai mātou – About us    

Kia ora.  We’re Foodies.  You know New World, PAK’nSAVE, Gilmours and Four Square right? That’s us!

With more than 320 stores and over 27,000 Foodies across Te Ika-a-Māui, Foodstuffs North Island is a co-operative proudly owned by our Members. Our purpose is simple – making sure New Zealanders get more out of life, and we’re driven by our aspiration to be one of New Zealand’s most customer-driven and productive retailers.

At Foodies, our people are at the centre of everything we do. Our People & Capability team is focused on creating modern, data-driven experiences that support our people, leaders and customers. The People Systems function plays a critical role in making that happen.

Te Tūranga – About the role  

The Employee Experience (EEx) Programme is our co-op-wide reset of how our people and payroll experience works; simpler, smarter, and designed for the moments that matter. We're modernising systems and streamlining processes so it's easier for our teams across stores, Distribution Centres and Support Centre to get stuff done and focus on customers.

We're looking for a People Systems Team Lead who is passionate about people, technology systems and leadership. You'll provide strategic and operational leadership across our HR technology landscape, leading a team of specialists while driving governance, prioritisation and continuous improvement.

Reporting to the Head of People Systems, you'll partner closely with IT, Product and programme teams to shape the future HR technology roadmap and deliver meaningful business outcomes. This is an opportunity to lead during a significant period of transformation. You'll shape how more than 27,000 Foodies interact with people technology, build capability within a specialist team and help embed smarter ways of working across the co-op.

In this role, you will:

• Lead and develop a team of People Systems Product specialists, providing leadership, , prioritisation and capability uplift.
• Partner with IT, Product and programme teams to shape the People Systems roadmap and support successful delivery outcomes.
• Lead governance, prioritisation and continuous improvement across our people systems landscape.
• Champion opportunities to leverage AI, automation and digital tools to improve employee and leader experiences.
• Act as a trusted advisor to stakeholders across Support Centre, Supply Chain and store operations, balancing business needs with sustainable technology solutions

He kōrero mōu - About you  

You're a people-first leader who enjoys solving complex problems and creating clarity in evolving environments. You build trusted relationships across the business and bring together diverse perspectives to deliver practical, sustainable outcomes.

You're naturally curious, ask great questions and enjoy understanding how things work. You balance big-picture thinking with practical delivery, empowering your team to succeed while remaining connected to the detail when needed.

You'll likely bring:

• Proven experience leading and developing People Systems, HRIS or business systems teams.
• Strong expertise working with enterprise platforms, ideally SAP SuccessFactors.
• Experience coaching and developing specialist team members.
• Strong understanding of HR, payroll and people processes.
• The ability to influence stakeholders and work effectively across complex organisations.
• Confidence partnering with both business and technical teams to translate needs into practical solutions.
• A continuous improvement mindset, with an interest in technology, automation and emerging digital capabilities.
• Strong communication, prioritisation and decision-making skills.
• A passion for leveraging systems and processes to improve employee and business outcomes.

You'll join a team that's focused on improving how our people experience work every day. This role offers the opportunity to lead a talented team, influence how people systems evolve across Foodies and work closely with stakeholders across People & Capability, Technology and the wider business.

If you're someone who puts people at the heart of what you do, enjoys connecting teams, and is excited by the opportunity to simplify complexity and create meaningful change, we'd love to hear from you.

We’re interested in your diverse experiences, your strengths, and how adaptable you are to learn and grow. If you don’t meet every requirement, but feel this role could be for you, we’d still love to hear from you.

Ngā painga - What we offer   

We’re committed to providing awesome experiences for our people, including offering a range of benefits:

• Free carparking - we’ve got over 1,000 carparks including EV plugs
• Southern cross health insurance
• Onsite café with subsidised meals, mini mart, 5% discount at our retail stores
• Flexible working options, a day off on your birthday, long service leave
• Inhouse learning and development programmes and courses, flu vaccinations, and social network groups (we call them Tribes).

 Experience awesome. Achieve awesome. Be awesomely you. 

We’re proud to have a focus on Diversity & Inclusion here at Foodies and welcome courageous behaviour, encourage togetherness, inspire our people to be their best selves in our Foodies whānau. 

We encourage you to apply with all your awesomeness and welcome your diverse background, including any disability, additional health and mental health needs, and/or neurodiversity. 

If you require accessibility support to ensure you can fairly access our recruitment process, please reach out to  Recruitment.Foodstuffs@foodstuffs.co.nz.  Accessibility support could include, interview location, sign language interpreter, assistive technology. 

Are you ready to be part of our bunch – apply now!