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Please Quote Reference Number 11488

• Are you an experienced leader with a strong operational background?
• Are you passionate about building and leading a high performing team culture?
• Can you lead strategic vision translated it into operational plans and results?

We're seeking a dynamic and strategic Head of Awa Nursery to lead the business in its next stage of growth and transformation.

About Us

Awa Nursery, located in Waimuaku, has over 9 Hectares of plant production space and is key to our growth plans across our wider Kings Plant Barn business.

Wholesaling direct to the public and other businesses, we have been servicing gardeners, garden maintenance crews and the landscape industry for over 20 years and more recently supporting internal supply chain to our Kings Plant Barn retail stores.

With the recent consolidation of our two South Auckland nurseries into Awa the vision is to continuously expand, increase productivity and efficiencies whilst maintaining strong ties to our long term customers and local communities.

The Role

We are seeking a highly skilled operator to lead Awa with a strong focus on people leadership, operational and financial management and driving transformational change. As the Head of Awa, you will drive business performance and lead the execution of long term strategic goals but you'll also be expected to roll up your sleeves and get stuck into operations. You will play an integral role in ensuring that Awa thrives both financially and operationally whilst fostering relationships.

The role oversees and leads a multi-faceted operation inclusive of plant production, retail store and B2B sales. You will be accountable for commercial results of Awa Nursery, leading the strategic direction and ensuring high performance, where the values are embedded in the workforce and there is accountability at all levels and lead a positive culture of safety, health and wellbeing.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and drive transformative change through the implementation of robust systems and processes to enable future growth.
• Lead and mentor the Awa Team focusing on driving a culture of transparency, openness and accountability whilst empowering achievement of KPIS and organisational goals.
• Oversee operational and commercial management and strategic planning to drive business growth actively seeking new opportunities and areas for improvement and increased productivity.
• Collaboration with CEO and other key stakeholders to support and execute long term strategic goals.
• Foster relationships with key customers and new business opportunities through excellent relationship management and customer experience.

About You:

• Proven experience in operational leadership, commercial and financial management.
• Leadership - A passion for motivating and empowering others to achieve goals, build trust as an inspiring leader, and mentor senior team members to enhance their responsibilities and credibility.
• Strategic Competency - You have the ability to develop and implement strategic initiatives, manage change effectively, and align operational actions with broader organisational goals.
• Customer & Relationship Focused - You are a strong communicator with interpersonal skills that enable you to build relationships with key customers. You are able to overcome challenges and represent the business as a trusted advocate.
• Financial Acumen - in-depth understanding of key performance drivers, including sales, margin, labour costs, and operating expenses, along with the ability to drive EBITDA results and align initiatives with financial goals.
• Values & Behaviour - you thrive on demonstrating resilience and purposefulness, making well-considered and rational decisions to uphold excellence through honesty, integrity, and ethical practices.
• Industry Knowledge - expertise in B2B sales management and leadership, alongside skills in production, manufacturing, and logistics planning, with a focus on strategic sales growth, driving cultural change, and operations management in a multifaceted environment.

Whilst experience leading a nursery is advantageous, we also welcome candidates with leadership backgrounds in production, manufacturing, or logistics planning. If you have successfully led operations in a complex environment - driving operational efficiency while fostering sales growth - we'd love to hear from you.

Swipe right to apply with an up to date CV and Cover Letter.

Please Quote Reference Number 11488