Fonterra

We are Fonterra, one of the world's largest dairy nutrition companies. Here in Australia, we collect milk from Aussie Farmers across Victoria and Tasmania, and our manufacturing sites turn this into the dairy foods you know and love in our supermarkets, including Perfect Italiano™, Mainland™, Western Star™, and Bega™. We also sell dairy ingredients to many of the world's leading food companies and partner with food services businesses across the country to get dairy foods into chefs' hands.

As a Co-operative created and owned by New Zealand dairy farmers, our collaboration, innovation, and passion have enabled us to share the goodness of our dairy with the world. We're committed to caring for the land, our animals, and every drop of milk, producing nutritious food with safe, quality ingredients loved here in Australia and around the world. 

As part of the Fonterra Co-op, you'll be solving for a better future alongside a team connected by solid values as we strive to be a leader in dairy sustainability, dairy innovation and science, with a focus on New Zealand milk.  

When you join Fonterra, you'll open yourself to a career of opportunities where you can grow with us by developing your skills, sharing your knowledge, and exploring diverse career paths that ignite your passions. 

About us

Our Australian logistics team ensures our dairy products reach customers in top condition—on time and in full. Operating in a fast-paced, high-volume environment, we manage national transport, warehouse operations, and import/export planning. With a strong focus on performance, quality, and continuous improvement, we play a vital role in delivering the goodness of dairy across Australia and beyond.

About the Opportunity

We’re looking for an experienced Logistics & 3PL Planning Manager to lead the daily planning and execution of our national transport and warehouse operations across Australia.

Reporting to the National Logistics & Distribution Manager, this role leads a high performing team of four and plays a critical part in ensuring the accurate and timely delivery of customer orders, while maintaining high standards in warehouse accuracy and DIFOT performance.

You’ll oversee import/export planning & execution, manage relationships with third-party logistics providers, and drive continuous improvement across our supply chain operations.

Your commercial acumen and data driven insights will ensure that our service performance remains world class, our costs are managed, and our ways of working are continually reviewed and optimised, providing a competitive advantage. Key Responsibilities include:

• Lead 3PL Relationships & service management: Build collaborative partnerships with third-party logistics and transport providers, ensuring compliance with KPIs and service excellence.
• Warehouse Operations: Oversee daily warehouse performance across national network, ensuring timely unloading of imports and packing of exports to meet customer and production needs, load planning & scheduling, pick & packing activities & workload prioritisation
• Transport Planning: Manage transport flows from factory to DC and DC to customer, optimising cost and performance across the national network.
• Team Leadership: Inspire and develop your team, aligning with Fonterra’s values and strategic direction, and building capability through coaching and performance management. Lead and influence internal stakeholders, emphasising cross functional engagement.
• Health & Safety: Ensure compliance with HSSE policies and transport regulations, promoting a safe and healthy work environment.
• Customer Focus: Drive a culture of service excellence, reduce complaints, and continuously improve customer satisfaction. Manage DIFOT and service quality.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure compliance with food safety, and regulatory standards, manage audits, and maintain quality management systems.
• Internal Stakeholder Management: Collaborate proactively with internal stakeholders across supply chain, manufacturing, commercial, and customer service teams. Build strong cross-functional relationships to align operational priorities, share insights, and drive continuous improvement initiatives

About You

You have a solid background in 3PL contract management and operational execution, with hands-on experience leading logistics networks and improving service delivery across transport and warehousing. We’re looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• 5+ years’ experience in 3PL operations and contract management, including managing service level agreements and performance metrics
• Strong working knowledge of transport and warehouse operations, including planning, scheduling, and exception management
• Proven ability to manage and influence external logistics providers to meet KPIs and drive continuous improvement
• Experience in cost optimisation, network efficiency, and budget accountability
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally across supply chain, manufacturing, and commercial teams
• Leadership experience with diverse teams, including coaching, development, and performance management
• Familiarity with import/export logistics, regulatory compliance, and food safety standards
• Tertiary qualification in Supply Chain, Logistics, or Business Management

Are you excited about this opportunity but may only meet some requirements?  

At Fonterra, we are committed to building a diverse workplace and, therefore, open to looking at applicants with excellent transferable skills. If that's you, we encourage you to apply as you may be the right candidate for this role or one of our other opportunities. 

Or join our Talent Community by clicking here, to be notified about new and relevant job opportunities. 

The benefits of life at Fonterra

Our people and what they bring to our Co-op shape our success. We have a collaborative culture, inspiring leaders, and passionate people, making Fonterra a great place to work. We also offer competitive remuneration and a range of benefits, regardless of your role or location. 

Fonterra is a place where everyone can be themselves, feel empowered to do their best, and are empowered to create goodness for generations.  

Sound good to you? Come and join us, and let's solve for better, together. You, me, us together.