Grower Service Centre Lead

Kō wai mātou? Who are we?

Zespri is more than simply the world’s single-largest marketer of kiwifruit. We like to think of ourselves as fruit on a mission and as rebels with a cause: to help people, communities and the environment around the world thrive through the goodness of kiwifruit. We are proudly the world’s largest marketer of kiwifruit, selling kiwifruit in more than 50 countries. We work with around 2,800 New Zealand and 1,500 international growers and post-harvest companies to source the best-quality Zespri Kiwifruit which we supply through our distribution partners to wholesale and retail customers. We are one of New Zealand’s best-known international brands, dedicated to creating sustainable long-term value for growers.  

He aha te mahi? What's the role?

As Grower Service Centre Lead, you’ll lead Zespri’s Grower Service Centre — the first point of contact for growers and key industry stakeholders. This team plays a vital role in building trusted relationships with the kiwifruit growing community by delivering consistent, high quality, customer centric service.

You’ll establish and lead a high performing team that resolves the majority of grower and industry enquiries at first point of contact, while working closely with internal teams to ensure seamless escalation where needed. Through strong leadership, process optimisation and collaboration, you’ll help shape a positive, connected experience for growers and support Zespri’s broader grower engagement strategy.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading, coaching and developing the Grower Service Centre team to deliver excellent service and strong grower connections
• Embedding a customer centric service model that resolves most enquiries at first point of contact
• Owning and overseeing key grower administration processes, including contracts, grower numbers, payments and digital access
• Supporting grower education, digital tools and strategic initiatives, including outbound engagement
• Building strong relationships across Zespri teams (Finance, Supply Chain, Grower Relations, Legal and others) to ensure joined up service delivery
• Ensuring accurate, secure and well managed grower data across systems such as SAP and CRM
• Identifying risks and opportunities to continuously improve service, capability and grower experience

Ko wai koe? Who are you?

You’re a confident people leader with a strong customer service mindset and a genuine commitment to building trusted relationships. You enjoy leading teams through complexity, improving processes, and creating positive experiences for customers and stakeholders.

You’ll bring:

• Proven experience leading or managing a customer service or support team
• A strong customer centric approach, with the ability to balance service quality and operational efficiency
• Confidence working across systems, data and processes, and supporting continuous improvement (SAP experience preferred)
• The ability to build strong relationships across diverse stakeholder groups
• Clear, confident communication and a calm, solutions focused approach
• Experience in primary industries, grower based environments or complex service operations (preferred)

He aha e tika ai a Zespri? Why Zespri?

Our people are what makes our culture so irresistible and uniquely Zespri. We are a passionate and mighty team of 900+ employees in 23 different locations globally. Working at Zespri is an opportunity to join a fast-paced, culture-driven environment unlike any other. We want people who share our values of being personally connected, results-driven, and committed to guardianship. Join us in shaping our future and be part of a truly unique organisation.  

• Competitive overall remuneration package, including a Short-Term Incentive scheme opportunity.
• FlexWELL flexible work ethos; WFH & the office.
• Additional paid annual leave day per year (Zespri Day).
• Two additional paid leave days for you to proactively support the moments that genuinely boost your mental, physical, emotional, and social wellbeing (Boost Days).
• Global Life and Permanent Disability Insurance.
• Group Medical Insurance benefits.
• Convenient Mount Maunganui office location, with free onsite parking.
• Your daily dose of Vitamin C with free kiwifruit!

Tono mai inaianei! Apply Now! Applications close Tuesday 31st March 2026

At Zespri, we understand the importance of diverse perspectives and experiences, and a fair hiring process is the first step to getting there. We want to attract a diverse range of people and encourage everyone from all backgrounds and walks of life to apply. Please let us know if you need any assistance or reasonable adjustments to take part in the recruitment and selection process by reaching out to our Talent Acquisition team via email at careers@zespri.com.