Commercial Business Partner - Operations

For more than 100 years, Humes has helped shape New Zealand's infrastructure. Founded in 1923, Humes is a trusted manufacturer and supplier of infrastructure solutions, serving the water, rural, environmental, energy and telecommunications sectors. We are seeking someone that is commercially minded with experience partnering across operations/manufacturing teams to be our Commercial Business Partner - Operations with the role based in either Penrose or Papakura. Reporting to the Commercial Manager, you will partner closely with operational leaders to provide insights, challenge thinking constructively, and help drive strong business performance across our manufacturing network. What you'll be doing Partner with the Head of Operations and production leaders to provide commercial insight and constructive challenge across cost, efficiency, throughput and margin Investigate and explain manufacturing variances across labour, materials, overheads and production efficiency, driving actions to improve operational performance Own product costing and manufacturing cost integrity, ensuring accurate standard costs and bills of materials Build and maintain operational reporting, scorecards and performance measures that support accountability and informed decision-making Lead the operations budgeting and forecasting process, providing robust financial analysis and recommendations Develop business cases and financial models to support capital investment and operational improvement initiatives, including ROI analysis and post-investment reviews to ensure expected benefits are realised. Support inventory management, stock takes and manufacturing month-end processes while ensuring data accuracy and cost discipline What you'll bring Tertiary qualification in Business, Commerce, Finance or a related field CA, CPA or equivalent professional qualification Experience in manufacturing finance, cost accounting or commercial business partnering Strong knowledge of product costing, standard costing, inventory valuation, manufacturing variance analysis, absorption costing and bills of materials Proven ability to translate data into practical business insights Advanced Excel skills and experience with ERP and BI systems Excellent communication skills and the ability to build trusted relationships across diverse teams A proactive, curious and solutions-focused approach to continuous improvement If you're looking for an opportunity where you can influence outcomes, support operational leaders, and contribute to the success of a market-leading manufacturing business, we'd love to hear from you. Apply now and help shape the future of infrastructure with Humes. Research shows that females and minority groups don’t apply for roles unless they match 100% the job description. We are proud of your diversity and see it as one of the things that make us stronger. We welcome your individuality and encourage you to bring your true self to work, so if this role is of interest but you feel you don’t fit it, we would still love you to apply.