General Manager – Specialist Propagation Group
About us
Waimea is a New Zealand family-owned horticultural business with deep roots in plant production and a clear forward strategy. We've moved to a portfolio operating model of strong and focused business units operating within a light group structure that backs and supports its leaders.Our Specialist Propagation Group (SPG) is one of those businesses.
SPG is the home of two well-known names: Waimea Plant Propagation (WPP), a leading commercial propagation nursery, and Custom Mix (CML), a specialist manufacturer of growing media trusted by professional growers and nurseries across the North Island.Both operate from the same Auckland site with a shared team.
The opportunity
This is a full P&L General Manager role with genuine autonomy. You'll lead the strategy, the commercial agenda, the operations, and the team. The CEO and Group functions will support you with systems, capital discipline, strategic insight and act as a sounding board but the business is yours to run and you’ll be close to what’s actually happening on the ground.
It's also a real-world challenge. The market is tight. Good work has been done stabilising performance and continuing cultural shifts and the job now is to build on that. Driving sales growth, lifting commercial discipline, and continuing to develop the team.There is genuine upside available for someone who can hold the line on costs and capacity while leaning into the growth opportunities in front of us.
For the right person who delivers and who fits with the Group's values and direction, there is a meaningful pathway to equity participation in the business over time. This is a serious commitment to the role.
What you'll own- Full strategic and operational accountability for WPP and CML — sales, operations, people, P&L
- Direct leadership of a small and capable team
- Building and protecting key customer relationships across nursery, landscape and trade segments
- Driving the WPP shift to a grow-to-order business and sustaining and growing CML's market position with disciplined pricing and account management
- Managing capacity, capability, and cost prudently through the cycle. Making the calls, owning the outcomes
- Continuing to lift the performance culture, building on the positive changes already underway
- Engaging with the Group on strategy, capital, governance, and standards as a business unit leader
Who we're looking for
An experienced GM with a horticulture or primary sector background would be ideal. We are equally open to strong commercial GMs from related sectors (manufacturing, FMCG, agribusiness inputs) who bring sharp commercial instincts and the leadership credibility to step into this industry quickly.- Proven General Manager or business unit leader with full P&L accountability
- Strong commercial acumen and a solid sales track record. Comfortable in front of customers, sharp on margin management
- Operational credibility. You understand how to run a production business well, not just direct from a distance, and can hold a leadership team to account
- Honest, direct, and people-smart. Able to grow a team without breaking it; able to hold the standard without losing the room
- Comfortable operating with autonomy and accountability in equal measure
- Aligned with the values of a long-standing family-owned business: integrity, plain talk, long-term thinking
- Full P&L ownership of an established, well-known specialist business with real strategic latitude
- A genuine “light but strong” operating model. Group support without Group interference
- Competitive remuneration and a pathway to equity participation for the right person
- Auckland-based role at an established single site. no constant travel, no multi-site sprawl
- The chance to lead a turnaround-and-grow story that has already begun, and to take it the rest of the way
How to apply:
Apply online with your CV and a brief cover letter outlining why this opportunity fits you and what you would bring.
https://waimea.prolorus.app/Form/NewPublic/Application/0DA61087-F544-F111-82D1-0667E086B580