Senior Inventory Specialist - Supply Chain Planning

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Air New Zealand is seeking a Senior Inventory Specialist to lead inventory policy, performance governance and optimisation across maintenance and inflight materials, ensuring the right stock is in the right place at the right time while protecting operational readiness and controlling costs. Reporting to the Chapter Lead Supply Planning, you will partner with Supply Chain, Engineering and Finance to strengthen governance, recover value from surplus stock and drive disciplined inventory management. To apply, emphasise seven or more years in aviation or complex maintenance inventory, strong SAP or ERP/MRP skills, proven policy setting and performance improvements, and experience with RFQ/RFP processes and contract management. Include quantified outcomes, senior stakeholder influence, governance discipline, and eligibility for onsite Auckland work. Applications close February 24.

Job Description

Kia ora!

Air New Zealand has a permanent opportunity for an experienced Senior Inventory Specialist to join our Supply Chain Planning team. This role provides oversight of inventory performance across our aircraft maintenance and inflight materials supply chains, ensuring the right stock is in the right place at the right time, without driving excess cost or obsolescence.

Reporting to the Chapter Lead Supply Planning, and working with other Inventory Specialist roles, you will lead inventory policy, performance governance and optimisation initiatives across a complex operational environment. You will work closely across Supply Chain, Engineering and Finance to strengthen controls, recover value from surplus stock, and drive disciplined inventory management.

What you’ll be doing
You will take a lead role in setting and governing inventory strategy and controls across maintenance and inflight materials. This includes:

• Defining and maintaining inventory policies, including safety stock settings, replenishment parameters and review cycles
• Monitoring performance against targets for availability, turns, ageing and obsolescence, and providing clear reporting to senior Supply Chain leadership
• Driving optimisation initiatives to reduce inventory holding costs while protecting operational readiness
• Leading the identification and classification of surplus and obsolete inventory
• Working closely with Procurement to manage expressions of interest, RFQ and RFP processes for the sale of surplus and obsolete materials
• Overseeing contract execution, logistics coordination and financial reconciliation for inventory disposals
• Ensuring strong governance, audit compliance and data integrity across inventory processes and systems
• Supporting and coaching planners and analysts to lift capability and consistency in inventory management practices
• Partnering with Master Data and system teams to strengthen parameter accuracy and process discipline

This is a senior specialist role with cross-functional influence and accountability for improving stock health across the enterprise.

What you’ll bring

• At least seven years’ experience in supply chain or inventory management, ideally in aviation, engineering or complex maintenance environments
• Strong understanding of ERP/MRP systems and inventory control methodologies (SAP preferred)
• Demonstrated experience setting inventory policies and leading performance improvement initiatives
• Proven capability working with Procurement on structured RFP/RFQ processes and contract management
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret large data sets and translate insights into practical actions
• Confidence presenting to senior stakeholders and influencing outcomes across operational and commercial teams
• A disciplined, structured approach with a strong focus on governance and financial control.

A tertiary qualification in Supply Chain, Logistics, Engineering, Business or similar is preferred. CPIM or equivalent professional certification will be an advantage.

If you’re ready to influence at scale and make a tangible impact on how we support our aircraft and customers, we’d love to hear from you.

Applications close Tuesday 24th February.  

Additional Information

At Air New Zealand, we are proudly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and believe in creating a truly inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves and thrive. Our people are our greatest asset – because while everything else we do in our operation can be replicated by our competitors, it is our people that truly set us apart. We are firm believers in celebrating the differences and diversity of thought our people bring to their roles. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds, including those with a disability, additional health and mental health needs, and/or are neurodiverse to apply for our roles.

If you have encountered any accessibility barriers and require further information or reasonable accommodations to our recruitment process, please reach out to the recruiter listed on this job advert so they are able to support you to freely participate equitably in our recruitment and selection process.

Whāia te pae tawhiti kia tata. Ko te pae tata whakamaua, kia tina.

"Seek to bring distant horizons closer. Once near, seize them and make them your reality."