Head of Automotive Supplier Network

Location

Christchurch, New Zealand

Employment Type

Full time

Department

Operations

Note : Partly is headquartered in London, with a Product and Engineering base in Christchurch (NZ), and an early presence in San Francisco . We have an office-first culture, so this role would be primarily based at our Christchurch NZ HQ.

Our story

Partly's mission is to connect the world's parts and we're doing that by building the first global platform for replacement parts, starting with auto parts. Our big vision is to accelerate the world towards a sustainable future where waste is eliminated and all replacement parts are universally searchable, accessible and available to all.

Founded by ex-Rocket Lab engineers, we utilise cutting-edge technology to solve challenging but exciting problems that make a huge impact in a $1.9 trillion industry. We've more than tripled our team over the last 12 months and expect to double in size again over the coming 12 months. We're a global team spanning both Europe and Australasia.

We provide a scalable digital infrastructure solution to some of the world's largest businesses and the most exciting startups. Partly's solutions are integrated across hundreds of companies globally, providing the backbone for cataloguing and managing parts online.

Our investors in Blackbird Ventures (Canva, CultureAmp etc.), Square Peg, Octopus Ventures, Hillfarrance, Icehouse, Peter Beck (Rocket Lab), Akshay Kothari (Notion Co-Founder) and Dylan Field (Figma Co-Founder).

We're continuing to build a world-class team and ensuring Partly is a place where people can do the best work of their lives. We're proud of the culture we've built at Partly, and our values are lived throughout every experience.

️ This role

As Partly’s Head of Supply – NZ , you will own the supply-side strategy for our New Zealand market, building and managing high-performing partnerships with OEM distributors, dealers, dismantlers, and importers.

Your mission : ensure repairers have complete selection, accurate data, and real-time inventory access through our platform.

This is a commercial and operational leadership role — not a traditional back-office supply chain position. You’ll be on the front lines with senior supplier stakeholders, negotiating commercial outcomes, integrating inventory systems, solving problems at speed, and working cross-functionally to ensure our repairer network always gets the right part, at the right price, on time.

You will partner closely with Product, Engineering, and Customer Success to :

Expand supplier network coverage and inventory breadth

Drive real-time data accuracy and availability

Lift supplier performance through insights, enablement, and accountability

Surface market feedback that shapes our product roadmap

The ideal candidate is a hands-on operator who can balance strategic thinking with execution, thrives in high-growth environments, and blends relationship management, data-led decision making, and operational rigour .

What will you do

Strategic Leadership

Own the supplier strategy — set priorities, make trade-offs, and focus on the levers that most improve selection, price, and availability for repairers.

Define and track KPIs — e.g., inventory coverage %, real-time accuracy rates, supplier adoption, and order fulfilment performance.

Shape market approach — guide acquisition and enablement plans for new and existing suppliers.

Advocate for suppliers internally — ensure their needs, pain points, and growth opportunities are represented in product and operational decisions.

Operational Execution

Deliver complete selection & availability — ensure our marketplace offers the most comprehensive inventory in NZ with accurate, real-time data.

Manage supplier performance — hold suppliers accountable for competitive pricing, fulfilment reliability, and quality standards.

Lead with data — build and use dashboards, reporting, and analytics to drive supplier engagement and operational improvements.

Collaborate cross-functionally — work closely with Product, Engineering, and Ops teams to improve onboarding flows, integrations, and supplier-facing tools.

Support repairers via supply side — resolve supply-related issues quickly, visiting key suppliers onsite when needed to maintain high trust and alignment.

Want to learn more about the problems we're solving and the culture we're building at Partly? Hear directly from our team here :

• ???? Your skills

Ownership mindset — proactive, decisive, and comfortable operating with autonomy in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Commercial acumen — skilled in negotiations, partnership building, and aligning supplier incentives with marketplace goals.

Analytical and data-driven — able to interpret performance metrics and turn insights into clear actions.

Cross-functional collaborator — comfortable working with technical and non-technical teams to deliver shared outcomes.

Customer-focused communicator — able to connect with people at all levels, simplify complex topics, and build trust quickly.

Tech-savvy — comfortable with digital tools and systems, especially those used in inventory and order management.

Please note : if you don't have all the skills / experience listed above but believe you could be outstanding in this role, please still consider applying. Many folks, especially those from underrepresented or marginalised groups, often count themselves out. Please allow us to learn more about you and why you're exceptional!

High trust, low process and no bureaucracy. We hire exceptional people whose judgment we trust. This means we proactively remove any process or rules that slow us down (for example, our expense policy is simply the “red face test”).

Competitive base salary + equity . We offer competitive salaries and generous equity options for all full-time employees, ensuring everyone shares in the financial upside when we win.

Flexible working hours. Choose when to work based on what time you’re most effective (no mandatory or set hours). We combine flexibility with an office-first approach (in cities where we have critical mass, i.e. London, Christchurch, Auckland).

Focus Days. Two days per week, with zero meetings, dedicated solely to uninterrupted deep work

Take time when you need it. We don’t ask questions or care if people have a negative leave balance. We work extremely hard and trust our team to take the time they need to recharge.

Learn from the best. Whether it’s during a ‘Lunch n Learn’ or hearing from a unicorn CEO at a Fireside chat, you’ll have the opportunity to constantly learn from the world’s best.

Quarterly season openers across the UK and EU. Connect regularly at the nearest centralised location for a week of collaboration, big-picture planning and team events.

Annual global offsite in New Zealand . Travel with the rest of the NZ team as we gather and connect for 1-2 weeks at an offsite location.

Team connection. Monthly team lunches, celebrating our wins, happy hours and more!

Parental leave and flexible return to work . Do what works for you. Primary carers can return with 4-day weeks (on 100% pay for the first 12 weeks). Secondary carers get 10 days full pay.

Payroll Giving : We encourage generous giving and donate to the high-impact charities you support

Workride Scheme : We enable NZ employees to sacrifice an agreed amount of their salary or wages in exchange for a ride of their choice.

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