Imagine the possibilities!You will be joining Aotearoa’s leading supermarket brand with 180+ stores across the whenua. We’re a leading digital retailer with unrivalled success in eCommerce and through our stores network and online capabilities, we’re serving well over three million customers every week. From retail and supply chain operations to commercial and specialist support functions such as Marketing, Communications and Digital, you’ll find a diverse and meaningful career with us.
We are also one of the largest employers in New Zealand with 21,000 team across our stores, four dry distribution centres, three fresh produce distribution centres, two meat processing plants, one seafood processing plant and a central support office – We’re committed to celebrating and growing all diversity in our business!
Woolworths New Zealand is part of Woolworths Group Limited and is also the franchisor of the Super Value and FreshChoice supermarkets, which represents over 70 stores, also part of the Woolworths Group.
Alongside a focus on delivering great value for our customers and growing our business, we also provide rewarding jobs and a supportive workplace, contribute to local communities, and work to protect Aotearoa’s unique environment for future generations.
Our Purpose | Ta Tatou Kaupapa
Our purpose is to make Kiwis’ lives a little better every day.
In 2018, we phased out single-use plastic carrier bags at our checkouts and online, removing 350
million
bags from circulation in Aotearoa.
We have given out over 5 million pieces of fruit to Kiwi kids since 2015.
At the heart of our operations is a desire to promote the health and well-being of our customers, enhance the lives of our team and their families, and do whatever we can to protect natural resources for future generations. There are many ways we are doing this including supporting local Kiwi suppliers wherever we can, through to supporting our food rescue programme partners, tackling waste, addressing climate change and celebrating diversity. Over the past year, we have donated more than $6 million worth of food.
We are proud to have gained White Ribbon Accreditation in 2018 for its ongoing work to
support team members affected by family violence. We have also been awarded the RainbowTick in recognition of our commitment to LGBTI inclusion.
When 21,000 Kiwis decide to get behind something, anything is possible! That’s exactly what we have seen at Countdown as our entire business has got behind delivering numerous initiatives for Aotearoa.
Initiatives that will have long-lasting, positive impacts on our communities, our people and our
environment.
You could be one of us and start to make an impact on what really matters.
Working with Countdown | Te Mahi ki Countdown
We’re friendly, down-to-earth, and energetic - we work hard but we have a great time doing it, and we love what we do. There is plenty of scope for new ideas, lots of room for you to add value, and importantly, you’ll be working with a business that touches the lives of three million New Zealanders a week.
Come as you are | Haere mai rā
We’re an equal opportunity employer and are committed to the principle of equal opportunity for all.
If you’re smart and good at what you do, come as you are.
We hire students studying
Supply, Logistics & Transportation
Marketing & Sales
Human Resources & Management
Business and Commerce
Available Positions
About the Graduate Programme | Mō te Hōtaka Paetahi
The Countdown Graduate Programme is designed to create well rounded future leaders with a passion and commitment to our business and career pathways.
Kicking off in February 2022, our programme runs for 12-18 months. You’ll gain exposure to many facets of our fascinating business developing sound expertise directly related to your professional ambitions as you explore and learn.
Typically made up of rotations across business areas within a chosen stream, you’ll have access to high profile projects that will allow you to flourish professionally and showcase your skills. With exposure to our senior leaders and a supportive learning environment, you can begin building your personal profile - making the most of every opportunity.
About You | Mōu
To succeed with us you will have recently graduated, may be finishing up this year, or have a
degree acquired within the last 2 years.
A natural self-starter, you will have leadership potential with an appetite to grow, develop and accelerate your learnings. We truly value the diversity of thought that our graduates bring and we can’t wait to harness your drive and determination as we continue to make Kiwi’s lives a little better everyday.
You’ll be inspired by our ways of working - We put our customers first, We’re always improving, We work end to end as one team, We encourage freedom with a framework and, We keep things simple, especially for our stores teams - and will grow to champion these in all that you do.
If you’re the sort of individual who strives to always do the right thing for customers, team, our communities, and our business then let’s connect!
A natural self-starter, you will have leadership potential with an appetite to grow, develop and accelerate your learnings. We truly value the diversity of thought that our graduates bring and we can’t wait to harness your drive and determination as we continue to make Kiwi’s lives a little better everyday.
You’ll be inspired by our ways of working - We put our customers first, We’re always improving, We work end to end as one team, We encourage freedom with a framework and, We keep things simple, especially for our stores teams - and will grow to champion these in all that you do.
If you’re the sort of individual who strives to always do the right thing for customers, team, our communities, and our business then let’s connect!
We’re hiring Uni Grads for the following 8 streams across our business. Are you ready to make an impact?
Available Graduate Streams
Supply Chain
With the largest supply chain network in NZ, you'll see first hand what it takes to lead a large and complex supply chain operation. It’s our job to ensure the millions of New Zealanders we serve each week get the products they want when they want them.
Merchandise
This team is responsible for bringing to life compelling product offerings for our customers working collaboratively with our suppliers. You’ll gain experience with our buying and commercial services teams - giving you an end-to-end understanding of our business and with the future of retail in mind.
Culture & People
A team of 50 people practitioners and partners supporting teams across the entirety of our business. Dedicated and championing our team 1st approach - you’ll be actively assisting this team as they provide HR, Talent and Employment Relations services to our team of 21,000, gaining diverse experience across the HR function.
CountdownX
Our tribes of cross functional experts ensuring connected customer experiences and a world class online shopping experience that allows us to be ahead of the game. You’ll see how we continue to drive innovation from the front within NZ’s online retail landscape as we build our digital, brand and data capabilities and bring our story to life.
Store Operations
In this stream you’ll see how we operate at the grassroots. You’ll gain exposure to the people at the heart of our business and learn how we drive our team, safety and customer first culture forward. You will develop the leadership skills needed to set your team up for success, whilst applying the in-depth retail knowledge and experience you have attained to help shape the future of retail.
Strategy & Transformation
You’ll join the engine room of Countdown - the experts responsible for our overall customer-led strategy design, delivery and transformation, including our data, analytics and insights capabilities. Here you’ll understand how data and customer insights inform strategy and drive change, transformation and business improvement.
Property / Format & Development
Our Property team design the strategy and management of purchasing, maintenance and repair of the Countdown property portfolio. You’ll gain exposure across multiple disciplines to understand how they deliver our multichannel customer proposition and enhance the experience of our customers and team.
Finance
This team partners with business portfolios and provides financial reports, insights and value-add analysis that helps improve business performance and achievement of objectives. You’ll have a significant opportunity to learn across one of the biggest cost portfolios in NZ. Our Finance team champions a team 1st, customer 1st approach to drive business agility and growth.
Hear from Countdown grads
Joanna Limuil Finance Business Analyst, Cartology
The graduate programme provided an opportunity to engage with all parts of the business,
allowing us to gain an end to end understanding of the business. It helps with providing a
foundation for working in the supermarket retail industry. Everyone is supportive of my learning
and growth and open for questioning, discussions - a really great environment for someone like
me, who's super new in this industry and is keen to know more!"
Matthew Mulvey Digital Analyst (Strategy & Transformation)
The grad program is an incredible opportunity to develop a diverse skillset working in a
broad range of teams. It’ll give you a great idea of what direction you want to take your
career in, and set you up for success."
Ally Orr Communications Advisor, Corporate Affairs (Communications & Sustainability Graduate)
I think Countdown's graduate programme is an incredibly important pathway for bringing
new, diverse thinking into one of Aotearoa's biggest organisations. I feel really lucky
to have been trusted with some fantastic projects that have pushed me out of my comfort
zone and accelerated my real-world experience. The graduate programme has also allowed
me to connect with people across Countdown and foster strong connections in a number of
different teams which has been so helpful for my development"
Sharon Xie Assistant Category Manager (Merchandise)
The Countdown Graduate programme was an invaluable, end-to-end learning experience
that allowed me to gain exposure across different functions of the business. I've
loved being able to meet inspiring mentors and leaders along the way, who have been
willing to share their knowledge/expertise and guide my development. As a
Commercial/Buying graduate, It was insightful to learn about the strategic approach
and complexities of simply putting the right product on our shelves, at the right
price, and at the right time. Overall, the programme was a great way to build a
holistic and fundamental understanding of the FMCG and retail industry."
Jason Stewart Customer Conflict Lead (Health, Safety & Wellbeing)
I've loved the opportunity to build strong relationships with some of
the most kind, talented and capable people in our business. I think the
Grad Programme is important because it challenges us to embrace new ways
of thinking and working."
Louis Stevens Assistant Category Manager (Merchandise/Buying)
The Countdown Graduate Programme has been a truly unique opportunity
that has enabled me to grow my professional development within the
Buying Team. I have been well supported to gain confidence in
negotiating, to develop a business and analytical acumen and build
strong relationships across multiple stakeholders to achieve desired
commercial outcomes. I would strongly recommend the Graduate
Programme to anyone looking to work for an amazing business which
puts it's employees first."
Megan Hodder Culture & People Advisor (Culture & People)
My time as part of the Countdown Graduate Programme has been an
absolutely amazing experience. As a graduate in the Culture and
People team I have been able to be part of some exciting
projects and streams of work, as well as being part of a strong
team of HR professionals who have taught me so much and have
been a great support along the way. The graduate programme has
also exposed me to all the different parts of our business and
I've been able to build some really strong relationships with
people across all Countdown. That's meant I've learned more
about the world of supermarkets than I ever thought possible!
Plus - you get to share the experience with a like-minded group
of graduates!"
Callum McDonald Commercial/Buying Grad
As a Merchandise graduate, I was given the tools to develop my financial and
data analytic
skills to learn how we can provide the best products at the best prices for our
customers" "I
spent time in our customer insights and data analytics teams to discover trends
and identify
opportunities for sales growth. I developed key working relationships with
suppliers and through
my rotations built a network of hundreds of dedicated team members who each
provided me insights
into how the business works “Ultimately it is a year of opportunity; you are put
in a position
and given the tools to gather as much insight as you can to prepare yourself for
the years
ahead."
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Caitlin Shannon Culture & People Grad
Being exposed to such a range of different experiences, projects and
development opportunities throughout all teams within the Culture & People
function was truly one of the best experiences I could have asked for after
university!”
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Are you ready to make a difference?
Have you chosen your graduate stream?
Then the next step is to apply.
We’ll ensure you have fun on the way! Our process could include psychometric testing, cognitive
tests, understanding your passion for retail, interviews and attending information sessions!
To make sure you’re the right fit for our 2022 Countdown Graduate Programme, there are just a
few prerequisites.
- Be in your final year of study or have recently completed an undergraduate degree (within 2 years)
- Have demonstrated work experience, retail preferred but not essential
- Be able to commence work full time from the role start date, February 2022
- Currently living in New Zealand and able to participate in our selection process.
- Be a New Zealand Permanent Resident or New Zealand /Australian citizen as at date of application
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