Industry Relations Manager - Motors

At Trade Me, we're about connecting Kiwi to create the life they want. Whether it's the big things like finding a home, a job, a car, or growing their business, or the smaller things, like finding that right bedside table or parting ways with some old stuff. At Trade Me our vision is to be the place where Kiwi look first. Trade Me Motors is New Zealand's leading automotive marketplace. We're seeking a senior, strategic operator to lead our Industry Relations function - a newly created role designed to strengthen our partnerships with motor dealers, OEMs, and industry associations. You'll be our industry ambassador, advocate, and connector - a trusted voice in the market and an internal champion for our partners' needs. This is a high-trust, high-impact role with direct access to senior leadership and broad scope to shape how Trade Me shows up for the automotive industry. **You'll have the best time working at Trade Me, and this is why:** **#Flexible** Flexible working is the new normal. We have our company connection day on Monday and there is another team connection day as well. We support you with a home office setup and a utilities allowance to ensure you can work comfortably **#Wellness** Being your best self means caring for your physical and mental wellbeing, we offer lots of resources to help you along the way. **#Leave** We support you with leave when you need it, including 5 days of wellness leave each year and 10 days of sick leave from day 1. **#Social** Nothing beats getting together to have some fun and celebrate our success. Join us in the office on payday for company-paid lunches. Friday drinks and nibbles every fortnight, annual Trade Me company awards, celebrations, and more. **#Learning** Whether it's on the job, formal training, mentoring, or something else, you'll grow with us from Day 1. **Here's what you can expect from this role:** - Build and deepen relationships with motor dealers, OEMs, and industry associations across New Zealand. - Act as Trade Me Motors' primary external voice to the industry — attending conferences, hosting events, and contributing to panels, webinars, and trade media. - Lead the creation of an industry insights program — sharing pricing, demand, and buyer behavior data to help partners run better businesses. - Partner with the Head of Product to advance our Dealer Advisory Group and/or feedback channels to bring dealer voices into our product, marketing, and operations decisions. - Collaborate with internal teams (Sales, Product, Marketing, Comms) to champion industry-informed improvements to the Motors experience. - Design and lead programs that improve dealer satisfaction, retention, and sentiment — from quick wins to long-term strategic initiatives. - Track and report on KPIs (e.g., dealer satisfaction, retention, engagement) and share clear progress updates with leadership. **What you will bring to our team:** - 10+ years' experience in the automotive industry, B2B partnerships, classifieds, marketplaces, or adjacent roles. - Strong understanding of dealer operations, OEM priorities, and industry dynamics — you speak their language. - Demonstrated success in building external partnerships, trust, and credibility with senior stakeholders. - Excellent written and verbal communication, with presence and polish for public speaking and relationship-building. - Experience with data storytelling — turning insights into clear, value-driven narratives for industry audiences. - High autonomy and bias for action — able to plan, prioritize, and deliver with minimal oversight. - A practical, commercial mindset — you understand how platforms deliver value and how to grow mutual benefit. - Experience in marketplaces, automotive tech, dealer groups, or SaaS platforms. - Relationships with key players in the NZ auto ecosystem (MTA, dealer groups, OEMs). - Experience with tools like Salesforce, SurveyMonkey, or PowerBi. We know some candidates can be reluctant to apply for roles if they feel they don't 'tick all the boxes'. If you're excited about this opportunity, we'd still really like to hear from you so please send us your resume and a short cover note outlining the “Why”. Trade Me is an INZ accredited employer. We truly value diversity and embrace a flexible workplace where people are encouraged to achieve their potential.