Employment Relations Specialist

About the role | He kōrero whakamārama mō tēnei tūranga

We're seeking an experienced Employment Relations Specialist to join our People & Culture team and provide trusted expertise across a broad range of complex employment and industrial relations matters. This role is responsible for leading high-risk and sensitive casework.

Working closely with leaders across the business, you'll provide pragmatic, solutions-focused advice that balances legal compliance, operational requirements and positive people outcomes. You'll also play a key role in supporting union engagement, collective bargaining activities and developing leadership capability in managing employee relations matters confidently and effectively.

Key Responsibilities

In this role you will:

• Lead and manage complex employment relations matters, including investigations, disciplinary processes, personal grievances, mediation preparation, performance management and workplace conflict resolution.
• Provide expert advice on New Zealand employment legislation, employment agreements, policies and organisational risk.
• Partner with leaders to ensure people decisions are legally sound, commercially practical and aligned with organisational values.
• Support organisational change programmes, restructures and consultation processes, managing employment risks throughout.
• Build leader capability through coaching and guidance on employee relations best practice and effective people management.
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with unions and employee representatives.
• Support collective bargaining activities and industrial relations initiatives across the business.
• Identify emerging workforce risks and trends, providing insights and recommendations to support proactive decision-making.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of employment relations frameworks, policies and processes.

What you will bring | Ngā tohungatanga mō tēnei tūranga

• Significant experience in Employment Relations, Industrial Relations and/or a senior ER-focused advisory role.
• Extensive knowledge of New Zealand employment legislation and employment relations best practice.
• Proven experience managing complex investigations, disciplinary processes, grievances, mediation matters and workplace disputes.
• Experience supporting organisational change, restructures and consultation processes.
• Confident working in unionised environments and collective bargaining activities.
• Exceptional stakeholder management, influencing, negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
• A calm, pragmatic approach and the confidence to manage sensitive and high-risk employment matters.
• A relevant tertiary qualification in Human Resources, Employment Relations, Law, or a related discipline.

Applications close | Te katinga o tēnei whai tūranga: 20th November 2026 at 5pm.

Only suitable candidates will be contacted for interview and applications will be reviewed as they are received, therefore resulting in the role closing early if the right applicant is found.

While we appreciate the work that Recruitment Agencies do, we are not engaging with any at this time.

Applicants for this position must be a NZ Resident/Citizen or have a valid NZ work permit.