Employment Relations Specialist

Humankind; Wellington; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellbeing benefit

Two duvet days per year

Flexible working

Professional development & training

Job summary

Syft Technologies is seeking an Employment Relations Specialist to join our People & Culture team in Wellington (Humankind) or Auckland. You will lead complex ER matters, provide senior-level advice on employment law, and help clients navigate restructures with practical, commercially-grounded guidance.

You’ll work with clients to keep people at the centre, coach teams, and translate complex law into clear options and decisions.

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in NZ employment relations and employment law.
• Senior-level advisory experience on all ER areas.
• Proven track record leading significant end-to-end restructures.
• Strong judgement: pragmatic, commercial, risk-aware.
• Clear communication and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to challenge with warmth while setting boundaries.
• Bonus: broader generalist HR experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support complex ER matters end-to-end (investigations, performance issues, misconduct, grievances, contract drafting).
• Guide clients through restructures from strategy to consultation, redeployment and risk assessment.
• Act as trusted advisor to leaders, shaping options and decisions.
• Coach internal teams and build capability through practical guidance.
• Translate employment law into clear, practical client advice.

Skills

NZ employment relations expertise

End-to-end restructures

Strong judgement

Relationship building

Excellent communication

Practical problem solving

Generalist HR experience

Job description

Employment Relations Specialist

Department: People & Culture

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Wellington (Humankind)

Description

About us

We're an organisational design and EX consultancy with one clear purpose - to lead humanity at work. We partner with clients to build high-performing, people-centred organisations.

About the opportunity

The moments that matter most at work are often the hardest to navigate. You'll help clients work through complex, high stakes people matters at pace, bringing calm, clarity and sound judgement while keeping the people affected at the centre.

From organisations building their people practices from the ground up to those with mature approaches, your clients will bring different challenges. You'll tailor practical, commercially grounded advice to each client's context and risk appetite.

You'll also be the go-to for our consultants on all things ER, ensuring they're set up to confidently support our clients.

This role can join our Wellington or Auckland office.

In this role, you'll:

• Lead and support complex ER matters end-to-end (including investigations, performance issues, misconduct, grievances, and employment agreement drafting and interpretation).
• Help clients navigate restructuring from strategy and approach through to consultation, redeployment, communications, risk assessment and implementation, keeping the people affected in view at every stage.
• Act as a trusted advisor to leaders - shaping options, guiding decisions, and helping clients move forward with confidence.
• Coach and mentor internal team members, reviewing work and building capability through collaboration and practical guidance.
• Start with a strong, current understanding of employment law, then translate it into clear, practical advice that helps clients understand their options and make sound decisions.

About you

You'll bring:

• Deep expertise in NZ employment relations and employment law, with a track record of advising at a senior level on all areas of ER.
• Proven experience leading significant, end to end restructures.
• Strong judgement - pragmatic, commercial, and able to tailor advice to different risk appetites.
• Sharp thinking and problem solving - strategic when needed, always practical .
• The ability to build strong relationships - great with people, calm under pressure, relationship-led, and able to hold boundaries and challenge with warmth.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to write well, simplify complexity, and be confident in challenging conversations.
• Perspective and a sense of humour - we value both, especially in high-stakes moments.
• Bonus points for broader generalist HR experience!

What's in it for you

• You have the opportunity to work with an awesome team of people, in one of the best work environments in the country.
• You'll be working with some of the most incredible brands across all industries including organisations that are scaling globally.
• Your development won't stop! You'll be learning and growing everyday thanks to the variety of work we do and the opportunities to learn from our insanely talented team, our acceleration academy (training programme) and access to a global employee centred design community.
• We have a great wellbeing benefit plus two duvet days each year.
• Flexible working that fits life, because we know your best work happens when you're at your best.
• On top of this, we can offer you a competitive salary.