ER Advisor (People & Culture team)

Rocketlab; Auckland; On-site; NZD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Auckland is seeking a People & Culture Advisor to own end-to-end employee relations, partner with leaders, and ensure a smooth employee lifecycle across the org.

The role requires 3+ years of HR experience, a Bachelor’s degree, and strong communication with the ability to handle fast-paced, high-volume environments. Travel between sites may be required; you’ll contribute to HR projects and payroll activities.

Qualifications

• 3+ years’ experience in an HR role with solid employment relations expertise.
• Bachelor’s degree in HR or equivalent qualification.
• Excellent communication and attention to detail in fast-paced work environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead ER matters from start to finish with sound judgement and best-practice understanding.
• Provide first-line generalist HR advice across hiring, performance, attendance, change management, and offboarding.
• Respond to employee queries promptly, professionally, and with confidentiality.
• Build trusted relationships with leaders, employees, and external providers.
• Contribute to People & Culture projects and payroll processing for starters and variations.
• Apply pragmatic solutions in situations where procedures are limited; balance fairness and compliance.

Skills

Employment relations

HR Generalist

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Multitasking

Driver license

MS Office

Excel

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR or equivalent

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

ABOUT ROCKET LAB

Rocket Lab is the end-to-end space company building rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems that keep the world connected, protected, expand humanity’s reach to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. We move fast, build real hardware for meaningful missions, and make the impossible routine. Come shape the future with us.

While other companies talk about it, we do it!

ABOUT PEOPLE & CULTURE AT ROCKET LAB:

Rocket Lab’s People & Culture team is responsible for looking after our most valuable asset: our people. Across our global teams, the People & Culture team supports our people and departments across recruitment, new staff orientation, compensation, training and development. They make sure our growing and diverse global team is supported and capable of delivering our projects and customer’s missions, and they’re responsible for supporting their development, nurturing their skills and talent, and retaining the world‑class people already on our team.

Are you a sharp, solutions‑focused HR professional who thrives in a fast‑paced environment where no two days look the same? We’re looking for an People & Culture Advisor who can confidently own ER processes end‑to‑end, partner with leaders, and keep our people experience running smoothly across the entire employee lifecycle.

This is a dynamic, ever‑evolving environment, you’ll often need to adapt quickly, navigate ambiguity, and think outside the box. If you enjoy variety and solving problems creatively, this role will suit you perfectly.

WHAT YOU'LL GET TO DO:

• Lead ER matters from start to finish with confidence, sound judgement and strong best‑practice understanding, even when navigating complex & ambiguous scenarios
• Provide first‑line generalist HR advice across hiring, performance, attendance, change management, and offboarding
• Respond to employee queries promptly, professionally, and with absolute confidentiality
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with leaders, employees, and external providers
• Contribute to People & Culture projects
• Support with payroll processing of new starters, variations of employment, terminations and pay run reviews to ensure timely and accurate pay cycles.
• Apply pragmatic solutions in situations where established processes may not exist, using initiative and creativity to get to the right outcome

YOU'LL BRING THESE QUALIFICATIONS:

• 3+ years’ experience in an HR role with solid employment relations expertise
• Bachelor’s degree in HR or equivalent qualification
• Genuine ambition to develop and grow in the HR profession
• Strong computer skills, including MS Office (especially Excel), and the ability to quickly learn new applications
• Excellent communication skills
• High attention to detail and accuracy, even at pace
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities and work effectively in a fast‑moving environment
• Organised, proactive, and able to show initiative when procedures are limited
• Calm, steady, and solutions‑focused under pressure
• Full driver licence with the ability to travel independently between sites

People who thrive in this role are adaptable and resourceful, comfortable operating without rigid processes, and able to think on their feet in fast‑moving situations. They bring strong procedural and ER experience, with the ability to justify decisions and assess risk confidently. Coming from dynamic, high‑volume environments, they’re natural problem‑solvers who enjoy tackling bespoke cases and finding practical, people‑focused solutions that balance fairness, compliance, and pragmatism.

WHAT TO EXPECT

We’re on a mission to unlock the potential of space to improve life on Earth, but that’s not an easy task. It takes hard work, determination, relentless innovation, teamwork, grit, and an unwavering commitment to achieving what others often deem impossible. Our people out‑think, out‑work, and out‑pace. We pride ourselves on having each other’s backs, checking our egos at the door, and rolling up our sleeves on all tasks big and small. We thrive under pressure, work to tight deadlines, and our focus is always on how we can deliver, rather than dwelling on the challenges that stand in the way.

Important information:

FOR CANDIDATES SEEKING TO WORK IN US OFFICES ONLY:

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Rocket Lab Employees must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce, as applicable. Learn more about ITAR here.

Rocket Lab provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment at Rocket Lab, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for the application/interview process for a job in the United States should contact Giulia Johnson at [e-mail]. This dedicated resource is intended solely to assist job seekers with disabilities whose disability prevents them from being able to apply/interview. Only messages left for this purpose will be considered. A response to your request may take up to two business days.

FOR CANDIDATES SEEKING TO WORK IN NEW ZEALAND OFFICES ONLY:

For security reasons, background checks will be undertaken prior to any employment offers being made to an applicant. These checks will include nationality checks as it is a requirement of this position that you be eligible to access equipment and data regulated by the United States' International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

Under these Regulations, you may be ineligible for this role if you do not hold citizenship of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the European Union, or a country that is part of NATO, or if you hold ineligible dual citizenship or nationality. For more information on these Regulations, click here ITAR Regulations.