HR Manager (fixed-term)

Waipā Networks; Te Awamutu; On-site; NZD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Waipā Networks seeks an experienced HR Manager to cover a fixed-term period supporting a broad people portfolio in Te Awamutu. Immediate start preferred, with a fixed-term to 31 March 2027.

You’ll handle complex employee relations, provide day-to-day advice, and drive HR projects in a community-owned utilities context. You’ll work across leadership teams, assuring compliant policies, effective processes, and a pragmatic, independent approach.

Qualifications

• Significant HR generalist experience, including at HR management or senior business partnering level.
• Experience managing complex employee relations matters.
• Strong industrial relations experience, ideally gained within a unionised environment.
• Sound knowledge of New Zealand employment legislation and HR practice.
• Confidence coaching and advising leaders at all levels.
• Experience supporting and developing HR practitioners.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to identify opportunities for improvement and turn them into practical solutions.

Responsibilities

• Providing advice and support to leaders across a wide range of employment and people matters
• Managing complex employee relations matters, including performance, workplace investigations and disciplinary processes
• Supporting industrial relations activity and working within a unionised environment
• Advising on employment agreements, policies, leave, remuneration and employment legislation
• Supporting recruitment, onboarding and other employee lifecycle activities as required
• Managing annual people processes, including performance and remuneration reviews, workforce planning and culture surveys
• Providing day-to-day coaching, guidance and support to our HR Advisor
• Contributing to organisational change, HR projects and process improvements
• Developing and maintaining practical people policies, procedures, systems and documentation
• Using workforce data and insights to support sound decision-making.

Skills

HR generalist

Industrial relations

NZ employment law

Leadership coaching

HR practitioner development

Job description

HR Manager (Fixed-term)

Fixed-term to 31 March 2027 | Te Awamutu | Immediate start preferred

Use your HR expertise to make an immediate impact.

We’re looking for an experienced HR Manager to join our People team on a fixed-term basis, covering an internal secondment.

This is a broad, hands-on role where you’ll move between complex employment matters, day-to-day people advice, and practical HR projects. You’ll work closely with leaders across the business, providing trusted and pragmatic advice while helping ensure our people processes continue to run smoothly.

Why join Waipā Networks?

We’re a community-owned electricity distribution business supplying power to more than 60,000 people across Cambridge, Te Awamutu, Kāwhia, Tamahere and the wider Waipā district.

You’ll join a close-knit, down-to-earth team and contribute across a varied and interesting portfolio of people work. This is an opportunity to bring your experience into an essential local business where you’ll be trusted to work with autonomy, support good decision-making and make a meaningful contribution from day one.

What you’ll enjoy

• A varied and influential role with exposure across the organisation
• The autonomy to provide advice, make recommendations and get things done
• A supportive and collaborative People team
• The opportunity to coach and support an HR Advisor
• Interesting employment relations and organisational matters
• A meaningful role within a community-owned, essential service.

What the role involves

You’ll manage a broad portfolio of HR work, including:

• Providing advice and support to leaders across a wide range of employment and people matters
• Managing complex employee relations matters, including performance, workplace investigations and disciplinary processes
• Supporting industrial relations activity and working within a unionised environment
• Advising on employment agreements, policies, leave, remuneration and employment legislation
• Supporting recruitment, onboarding and other employee lifecycle activities as required
• Managing annual people processes, including performance and remuneration reviews, workforce planning and culture surveys
• Providing day-to-day coaching, guidance and support to our HR Advisor
• Contributing to organisational change, HR projects and process improvements
• Developing and maintaining practical people policies, procedures, systems and documentation
• Using workforce data and insights to support sound decision-making.

About you

You’re an experienced HR professional who can quickly understand a business, build trusted relationships and operate with a high degree of independence. You’re comfortable working across both strategic and operational matters and bring sound judgement, confidence and a practical approach.

You’ll bring:

• Significant HR generalist experience, including at HR management or senior business partnering level
• Demonstrated experience managing complex employee relations matters
• Strong industrial relations experience, ideally gained within a unionised environment
• Sound working knowledge of New Zealand employment legislation and HR practice
• Confidence coaching and advising leaders at all levels
• Experience supporting and developing HR practitioners
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• The ability to identify opportunities for improvement and turn them into practical solutions.

Experience within an operational, infrastructure, utilities or similarly complex environment would be useful, but it’s not essential.