HR Manager (fixed-term)

JobSpace; Waikato; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Varied role

Autonomy

Supportive team

Mentor HR Advisor

Job summary

Jora New Zealand is seeking an experienced HR Manager to join our People team on a fixed-term basis, covering an internal secondment. Based in Te Awamutu, this role offers broad exposure across employment matters, day-to-day people advice, and HR projects.

You will partner with leaders, support industrial relations in a unionised environment, and coach an HR Advisor. The position is fixed term to 31 March 2027 with immediate start preferred, in a community-owned utility serving Waipā district.

Qualifications

• Significant HR generalist experience at management or senior partner level.
• Experience managing complex employee relations matters.
• Strong industrial relations experience in a unionised environment.
• Sound knowledge of NZ employment legislation.
• Ability to coach and advise leaders.
• Experience developing HR practitioners.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to turn improvement opportunities into practical solutions.
• Experience in operational/infra/utilities settings is useful.

Responsibilities

• Providing advice and support to leaders across employment and people matters.
• Managing complex employee relations, including performance, investigations and disciplinary processes.
• Supporting industrial relations activity in a unionised environment.
• Advising on employment agreements, policies, leave and remuneration.
• Supporting recruitment, onboarding and lifecycle activities.
• Managing annual people processes, including performance and remuneration reviews, workforce planning and culture surveys.
• Providing day-to-day coaching to the HR Advisor.
• Contributing to HR projects and process improvements.
• Developing and maintaining practical people policies and documentation.
• Using workforce data to support sound decision-making.

Skills

HR generalist

HR management

Industrial relations

NZ employment law

Leadership coaching

HR development

Communication skills

Process improvement

Analytical mindset

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

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.

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.

• 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.

This position is based at our Te Awamutu office and is fixed term through to 31 March 2027 while our substantive HR Manager is seconded internally. An immediate start would be preferred.

We run a structured, in-house recruitment process, including pre-employment vetting. You'll need the right to work in Aotearoa New Zealand for the duration of the fixed-term agreement and be currently living here.