Senior ER Specialist

Department of Corrections NZ; Wellington; Hybrid; NZD 112,000 - 158,000; Full time

Job summary

Department of Corrections NZ is seeking a Senior Employment Relations Specialist to lead complex ER matters and provide strategic guidance across the National Office and Regions.

You will manage a caseload, support People Service teams and managers, and lead in mediation, investigations, and high-risk processes while driving fair, consistent outcomes and organisational capability in employment relations.

Qualifications

• Solid understanding of employment relations and employment law.
• Minimum 3 years in a Senior HR adviser role or equivalent with a focus on ER.
• Experience managing personal grievances, mediation, disciplinary, performance and conflict resolution processes.
• Public sector experience, including unionised environments or advising large, complex organisations.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with empathy and trust-building.
• Cultural awareness and commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the public sector.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a caseload of complex ER matters with strategic guidance to People Service teams and managers.
• Provide strategic advice to ensure timely, effective resolution of cases.
• Manage personal grievances, represent the organisation in mediation, support investigations.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of ER policies, frameworks and practices.
• Collaborate with legal, integrity and employee representative groups to strengthen ER.

Skills

Employment relations

Employment law

Grievance handling

Mediation

Public sector experience

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Te Tiriti o Waitangi awareness

Resilience

Problem solving

Job description

• Lead high-profile and complex employment relations matters
• Be the recognised subject matter expert, influencing ER practice and decision-making.
• Flexible location and working arrangements that support your work-life balance.

Mō te tūnga | About the role

As the Senior Employment Relations Specialist, you will work closely with the Principal Adviser as a trusted expert on complex employment relations matters across the National Office and Regions. You will lead and manage a caseload of complex ER matters, providing strategic advice and guidance to People Service teams and managers to ensure consistent, timely, and effective resolution.

With the support of the Principal Adviser, you will manage personal grievances, represent the organisation in mediation, support employment investigations, and guide people leaders and practitioners through sensitive and high-risk processes. You will play a key role in achieving fair, consistent, and sustainable outcomes while building organisational capability in employment relations.

In addition, you will contribute to the continuous improvement of ER policies, frameworks, and practices, and work in partnership with legal, integrity, and employee representative groups to strengthen employment relations across the organisation.

Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako | Skills and experience

To be successful, you will have:

• A solid understanding of employment relations and employment law and a minimum of 3 years’ experience in a Senior HR adviser role or an equivalent role with a focus on ER
• Experience managing personal grievances, attending mediation, supporting disciplinary, performance and conflict resolution processes, with a willingness to take on more complex cases
• Public sector experience, including working in a unionised environment or otherwise advising large, complex organisations
• Resilience, problem solving and sound judgement, with the ability to role model professional behaviours
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trust, strong relationships and demonstrate empathy
• Cultural awareness and a commitment to developing understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its application in the public sector

Ngā painga | The benefits

The midpoint of the salary range is $131,914 per annum and the full range (85%-120%) is $112,127 - $158,297 per annum. Appointment and remuneration will reflect skills and experience relevant to the role.

Mō mātou | About us

Join Ara Poutama Aotearoa - Department of Corrections, where your work will contribute to improving public safety, reducing re-offending, and address the overrepresentation of Māori in correctional facilities. As a values-led organisation, we use the principles of rangatira (leadership), manaaki (respect), wairua (spirituality), kaitiaki (guardianship), and whānau (relationships) to guide our work and achieve the goals of our Hōkai Rangi strategy.

We value inclusion and diversity in our workforce, and as a Public Service organisation we are committed to building a workforce that reflects the public we serve. We strive to make our recruitment process fair, and we encourage you to discuss reasonable accommodations with us if required.