People Advisory Lead

• Newly created role with real opportunity to simplify, improve and strengthen how we work
• Use your HR Advisory expertise to lift leadership capability and consistency, quality and pace across our people practices
• We offer hybrid working that enables work life balance + 5 weeks annual leave
• This role can be based from any of our NZ NZTE offices.

Who we are

Te Taurapa Tūhono | New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) is the government agency charged with helping New Zealand businesses to grow internationally. By supporting New Zealand businesses, we boost New Zealand's economy and reputation, and help to share what's special about New Zealand with the rest of the world.

What you'll be doing

As the People Advisory Lead, your main purpose is to work alongside NZTE leaders to support the operational delivery of people advisory work. This will involve supporting key people initiatives, cyclical people activities and provision of ad-hoc support to leaders so matters are handled in a timely, consistent and well-documented way.

Through your work you will coach leaders to take ownership and build their confidence in managing people-related matters. You will work closely with People Business Partners, leaders, Payroll, Talent Acquisition, regional stakeholders and external providers (e.g. legal) to deliver high-quality support and strengthen the way we work across NZTE.Activity covered by this role includes, but is not limited to:

Employment frameworks and local terms and conditions: Coordinate locally engaged terms and conditions and broader employment framework reviews, including documentation, workflow management, legal liaison and managing approval pathways.

Employment Relations: Lead the operational delivery of employment relations activity, ensuring matters are well structured, appropriately documented and progressed with pace and care. Lead employment relations matters end-to-end, providing practical, risk-aware advice while coaching leaders to take ownership of people issues and build their confidence and capability.

High-quality documentation: Prepare and maintain letters, agreements, templates, consultation material, change documentation and employment framework guidance to a high standard.

Change and consultation support: Support organisational change processes through preparation of documentation and by ensuring processes are well structured, compliant and efficiently delivered.

Workflow discipline and visibility: Bring structure and oversight to repeatable people processes, including retrospectives, OIA and Written Parliamentary Question material, records and contract documentation.

Continuous improvement: Own and continuously improve templates, standard operating procedures and documentation standards, identifying opportunities to simplify work and improve tools.AI-enabled efficiency: Identify opportunities for automation and AI-enabled ways of working to improve quality, speed and consistency of people processes and outputs.

Project work: Support, and in some cases lead end-to-end people projects.

Leader enablement: Build leader confidence and capability through coaching, guidance and practical tools that support effective people leadership and reduce dependency on the People team for repeatable matters.

General: Undertake any other reasonable duties as requested that align with the scope and level of the role.

What you'll need to be successful

You will be a credible and experienced HR practitioner with strong evidence of working alongside leaders to support a variety of people and culture related activity, raising capability through your interactions. You will bring sound judgement, discretion and care to sensitive people matters, and be confident working with others. You’ll be someone who enjoys making complex work clearer and repeatable work better.

Ideally, you’ll have worked in an innovative, collaborative and professional environment.

You will have

• 5+ years HR experience, with at least 1-2 of these in a Senior People / HR Advisor capacity.
• A strong understanding of employment frameworks, policy application, approval pathways and the importance of clear documentation.
• Strong experience as a senior Employment Relations practitioner managing ER processes and providing practical, well-judged advice and guidance.
• Strong relationship skills, ability to form and maintain internal and external stakeholder relationships.
• High attention to detail and organisational skill, ensuring quality and timely delivery within people processes.
• Ability to work at pace and within ambiguity, using good judgment where policy and process leave room for interpretation.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills being able to convey thoughts and suggestions clearly.A continuous improvement mindset, ability to simplify processes, strengthen workflows and embed better ways of working.
• Technology focused, ability to use AI and digital tools to improve the quality, speed and consistency of people processes.
• Global experience would be advantageous, particularly exposure to multiple jurisdictions.
• Please note: if you are successful, you will be supporting a range of NZ and international stakeholders, so flexibility is required.

Why you’ll love working hereNZTE is a truly global organisation, giving you a wonderful experience of working with different cultures with over a hundred countries as part of our everyday. We know that life is not all about work and flexible working at NZTE is standard practice. We will give you the right technology to allow you to work anywhere and balance your time.

On top of this, we also offer 5 weeks annual leave so you can have that extra time in the year to enjoy what you love doing!

Career development is another huge part of working at NZTE and we will help you with your aspirations and work with you to get you there. We are a learning environment that encourages adventure, experimentation and continuous improvement. What better place to grow your career!

What's next: If you have the legal right to work in New Zealand and this role sounds like you, please apply with your cover letter and resume. For further information, please review the Position Description here.

Applications close Sunday 26 July 2026 at 11.59pm NZST. This role is banded NZ Level 17.

Please note: The legal right to live and work in NZ is required to apply for this role.

We believe Aotearoa is good for the world. New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) is an equal opportunity employer. At NZTE it is all about our people and we seek diversity of thought; we welcome and encourage you to apply regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, neurodiversity or disability.

If we need to make specific accommodations in any part of the interview process, please note this in your application or discuss with the Talent Acquisition Specialist.