Employment Relations Specialist | Wellington

Employment Relations Specialist

• Manage complex, high-stakes ER cases, investigations, disputes and mediations
• Partner with senior leaders, unions and stakeholders across NZ Post
• Bring practical, human-centred judgement to sensitive workplace matters
• Wellington CBD based, with flexible working or Auckland (Highbrook)

Kōrero mō te tūranga – About the role

You'll work across a wide range of complex, sensitive and often high-stakes workplace matters, guiding leaders and employees through them with clarity, confidence and care.  This is a genuinely senior specialist role, and your judgement will matter.

You'll bring structure, calm and empathy to situations that rarely have straightforward answers, balancing legal risk, fairness, operational reality and the impact on people.

Across a single week you might move between investigations, disciplinary and performance processes, personal grievances, mediation, union engagement, organisational change and proactive improvements to how we do ER.  It's varied, meaningful work in a large, diverse and highly operational organisation; no two days are the same.

You'll be part of a specialist ER team working closely with People Advisory, People Partners, Legal, unions, and operational and corporate leaders across NZ Post.  You'll be someone who thrives in complexity, stays steady when things are hard, and wants to help shape fair, practical and well-managed outcomes.

You'll do this by:

• Supporting leaders through complex, sensitive ER matters end-to-end
• Providing clear, practical and risk-aware ER advice
• Leading or supporting workplace investigations with care, fairness and sound judgement
• Managing personal grievances and representing NZ Post in mediation where needed
• Building constructive, trusted relationships with unions and key stakeholders
• Coaching leaders to navigate people challenges with confidence
• Identifying opportunities to improve ER practices, tools and outcomes

Mōu – About you

You might already be an experienced ER specialism, or you might be coming from a related background such as HR advisory, employment or legal advisory, workplace relations, union or advocacy work, workplace investigations, or another people-focused role where you've handled sensitive, complex or high-risk matters.  We know strong people arrive by different paths.

What matters is the judgement you bring: you can work through ambiguity, ask good questions, weigh risk, and help others find a clear and practical way forward.  You're confident enough to give advice and influence at a senior level and grounded enough to test your thinking and work collaboratively when matters are complex.

You'll combine that with:

• Experience handling employment, HR, legal, investigation or workplace relations matters
• A sound feel for fair process, confidentiality and good decision-making
• Working knowledge of New Zealand employment legislation, or the ability to build it quickly
• Clear, warm written and verbal communication
• The ability to build trust with leaders, employees, unions and stakeholders
• Confidence coaching and influencing others in sensitive situations
• A pragmatic, solutions-focused approach, with resilience and discretion

Direct experience with complex ER cases, investigations, personal grievances, mediation or union engagement is an advantage, and if you have it in depth, we'd love to hear from you.  But if you bring strong transferable experience, sound judgement and a real interest in ER, we'd still encourage you to apply.

He Aha Te Pai – What you'll love about us

We're passionate about our commitment to deliver the best for Aotearoa - to help businesses thrive, and to deliver what Kiwis care about.  Our permanent employees enjoy a variety of benefits including:

• Free onsite secure parking at our Auckland sites
• Access to discounted health insurance plans for you and your family
• Access to special rates on fantastic holiday home accommodation around New Zealand
• Retail shopping discounts with our partners
• An Employee Assistance programme to support you when you need it

Plus more!!

Hiahia? – Interested? Come and join the whānau!

There's a story in every parcel. And wrapped up in every parcel is the people of NZ Post. Our mahi is different, but we share the same goal – to contribute to the growth and prosperity of Aotearoa.

Start your journey by applying today, or find out more by downloading the job description on the NZ Post Careers page.

For a confidential kōrero or more information, contact Michele Christie, Talent Partner, on 022 087 5195.

Applications for this position close on Thursday 9 July 2026  

Due to the fast-paced nature of NZ Post, our vacancy close dates may be subject to change, so please don't delay – apply as soon as you can.

All successful applicants will be required to provide proof of their eligibility to work in New Zealand and will be subject to a security check and reference checks. Some of our roles may also require a credit check and/or a drug test.

If you're interested in a role, please apply directly through our online portal. No one knows what we do and how we do it better than us, and our in-house talent team are experts at finding the right people for the right roles.  We won't consider candidates through agencies unless this has been previously approved. 

There's something really special about being part of the team here at NZ Post - Tukurau Aotearoa, who we are and what we stand for is grounded in our values.

NZ Post proudly stands as a Gold Supporter of Pride Pledge – because building an inclusive workplace where everyone can bring their authentic self to work is core to who we are.