People Experience Manager

Welcome to Heretaunga, the area renowned for its rich and fertile landscape that is sustained by its life-giving dews and waterways. Welcome to Heretaunga, whose beauty is observed by the sharp eye of the harrier hawk; a landscape rich in history and with an esteemed legacy of caring and providing for its inhabitants.

Taitara Mahi - People Experience Manager
Permanent Full-time

Hastings District Council has a strong reputation as a progressive and innovative leader in the local government sector. Across the people and capability space, we’ve been focussing on initiatives to ensure we have an engaged and effective workforce that delivers for our communities, and we want to continue building on the significant achievements made to date. This role, which leads our operational HR functions, is key to continuing that momentum, so we are seeking a high-performing and passionate senior HR professional to join our team.

As our People Experience Manager, reporting to the GM People & Capability, you’ll play a key role in maintaining and further strengthening an engaged and effective workforce. You’ll lead a capable and committed team responsible for generalist HR, learning and development, and payroll functions. This is a senior leadership role where you’ll have the opportunity to influence organisational culture and drive strategic people initiatives, alongside employment relations responsibilities.

This pivotal leadership role, operating in a changing environment, calls for an experienced and strategic HR practitioner who combines operational expertise with a people-first mindset. You will bring a wealth of practical skills, proven experience, and a collaborative approach to deliver outcomes that matter.

As People Experience Manager, you’ll oversee the delivery of core HR services and processes, ensuring efficiency, compliance, and continuous improvement. The role includes responsibilities across remuneration, workforce planning, employment relations, systems optimisation, and supporting organisational change initiatives. You’ll work closely with managers and senior leaders to embed best practice and further enable a high-performing, engaged workforce.

To succeed, you’ll need resilience, adaptability, and a genuine passion for the people side of business. You’ll be an astute communicator, someone who thrives on managing multiple demands, a problem-solver, and a trusted advisor whose decisions are grounded in experience and sound judgment. An appropriate tertiary qualification in HR, business, or a related discipline is essential, along with demonstrated leadership in HR operations.

If you’re ready to make an impact and help shape the future of our organisation as it delivers for our community, we’d love to hear from you.

Situated in the heart of Ngāti Kahungunu, the Hastings district and Hawke’s Bay offer an enjoyable environment in which to live, work and play. We are an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity. Are you keen to be a part of our journey?