Human Resources Advisor

Help shape people practices across two key Southland dairy manufacturing sites and support leaders to create safe, high-performing, values-led workplaces.

We’re looking for a practical, confident HR Advisor who thrives in an operational environment and enjoys being the trusted, on-site go-to for people matters. This role is hands-on, varied and central to supporting around 270 employees across Open Country Dairy Awarua and Mataura Valley Milk sites and Southern Milk Transport.

Why you’ll love this role:

• A visible, relationship-driven position where people know and trust you
• A mix of advisory work, ER, recruitment, coaching, and operational support
• The chance to influence leadership capability and strengthen people practices
• Work across two modern dairy manufacturing sites with passionate teams
• Autonomy in your day-to-day work, backed by strong national HR leadership

What you’ll be doing:

• Providing timely, practical HR advice to leaders and employees
• Supporting ER matters including performance, disciplinary processes, investigations, and grievances
• Managing end-to-end recruitment
• Partnering with site leaders on workforce planning, seasonal labour, roster changes, and operational impacts
• Implementing HR policies, frameworks and compliance requirements at site level
• Coaching leaders to build capability in people management and documentation
• Acting as a visible, trusted HR presence to support engagement and issue resolution
• Identifying people-related risks and escalating appropriately
• Supporting health and safety related employment matters and joint investigations.

What you’ll bring:

• Tertiary qualification in HR, ER, Business, or equivalent experience
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in a generalist HR or HR advisory role
• Strong working knowledge of NZ employment legislation
• Proven experience supporting leaders with ER processes
• Confidence working independently
• A pragmatic, solutions-focused approach and sound judgement
• Ability to build rapport and trust quickly, and communicate with clarity
• Calm under pressure and able to manage competing priorities.

About you

You’re practical, approachable and confident advising in real-time. You enjoy building relationships and helping leaders navigate people matters with clarity and consistency. You’re proactive, organised, and comfortable balancing advisory work with hands-on operational support. As you will need to travel to the Mataura Valley Milk site (near Gore) once a week, you will need a driver’s license.

If you’re looking for a role where you can genuinely influence people outcomes and support operational teams, we’d love to hear from you.

Contact [email protected] for a confidential discussion and more information. Or apply now via the link with your CV and a brief cover letter.

Applications close: 29 May 2026

Apply now