ER Partner (People Specialist)

JobsCloseBy Editorial Insights

Air New Zealand is looking for an ER Partner (People Specialist) to join its newly formed ER & Advisory team in Auckland on an 11 month fixed term, with potential extensions. You will partner with leaders and unions to navigate a wide range of employee relations matters, including misconduct incidents, balancing commercial needs, employee experience and risk with practical, people centred advice. The role also involves coaching leaders, delivering workshops to uplift ER capability, and helping embed the new People model and tools. Ideal candidates have 3+ years in generalist HR or advisory, strong ER judgement, excellent communication and stakeholder skills, and a collaborative coaching mindset with an interest in AI. Apply by 17 July 2026; only shortlisted candidates will be contacted due to volume. Diversity and inclusion are core, with accessibility accommodations available on request.

Job Description

Kia ora! 

Step into a role where your expertise in employee relations and people advisory helps create positive outcomes for our people and leaders. As an ER Partner (People Specialist) in our newly created ER & Advisory team, you'll partner closely with leaders and our unions to navigate complex people matters with confidence, balancing commercial outcomes, employee experience and risk through practical, people-centred advice. 

With a strong reputation for culture, service and innovation, Air New Zealand is consistently ranked as one of New Zealand’s most attractive employers. Behind the scenes, our People team is evolving the way we support leaders across the business. As part of our ER & Advisory team, you'll join a collaborative team focused on delivering timely, practical and consistent employee relations partnership, while continuing to strengthen the tools, processes and ways of working that enable our leaders to make the best decisions about their people and also support the rest of our People team to operate at their best.  This role is offered as an 11-month fixed term opportunity. As our team continues to evolve, we may also have additional fixed term opportunities of between 6 and 12 months become available. Applicants may be considered for these opportunities where appropriate. 

Your key responsibilities 

• Provide timely, practical and consistent partnership across a broad range of employee relations matters, including incidents related to potential misconduct and serious misconduct incidents 
• Partner with leaders and union partners to navigate complex people matters with confidence, helping them make informed decisions while managing risk and delivering outcomes. 
• Help strengthen the capability, consistency and confidence of our people leaders by coaching them and developing and delivering workshops across our different work areas to help uplift ER capability 
• Support our leaders, unions and people partners with the new changes to the ways of working with our People model 
• Contribute to improving and embedding ER processes, systems, tools and ways of working to enhance the experience for leaders, employees and the wider People team. 

What we're looking for 

• Strong employee relations capability, with experience managing a range of ER matters and applying sound judgement in complex situations. 
• Three or more years' experience in a generalist HR or advisory role, or equivalent experience. 
• Excellent communication and relationship building skills, with the ability to provide clear, practical advice to a wide range of stakeholders. 
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to balance competing priorities in a fast-paced environment. 
• A collaborative approach, a coaching mindset, and a passion for continuously improving the way HR support is delivered, including an appetite for learning more about AI 

Your journey starts here 

If you're ready to build your employee relations expertise while helping to shape a consistent, practical and people-centered advisory experience across Air New Zealand, we'd love to hear from you. Join a team that is continuing to evolve the way we support our leaders and people and make a meaningful impact in one of New Zealand's most iconic organisations. 

Applications close 17 July 2026.

Please note while we will provide an outcome to all applicants, due to high application volumes we will only organise follow up conversations with shortlisted candidates.

Additional Information

At Air New Zealand, we are proudly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and believe in creating a truly inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves and thrive. Our people are our greatest asset – because while everything else we do in our operation can be replicated by our competitors, it is our people that truly set us apart. We are firm believers in celebrating the differences and diversity of thought our people bring to their roles. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds, including those with a disability, additional health and mental health needs, and/or are neurodiverse to apply for our roles.

If you have encountered any accessibility barriers and require further information or reasonable accommodations to our recruitment process, please reach out to the recruiter listed on this job advert so they are able to support you to freely participate equitably in our recruitment and selection process.

Whāia te pae tawhiti kia tata. Ko te pae tata whakamaua, kia tina.

"Seek to bring distant horizons closer. Once near, seize them and make them your reality."