People & Culture Advisor

About the role

We’re looking for a People & Culture Advisor to join our Safety, People & Culture team at our Dunsandel site. This is a newly created position for someone ready to step into an Advisor role, or an existing Advisor looking for broader exposure across both HR and recruitment. 

Working closely with Senior HR Business Partners and leaders across the business, you’ll provide practical HR support across the employee lifecycle while also supporting end-to-end recruitment. You’ll partner largely with corporate teams, giving you exposure across our corporate divisions. From coaching leaders through people matters to supporting engagement initiatives and securing top talent, no two days will be the same.

If you are sick of the annoying daily commute to the centre city, this role is based at our state-of-the art facilities in Dunsandel. You’ll skip the daily traffic-light grind, jump on the motorway, and have a luxurious commute out to the country listening to your podcast, drinking your Macca’s coffee and pulling into a large carpark with ample free parking. If that sounds like your kind of morning, we’d love to hear from you! 

What you’ll be doing:

• Build strong, trusted relationships across all levels and act as a trusted advisor to manager and employees on all People and Culture matters
• Provide guidance on employee relations, supporting leaders to navigate people matters confidently
• Deliver core HR processes and contribute to key initiatives, such as onboarding and employee experience improvements
• Support the HR business partners as needed with workforce planning, organisational development, engagement and change activities
• Deliver end to end recruitment, championing a positive candidate experience and quality hiring outcomes
• Facilitate and support training sessions and workshops, helping build capability across our leaders and team
• Ensure compliance with NZ legislation, internal policies and regulations, including supporting with accurate and timely employee documentation
• Exposure to generalist HR and employment relations
• Experience managing end-to-end recruitment 
• Sound knowledge of employment legislation and HR principles 
• Comfortable facilitating conversations, training sessions or workshops 
• Strong communication, organisation and stakeholder management skills 
• A proactive, collaborative and solutions-focused mindset 
• Experience within manufacturing or operational environments is advantageous 

About you

You’ll bring a strong foundation across HR advisory and recruitment and be confident working in a fast-paced environment, balancing competing priorities while maintaining a high level of organisation and attention to detail. A natural communicator, you’ll be comfortable coaching, influencing and constructively challenge others, while remaining approachable and collaborative.

You’ll enjoy being part of a hardworking team that likes to have a laugh and you’ll be motivated by making a genuine difference to our people and the wider business.

Skills and Experience  

We’re looking for someone with 3–5 years’ HR experience who is ready to take the next step in their career, whether you’re a capable HR Coordinator with some advisory experience, or an established HR Advisor looking to broaden your exposure and continue developing your capability. 

You’ll ideally have:

• Exposure to generalist HR and employment relations
• Experience managing end-to-end recruitment 
• Sound knowledge of employment legislation and HR principles 
• Comfortable facilitating conversations, training sessions or workshops 
• Strong communication, organisation and stakeholder management skills 
• A proactive, collaborative and solutions-focused mindset 
• Experience within manufacturing or operational environments is advantageous 

Don’t hit every single criteria? No worries – apply anyway and let’s have a chat!

Why this role?

This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career within a fast-paced, supportive environment where no two days are the same. You’ll build capability across both HR and recruitment, strengthen your employment relations expertise, and develop the confidence to coach and support leaders across a variety of portfolios. With genuine progression pathways, this role is ideal for someone looking to take the next step in their HR career.

About us – The Synlait Spirit 

Synlait is more than a global leader in milk nutrition – we're a purpose-led team that’s Doing Milk Differently For A Healthier World. Our Synlait Spirit guides everything we do, from how we show up each day to the impact we create together. You’ll be joining an authentic, down-to-earth team that lives the three values that underpin the Synlait Spirit. 

Be The Difference means we understand before we act – that means asking why, supporting each other to think differently, stay curious, and continuously look for smarter ways to deliver value. Whether it’s in the paddock, the plant or the boardroom, we’re driven by impact and inspired to make a meaningful difference every day. 

We Move as One by working together with respect, trust and a shared commitment to doing what’s right. We collaborate across teams to deliver innovative solutions and create opportunity for those around us. 

We feed the world’s most vulnerable, including newborn babies, so we have to be Right on the Mark. That means we take accountability seriously, act with courage and focus our energy on what matters most. We combine expert farming and state of the art processing to deliver high quality nutritional products to all over the world.

At Synlait you’ll be challenged and supported to grow. We know everyone brings something unique to the table so we’re an inclusive workplace, where diverse perspectives fuel innovation and success.

What we offer:

• Health insurance cover & partnered with top brands for great benefits and discounts
• Excellent parental leave with our Matua policy
• B Corp^TM certified 
• Social Club membership opportunities 

What's next? Apply now!

Include your most recent CV and cover letter summarising your abilities and what you can bring to Synlait. We wish you the best of luck in your application. We encourage you to apply early as we will be reviewing applications regularly and may close the advertisement early. 

Together we will continue to create a workplace where everyone can thrive and contribute their best.

Applicants outside of New Zealand will only be considered if you have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.   

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