People Operations Lead

At Comvita we embrace the science of nature to support natural health and wellbeing, and to build global resilience. We believe in the power and wisdom of bees, and the idea of “One Hive”, where belonging makes each of us stronger.  

Are you an experienced People & Culture professional ready to take on your next challenge? Comvita is seeking a People Operations Lead to join our People & Purpose team, reporting to the Chief People & Culture Officer. 

This pivotal role requires a well-rounded HR professional who is passionate about employee engagement and performance, with strong employee relations experience, a sound understanding of HR legislation across multiple countries, and the ability to drive process improvement in a global business.  

We’re looking for someone with a continuous improvement mindset, who can think globally and act locally — all while bringing energy and a sense of fun to the journey. 

About the Role 

The People Operations Lead is responsible for delivering high-quality, scalable, and digitally enabled people services that support organisational performance and an exceptional employee experience across Comvita.  

The role is responsible for the continuous improvement of core HR processes and services across talent, the employee lifecycle, compensation and benefits, and people insights and leads a small team to ensure consistent, efficient, and globally aligned delivery.  

Key Responsibilities of the Role  

• Partner with business leaders and the People & Purpose team to identify operational needs and design, deliver, and continuously improve people processes that support employees throughout the full lifecycle.  

• Optimise HR systems, workflows, and service delivery models to ensure a consistent, efficient, and customer-centric people operations experience. 

• Lead and project manage the selection, implementation, optimisation, ongoing maintenance and continuous improvement of people-related software and digital solutions.  

• Lead core cyclical people processes—including performance reviews, annual remuneration reviews, engagement surveys, and other key people programmes—to ensure consistency, fairness, and strong employee experience across the organisation.
   

• Drive the development, implementation and continual review of robust policies, frameworks, and operational and service delivery plans to ensure effective management of the portfolio of activities, compliance with relevant legislation, policies and guidelines, and effective risk management. 

• Contributes to Comvita’s HR strategy and plays an active role in critical business planning.  

• Aligns leadership approach with Comvita’s vision, purpose, values, and commercial priorities.  

What you bring to the role 

• 8+ years’ experience in a broad, end-to-end HR role, spanning People Operations, Talent, Learning and Development, Engagement, Reward, and Employee Relations and Business Partnering. 

• Experience working in globally distributed organisations, with exposure to multiple countries and regulatory environments. 

• Strong leadership capability, with the ability to influence senior leaders, build capability, and drive accountability. 

• Solid expertise in employment and labour law, including a strong understanding of NZ legislation and experience navigating international frameworks. 

• Proven experience managing complex employee relations matters with confidence and sound judgement. 

• A continuous improvement mindset, with experience standardising and optimising HR processes across regions. 

• A tertiary qualification in Human Resources, Business, or a related field (or equivalent experience). 

Working with us   

At Comvita, you will be part of a purpose-driven business with a proud legacy and a bold future. You will have the opportunity to make a real impact on the safety and wellbeing of our people while working in a supportive, values-led environment. 

We offer competitive remuneration, and benefits including: 

• An opportunity to join a team who are passionate about doing business in a way where people and bees can thrive together in harmony.
  
   

• Birthday leave – a paid day off for your birthday every year  

• Private health insurance – add your family members at a discounted rate 

• Life and trauma insurances  

• Frequent supply of Comvita products  

• Increased KiwiSaver employer contribution of 4%  

• Additional family benefits such as enhanced parental leave allowances  

Ready to apply?
 

If you think you would be a great fit for our team, submit your application here with your CV and cover letter. Note:
We kindly ask that you submit a cover letter written in your own words, as we are already quite familiar with the tone and structure of AI-generated letters. After all, we are looking to hire a person, not AI, and getting a sense of who you are really
matters to us. Give us something only a real human (like you!) could write.
 

This role is hybrid but we are open to a remote option for the right candidate. 

Comvita’s Commitment to Ethical Employment Practices
 

Comvita is committed to upholding the rights of young workers and ensuring that child labour has no place in our operations or supply chain. We do not employ individuals under the age of 18 and strictly prohibit anyone under 18 from performing work that may involve hazardous conditions or materials.  

We do not tolerate the use of child labour or forced labour in any part of our business or among our suppliers. No child is to be involved in the production of our products or in the provision of materials or services to Comvita.  

This commitment reflects our core values and our responsibility to support safe, fair, and ethical working conditions across all aspects of our business.  

Comvita is an organisation which is committed to well-being, diversity and equity. We celebrate diversity and nurture belonging within our global team. We welcome diversity of people, ideas, talents and experiences. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us so we can support you through your recruitment journey.