Senior HR Advisor at Ministry For Ethnic Communities, Multiple Locations

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

Senior HR Advisor

Location:             Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch

Type:                   Permanent

Hours:                 40

Salary:                 $100,081 - $134,567

About the role

The Senior HR Advisor leads the delivery of the human resources function for the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, supported by services provided through our Departmental Host Agency Agreement with the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). This is a senior generalist role that combines strategic and operational responsibilities across people and capability, employment relations, organisational development, workforce planning, wellbeing, privacy, conflicts of interest, and health and safety.

Working closely with the Director, Corporate Services, you will provide trusted advice to leaders, support organisational capability initiatives, and help ensure the Ministry has the people, culture and systems needed to achieve its strategic objectives. You will also play a key role in recruitment, workforce reporting, learning and development, employee wellbeing, and supporting organisational change initiatives.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced HR professional who enjoys working in a small, agile organisation where they can influence outcomes, build strong relationships, and contribute across a broad range of people and organisational priorities.

What you'll bring

We're looking for someone who can operate as a trusted advisor and partner to leaders, bringing a practical, solutions-focused approach to supporting people and organisational outcomes.

You will have:

• Extensive experience delivering high-quality HR advisory services, including experience operating at a senior level, preferably within the public sector.
• Strong knowledge of New Zealand employment legislation, including the Employment Relations Act, Privacy Act, and other relevant employment frameworks.
• Experience providing employment relations advice and supporting organisational change initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience across workforce planning, organisational capability, learning and development, remuneration, performance, and recruitment practices.
• Strong relationship management skills, with the ability to influence, coach and provide advice to leaders at all levels.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to tailor communications for different audiences.
• Experience working with HR systems, workforce data and reporting to support evidence-based decision making.
• A tertiary qualification in Human Resources or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.

Why work with us?

At the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to building a more inclusive and cohesive Aotearoa New Zealand. You'll work alongside passionate and committed colleagues in a collaborative environment where your expertise, initiative and ideas will have real impact.

If you're looking for a diverse and rewarding HR role where you can shape organisational capability, influence positive people outcomes and contribute to New Zealand's public service, we'd love to hear from you.

About us

The Ministry for Ethnic Communities is the Government's chief advisor on ethnic communities, ethnic diversity, and the inclusion of ethnic communities in wider society. We:

• Provide advice to the system
• Develop the evidence base
• Broker conflict and convene stakeholders to resolve issues
• Foster a sense of belonging

We work with communities, government agencies and a wide range of organisations to help ensure Aotearoa New Zealand is a place where everyone feels welcome, valued and empowered to participate and thrive.

Application process

Applications close: 5pm Friday 2 October 2026.

To apply for this position, please submit your covering letter which outlines why you are interested in the role, along with your CV highlighting your skills, knowledge and experience relevant to the role.

We will be reviewing applications as they come in, so please get your application in as soon as possible.

We encourage inclusion and diversity at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities and are committed to equal opportunity in all our employment policies and procedures.  We want to ensure accessibility needs are well supported, so the recruitment process is fair and equitable for all. Therefore, please let us know if there is any support, we can provide to ensure the recruitment process is fully accessible to you. You can contact us at HumanResources@ethniccommunities.govt.nz if you would like to discuss any accessibility needs you may have.