Ko wai mātau | About us

The people at Whakatāne District Council love what we do because we do it for others, and that feels good. We work hard, we support each other, and we make sure we take time to enjoy where we live too. We're on a learning journey because we know we can always do better, and we know we're better together. If you enjoy figuring things out, asking "why?", and turning data into something useful, you'll fit right in.

In return, you'll enjoy a range of staff benefits including flexible working, an extra week's annual leave and free or discounted access to our community facilities. You'll never be more than half an hour away from rivers, lakes, forests, beaches and great walks - most are just on your doorstep. We love this place, and you will too.

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

This is a great opportunity for someone building their career in People & Capability who enjoys both the people side and the data side of HR. As our People & Capability Advisor, you'll support the P&C team to deliver practical, consistent and well‑informed people advice across Council. You'll be involved in everything from recruitment through to reporting, insights and process improvements.

A big part of this role is working with data. Pulling it together, making sense of it, spotting patterns, and helping us tell the story behind what's going on in our workforce. If you love a spreadsheet, enjoy digging into detail, and can translate data into clear, useful insights; this is your space.

You'll work alongside experienced People & Capability professionals, building your capability across the full employee lifecycle while contributing to real work that makes a difference.

What you'll be doing

• Providing practical, first‑line people advice to managers, helping them navigate everyday employment matters
• Supporting recruitment processes, including writing and reviewing job descriptions, writing ads, interviews and ensuring a positive candidate experience
• Drafting and reviewing documentation with a strong focus on accuracy and quality
• Working with data from systems like Jemini, DataPay and AskYourTeam to produce reporting and insights
• Identifying trends, preparing summaries and helping turn data into meaningful workforce insights
• Supporting survey analysis, remuneration review processes and broader people initiatives
• Contributing to continuous improvement—looking for smarter, simpler ways of doing things

We're a small team so it's also really important that you're keen to get stuck in wherever you're needed. We love what we do and we're looking for someone who shares our passion for the organisation and people we work with.

Ko wai koe | About you

You might be early in your HR career but you're curious, switched on, and love getting into the detail.

You enjoy working things out, spotting patterns, and explaining complex information in a way that makes sense to others. You're just as comfortable working with data as you are talking with people.

You'll bring:

• A tertiary qualification in HR, business, employment law or something related
• Experience (or exposure) in HR, recruitment or a related people role
• Strong analytical thinking - you enjoy working with data and making sense of it
• High attention to detail and a natural focus on accuracy and quality
• Confidence communicating with a wide range of people, adapting your style as needed
• Good judgement, you know when to handle things yourself and when to ask for guidance
• A collaborative, team‑first mindset and a willingness to learn
• An interest in building your capability across employment law and the full HR function

If you're the type of person who enjoys turning numbers into insights, processes into improvements, and questions into answers—we'd love to hear from you.

Ngā whaipainga | Our values

• We're always learning and improving - Toitū te Taumata
• We're passionate and proud - Toitū te Mauri Ora
• We work as one team - Toitū te Mahi Tahi
• We put people at the heart of everything we do - Toitū te Tangata
• We care about our environment - Toitū te Taiao

Me pēhea te tono mai | How to apply

If this sounds like your kind of role, we'd love to hear from you. Apply with your CV and a short cover letter telling us what interests you about this opportunity. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the role in more detail, please contact Michelle Trudgen, Manager People & Capability on 07 306 0500.

Applications close on 18 June however we're keen to fill the role so we will be reviewing CV's as we receive them, if you're interested - don't wait, get your application in