People Partner

About this role

People Partner

Permanent | Full time | Wellington

Enable Great People Experiences at NZQA

At NZQA, we ensure Aotearoa New Zealand's qualifications are credible, trusted, and recognised both here and overseas. We play a vital role in supporting learners, educators, and employers now and into the future. To deliver on this mahi, we rely on talented people who are committed to making a meaningful difference across the education system.

We are seeking an experienced People Partner to join our People Team and help shape a positive, inclusive, and high‑performing workplace culture through expert, strategic HR partnership.

About the Role

As a People Partner, you are a strategic enabler of people practices across NZQA. You will partner with senior leaders across divisions and offices to embed HR policies, frameworks, tools, and resources that support consistent, values‑aligned HR service delivery.

Reporting to the Chief People Officer, you will provide expert guidance across the employee lifecycle, supporting strong leadership capability and a great employee experience. Your work will span leadership coaching, employment relations, organisational development, workforce planning insights, and supporting NZQA's commitments to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, equity, and inclusion.

 What You'll Do

• Build trusted relationships with leaders to enable confident, high‑quality people decisions.
• Provide expert, strategic and operational HR advice across the employee lifecycle.
• Lead and support the resolution of complex employment matters, working collaboratively with unions as required.
• Embed HR policies, procedures, and frameworks developed within the People Services unit, contributing to continuous improvement.
• Use organisational data and insights to inform planning, performance, engagement, and workforce decisions.
• Contribute to organisation‑wide people priorities, including health, safety and wellbeing, and culturally responsive HR practices.
• Support portfolio areas across the People Team (e.g., remuneration, health and safety, wellbeing).

About You

You are an experienced and trusted HR practitioner who brings:

• 5+ years of generalist HR experience providing advice across complex people matters.
• Excellent communication and relationship‑building skills with the ability to partner effectively at all levels.
• Strong judgement, adaptability, and the ability to manage competing priorities
• Strong knowledge of employment legislation, HR policies, and public sector frameworks.
• A proactive, solutions‑focused approach with a commitment to delivering quality outcomes.
• Proven capability in employment relations and resolving complex issues.
• Excellent written communication capability, with the ability to produce clear, high‑quality documentation, advice, and correspondence.
• Ability to interpret and use HR data to inform decisions and influence outcomes.
• Cultural competence, with a willingness to develop further in te ao Māori, te reo Māori and tikanga.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications in HR or a related field (Chartered HRNZ membership is advantageous).
• Experience with HRIS/payroll systems (e.g., Jemini, PS Enterprise) is beneficial.

Why Join Us?

As part of our People Team, you will play a key role in shaping NZQA's people experience and supporting our leaders and kaimahi to thrive.

We offer:

• A supportive, values‑driven organisation committed to learning and development.
• Opportunities to deepen your HR capability and grow your career.
• A strong focus on cultural capability, including te ao Māori and tikanga development.
• A workplace that values inclusion, respect, and diversity.

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to meaningful change across an organisation that impacts education throughout Aotearoa.

Apply Now

Visit the NZQA Careers Centre to submit your CV and cover letter.
For questions, contact Maeve Neilson, Chief People Officer at maeve.neilson@nzqa.govt.nz.

Applications close at 5.00pm on 2 March 2026.

NZQA is committed to developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from everyone who can meet the requirements of the role.