Head of People and Capability

About the Company With values of Respect, Responsibility and Guardianship, Nelmac Kūmānu has been enhancing New Zealand’s environment and community wellbeing for more than 25 years. Based in the Nelson Tasman region, the organisation was founded on expertise in water and greenspace management and has since expanded into biodiversity, environmental, and pest management services.

Nelmac Kūmānu is committed to environmental sustainability, operational excellence, and delivering high-value services for its clients and communities. We now need a future thinking and talented Head of People and Capability to join the Senior Leadership Team to support our agile and dynamic business. Sound like you?
About the Opportunity Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer and working closely with the Board and Senior Leadership Team, this role will lead the strategic direction of the People and Capability function, ensuring alignment with business priorities and long-term goals.
As Head of People and Capability, you will:

• Lead the development and delivery of the People and Capability strategy, driving alignment with organisational goals.
• Champion workforce planning, succession, and the future of work.
• Drive cultural change and embed high-performance practices across the business.
• Provide visible and pragmatic IR leadership through strategic planning, ensuring future-focused modelling, productive negotiations, and constructive relationships.
• Lead the development of remuneration strategies, performance-based pay, and career pathways.
• Shape the employee experience, from onboarding to offboarding, ensuring policies and practices are modern, fair, and legally compliant.
• Act as a key member of the executive team, contributing to both strategic and operational planning.
• Provide visible leadership to the People and Capability team, ensuring capability, engagement, and delivery.

This is a critical leadership position responsible for driving organisational transformation, embedding a new people strategy focused on driving innovation, performance, and capability through levers like remuneration and strengthening our approach with unions.
About You You are a strategic HR leader with a proven record in shaping people and culture at scale. With extensive senior HR leadership experience in unionised environments, you are confident navigating the complexities of ER/IR while building trust and respect across all levels of the business.
You bring:

• Proven IR expertise, including leading union negotiations, enhancing collective agreements, and building constructive long-term union relationships.
• Strong ER expertise, with deep experience managing complex employment issues, in a pragmatic outcome focused way.
• Demonstrated successes in transforming remuneration, and performance frameworks.
• Strong experience driving cultural change and embedding high-performance practices.
• The ability to balance pragmatism with empathy and influence with authenticity.
• Presence and mana – you inspire confidence, respect, and genuine engagement.
• A future-focused approach to people and work, with resilience to challenge the status quo.

Most importantly, you believe that when people are supported and valued, organisations achieve their best – and you’re ready to bring that belief to life at Nelmac Kūmānu.
Why Join Nelmac Kūmānu? This is a unique opportunity to step into a strategic executive leadership role where your expertise will directly shape the future of Nelmac Kūmānu’s people and culture. You’ll work alongside a values-driven senior team, advise the CEO and Board, and influence organisational direction at the highest level. At Nelmac Kūmānu, you will be part of an organisation that genuinely cares for its people, its clients, and the environment.
How to apply To discover more about Nelmac, visit https://www.nelmac.co.nz/
For a confidential discussion about the role; contact Lisa Edwards, [email protected], or 021 240 4410