People & Performance Manager

Symons Group is a family-owned Taranaki business providing a wide range of transport and warehousing services, including supporting the oil and gas industry and bulk transportation of food products. We are renowned for keeping the smiles on customers' faces through our customer-first focus, utilising world-class equipment, continuously improving systems, and boasting a motivated and highly skilled team.

We're looking for a People & Performance Manager to own the people-performance system for our driver workforce. This is a senior role for someone confident in establishing and maintaining boundaries, addressing underperformance early, and following issues through to resolution.

The Role

This role exists to hold front-line staff to account fairly, consistently, and professionally, with a specific focus on Symons Transport drivers.

You will own the people-performance system end-to-end - from recruitment through to performance management and exit - ensuring expectations are clear, behaviour is addressed early, and issues are resolved rather than allowed to linger.

This role is accountable for outcomes, not just activity.

The Role

• Lead recruitment, onboarding, and performance management of our staff
• Initiate and lead difficult performance and behaviour conversations early
• Address repeated or unresolved underperformance rather than deferring it
• Apply people-performance processes consistently and fairly
• Maintain clear, accurate documentation of conversations, decisions, and outcomes
• Support supervisors and managers to hold expectations and standards
• Recognise and reinforce good performance, not just manage poor behaviour

This role does not own training system design or delivery. Training needs and competency gaps are managed by the Training & Capability Manager; this role owns the behavioural and performance response where issues persist. You will not be expected to be an employment law specialist.

Symons Group works with an external HR advisory service (Peninsula) to provide guidance on employment law, process, and documentation. This includes support with disciplinary correspondence, meeting invitations, and outcome letters where required.

What matters most in this role is your ability to:

• identify and address people-performance issues early,
• gather and present clear evidence, and
• lead the human conversations at the front end of any process.

About you

This role suits someone who is calm, grounded, and comfortable with accountability with the following skillsets.

• Proven ability to hold people to account fairly and consistently
• Confidence in initiating difficult conversations without waiting for escalation
• Emotional steadiness in conflict and under pressure
• Strong discipline in applying people-performance processes and maintaining clear documentation
• Low tolerance for unresolved or repeatedly deferred performance issues
• Clear, direct communication that maintains respect without avoidance

Why join Symons Group?

You'll be trusted with real responsibility, supported by clear role boundaries, and backed by leaders who value clarity, fairness, and doing the right thing - even when it's hard.

If you believe that kindness and accountability can coexist, and that unresolved issues don't help anyone, we'd like to hear from you.

Applicants should have NZ residency or a valid NZ work visa.