At Localised, we believe in the power of community-led change. Our zero waste hubs are where people rethink waste, recover resources, support community reuse and help build a more circular Aotearoa.
Behind this ambition are our people, and we're looking for an experienced, hands-on Head of People & Culture to help them thrive.
This is a role for a seasoned HR generalist with a passion for developing others. You'll be a confident, kind and pragmatic leader with an honest, open and empathetic approach, who can balance strategic thinking with hands-on delivery, sound judgement and accountability.
The role
Reporting to the CEO, you'll be part of the Senior Leadership Team. You'll have ownership of the full People & Culture function, from strategic direction through to everyday delivery, including oversight of Health & Safety which includes one direct report.
In this newly created role, you'll join the business at an exciting phase of positive change to support its future growth and impact. With strong foundations already in place, your initial focus will be strengthening employment relations practices, systems, and processes before building further capability across leadership, organisational development, and culture.
You'll also play an important role in strengthening health and safety leadership and culture across our operational sites.
The passion for the impact our business makes is clear; our team lives and breathes it, and the communities we serve value it. This isn't a role where you'll be sitting on the sidelines developing people strategies that never quite make it off the page. You'll be equally comfortable at the leadership table and working alongside our frontline teams, making a visible contribution with purpose beyond the everyday.
About you
As an experienced, self-motivated People & Culture generalist, your curiosity and growth mindset will help you understand the commercial realities of running an organisation and balance high expectations and accountability with kindness, fairness, and genuine care.
You'll bring: - Strong employment relations expertise and a sound understanding of New Zealand employment law and practice.
- Proven experience across the full employee lifecycle, from strategy through to day-to-day delivery, including P&C administration, systems and compliance.
- A strategic, delivery-focused approach that translates people strategies into practical initiatives with measurable results.
- Experience providing health and safety oversight, strengthening systems and building a proactive safety culture.
- A coaching mindset, with the ability to build leadership capability, support courageous conversations and help managers address people and performance issues while preserving mana.
- An approachable, collaborative and hands-on style, excellent relationship management skills and sound judgement in complex or sensitive situations.
- An understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and a commitment to applying them in leadership and people practices.
Why join Localised? - We offer the opportunity to build on strong foundations, bring fresh thinking and make a tangible difference while helping shape employee experience.
- Be part of an ambitious social enterprise passionate about our people, the communities we serve and our beautiful environment.
- We're a small, fun and diverse team known for having big hearts balanced with commercial smarts.
- We're an award-winning team, including being named a finalist in the 2026 Best Places to Work Awards!
This is a permanent part-time opportunity, working 32 hours per week, Monday to Friday, based at our Glen Innes site in East Auckland. Our teams are connected and collaborative, so you'll work on-site, with regular visits to our other Auckland locations using one of our pool vehicles.
We've partnered with Kin to fill this key role. Please apply with your CV and a cover letter telling us why this role interests you and what you'd bring to it. If you have questions or would like a confidential kōrero before applying, contact Paula Harrington at
[email protected].
Applicants must be eligible to work in New Zealand through citizenship, residency or a valid work visa.