HR Manager

St Margaret's College is one of New Zealand's leading independent girls' schools, providing exceptional education and opportunities for students from Preschool to Year 13. Guided by our values of integrity, respect, courage, resilience, and compassion, we are committed to creating an environment where students and staff can thrive.

We are seeking an experienced and commercially astute HR Manager to provide trusted strategic and operational HR leadership across the school.

Reporting directly to the Executive Principal, this standalone senior leadership role is responsible for all aspects of human resources, employment relations, compliance, organisational development, and workforce capability. It is a unique opportunity for an experienced HR professional who enjoys operating both strategically and operationally, while influencing culture and supporting leadership capability across a complex and diverse educational environment.

About the Role
You will work closely with the Executive Principal, leadership team, and managers to ensure effective people practices, legislative compliance, organisational capability, and employment risk management.

Key responsibilities include:
• Providing expert advice on employment legislation, policy and workforce planning
• Leading employment relations processes, including investigations, disciplinary matters, personal grievances, and employment agreements
• Monitoring legislative developments and ensuring organisational compliance with employment and privacy obligations
• Acting as the College's Privacy Officer
• Managing employment-related governance, risk, and reporting requirements
• Leading recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and employee engagement initiatives
• Building trusted relationships across all levels of the organisation

About You
To be successful in this role, you will bring:
• Significant senior-level HR experience, ideally in a standalone or broad generalist leadership role
• Strong knowledge of New Zealand employment legislation and employment relations practice
• Demonstrated experience managing complex employee relations matters and organisational risk
• Sound judgement, discretion, and the ability to navigate sensitive situations with professionalism and confidence
• Exceptional relationship-building and influencing skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• A relevant tertiary qualification in Human Resources, Employment Relations, Business, or a related experience

Why Join St Margaret's College?
This is an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution within a values-driven organisation that is committed to excellence in education and the development of young women.

We offer:
• A collaborative and supportive professional environment
• The opportunity to work closely with senior leadership and partner with leaders across the school
• An autonomous, varied and rewarding role with significant influence across the College
• The opportunity to shape the HR function in line with our values, and
• To make a meaningful contribution within our community and be part of empowering young women to thrive

If you are an experienced HR professional seeking a role where you can combine strategic leadership, trusted advice, and operational excellence, we would love to hear from you.

A copy of the position description for the role can be found on this link:   https://stmargarets.school.nz/explore-our-college/meet-our-people/work-at-smc/.