Welcome to the People Team
Better experiences for our Team Members are the key to unlocking a better future for our customers and communities. Our People Team is responsible for powering the trajectory of our business and the wellbeing of our people – through the design and delivery of a seamless and enriching Team Member experience. One that strengthens the foundations of our organisation, empowering passionate Team Members to become purpose-led Woolworths Group advocates and attracting a new generation of talent to the group.

Strategic, HR Business Partnering across multi site retail supermarkets
Focus on enabling business strategies through people outcomes
Agile based delivery model - adapt & thrive

What you’ll do
We're seeking a dynamic HR Business Partner to drive strategic, HR Business Partnering across multi-site retail supermarkets. You will focus on enabling business strategies through people outcomes, utilizing an agile-based delivery model to adapt and thrive. Covering the lower North Island from Wellington to Napier, Gisborne, Palmerston North, and New Plymouth, this role offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of our teams.

Key responsibilities include:

• Strategic HR Business Partner for the Wellington and Lower North Island Area.
• Establish great relationships with key stakeholders to partner across the people model and deliver outcomes.
• Implement HR team objectives aligned to relevant HR people strategy for your Zone.
• Build team connection to Purpose & Business Strategies through shaping team narrative & engagement plans.
• Demonstrate significant expertise partnering with and coaching managers and their team members to implement HR solutions that enable achievement of business objectives and strategies - with particular focus on talent attraction, retention & development.
• Be a change leader - demonstrate the influencing skills, thought leadership and change management disciplines necessary to drive organisation effectiveness and improve employee performance.
• Effectively manage project streams of work.
• Passion for retail with the customer at the centre of decision making.
• Enabler for the delivery of the Supermarkets Strategy through people.
• Foster and drive a high-performance culture.
• ER and IR expertise in investigation, response and action.
• Lead talent development to build a succession pipeline.

This role is to be based in Palmerston North and includes weekly travel across the zone visiting stores and presenting and facilitating at weekly/monthly zone leadership meetings.

What you’ll bring
This is a hands-on HR Business Partner role based in Palmerston North, reporting to the Head of People - Stores. You will provide HR support to stores in the Wellington and Lower North Island Area.

Key responsibilities include building relationships with stakeholders, implementing HR strategies, managing risks, fostering a high-performance culture, building talent and succession across the zone. You will also play a key role in providing crucial support and guidance to our store teams during a significant period of change, ensuring a smooth and effective transition.

This role requires a passion for retail, strong HR expertise, and change management skills. You'll bring a curious mind and a passion for open and inclusive collaboration to a culture that thrives on amplifying people’s impact together.

You’ll bring relevant industry experience and an ability to juggle multiple priorities and remain calm under pressure. You have a burning desire to succeed and really make an impact. You’ll have the ability to communicate effectively across all levels and be able to influence outcomes and ideally be customer and team centric with a passion for retail.

Other skills and experience should include:

• End-to-end project management and delivery, encompassing diverse workstreams and stakeholder engagement
• People-centric leadership, with a proven ability to coach, influence, and support key partners and stakeholders
• Strategic business partnering experience
• Facilitating positive outcomes during periods of team and individual change and growth
• People management
• Change management and communication planning

If you’re the sort of individual who strives to always do the right thing for customers, team, our communities, and our business then we ought to connect.

What you’ll experience
Our Team Members are at the heart of everything we do and we’re always looking for ways to support your career journey and reward great work:

• Team discounts across our range of Woolworths Group brands you know and love and a robust rewards program that celebrates and incentivises purpose-driven work.
• A global business with endless career possibilities around every corner and across every discipline – with valuable exposure to a vast and exciting business network.
• High impact role supporting our teams who enrich our communities.
• A range of programs to help you prioritise and manage your wellbeing, including 24/7 access to the Sonder app.
• A progressive and competitive leave policy that gives you more space for what matters to you.

Endless possibilities with Woolworths Group
We’re a proud part of the Woolworths Group – 200,000+ bright minds, passionate hearts and unique perspectives working together connected by a shared Purpose – ‘to create better experiences together for a better tomorrow.’

Here you’ll be supported and empowered to explore new ideas, make brave commitments and innovate better ways to meet the food and everyday needs of more than 24 million customers every week. Backed by a culture of genuine care, a flexible approach to work and the support to grow your career and make a meaningful impact, the possibilities for what we can achieve together are endless.

Everyone belongs at Woolworths Group
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are key to realising our purpose of better together for a better tomorrow. We recognise the value our team’s diversity brings to our business, customers, and communities and that teams with diverse experiences and backgrounds enrich our group and are better able to innovate and solve problems. As one of the largest employers in Australia and New Zealand, we aim to create a truly inclusive workplace where everyone feels that they belong, can be their best selves, and reach their full potential.

We encourage all candidates to apply; please let us know in your application if we can support you with any adjustments in the hiring process.