Woolworths

Woolworths Group

We are Woolworths Group. 200,000+ bright minds, passionate hearts and unique perspectives connected by a shared Purpose – ‘to create better experiences together for a better tomorrow.’ It’s that Purpose that fuels our ambition 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.

Woolworths New Zealand  | Me mahi tahi tatou ki Woolworths NZ

With over 185 Woolworths stores, 78 FreshChoice Stores and 21,000 team members across Aotearoa, we've made it our mission to make Kiwi lives a little better every day.  We're friendly, down-to-earth, and energetic - we work hard but we have a great time doing it, and we love what we do. There is plenty of scope for new ideas, lots of room for you to add value, and importantly, you'll be working with a business that touches the lives of three million New Zealanders a week.

What you'll do | Hei mahi

This key leadership role sits on both the Group People Executive and the New Zealand Executive Leadership Teams. 

The scope is significant: you will hold end-to-end accountability for the People Team and the People Strategy across a workforce of ~ 21,000 team members. You will lead and embed transformative culture and people programs that enable the next evolution of Woolworths NZ  and unlock the potential of our teams.

You will act as a trusted coach and influential partner to the Managing Director and your peers on the Executive Leadership Team, shaping strategic people outcomes through strong relationships, sound judgement, and enterprise-wide leadership. A critical part of this mandate includes leading complex Industrial, Workplace, and Employee Relations strategies and negotiations, positioning Woolworths NZ as an employer of choice.

• Drive the NZ People transformation program and deliver the NZ strategic plan
• Foster a high-performance, inclusive culture and build leadership capability across Frontline and Support roles.
• Play a lead role in actively embedding People Team Agile mindset, practice and ways of working actively leveraging the power of one of the largest transtasman people teams to deliver effectively into the NZ business 
• Bring to life the vision of our Purpose through a compelling people narrative, translating Ways of Working and Values into actionable outcomes that drive real sustainable growth and change
• Oversee through partnering across the People Leadership team the entire employee lifecycle, from workforce planning and talent acquisition to leadership development for ~21,000 team members as well as providing the framework for ~78 franchise Supermarket stores.
• Deliver talent management, organisational design and capability building plans as pertains to the People Strategy
• Lead complex strategies and negotiations in Industrial, Workplace, and Employee Relations to enhance engagement and establish Woolworths NZ as an employer of choice.
• Provide active coaching to the MD and SLT to drive organisational effectiveness, influencing functional areas to drive outcomes aligned with business priorities.
• Leverage people data for strategy, continue to embed the HR systems and processes, and ensure strict compliance with people risk and governance frameworks
• Lead the delivery of the Health Safety & Wellbeing agenda and drive a culture of Safety leadership; partnering closely with the Group Director Health Safety & Wellbeing 
• Ensure people risk & compliance control measures and governance frameworks are effective and adhered to ensure compliance with legal and statutory obligations

What you’ll bring | Hei koha

• 15+ years culture & people (HR) leadership experience within a significant enterprise organisation
• Executive presence and influence skills developed through experience as a member of senior executive leadership teams
• Proven experience leading large-scale transformation within a complex, matrixed environment
• Experience leading workplace relations, employee relations and Industrial relations 
• Experience in leading Health Safety & Wellbeing teams, and coaching safety leadership 
• True generalist experience across all areas of human resources
• Proven ability to develop people strategy and translate into operational plans
• Experience leading cultural transformation
• Highly developed coaching capability
• Proven experience leading a large team through both direct and indirect relationships
• Strong commercial and financial acumen
• Experience working within an agile environment is highly desirable
• Bachelor or Masters degree (management, law or related discipline)

 * While applications are welcome now, the selection process will extend into January 2026

Our Benefits | To Tatou Painga

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: A commitment to flexibility through a hybrid working model which combines time spent at a support office or hub and time working from home, supporting both in-person connection and balancing the flexibility that remote working provides for our teams

• High-impact role supporting our teams who enrich our communities. 
• A global business with endless career possibilities around every corner and across every discipline – with valuable exposure to a vast and exciting business network
• 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. 
• 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.

Come as you are | Nau mai, whakatau mai 

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.