About us

Formed in 1941, Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa – Playcentre Aotearoa is a licenced early childhood education provider and charitable trust. Committed to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and celebrating people’s uniqueness, with a philosophy of empowering ‘parents as first educators’. Playcentre seeks to empower whānau and tamariki to work, play, learn and grow together, and today has approximately 400 centres nationwide.

About the role

Reporting to the Principal Advisor – Community & Service Delivery, the Human Recourses Senior Advisor works collaboratively across the organisation to provide high-quality HR advice and day-to-day deliverables.

Duties include, but are not limited to: 

• Deliver best practice HR advice to Playcentre managers and staff in a timely manner
• Provide leadership, guidance and coaching to 2x direct reports (HR Coordinators)
• Coach managers to apply HR processes, policies and legislation
• Manage HR and ER related complaints and, where required, work with external advisors/ service providers to support ER outcomes
• Draft, review and issue employment documentation accurately, including employment agreements & letters of variation
• Maintain accurate employee records and HR data, providing reporting and analysis as required
• Support the development, mapping and improvement of HR policies and procedures

About you

The ideal candidate will have a strong HR generalist background with experience supporting employment relations matters, along with the following:

• Relevant tertiary qualification (or relevant and equivalent experience)
• Proven experience coaching and supporting people managers on HR processes and employment matters
• Ability to discern when employment relations matters require escalation or specialist advice
• Ability to manage competing priorities, meet deadlines and maintain service quality during periods of high workload

Desired:

• Experience in education, not-for-profit, or volunteer-led organisations
• Familiarity with Te Tiriti-based practice and culturally responsive policy development

Benefits

• Permanent, full-time work – 40 hours per week
• Flexibility to work from home from time to time, close to the train station
• Leadership opportunity

How to apply 

To apply fo this role, please submit your application via the form below.

Applications will close on 2 October 2026. We will review and confirm interviews after this date. Please ensure your application is submitted prior to this date.

If you have any questions or would like more information about the role, please contact us at vacancies@playcentre.org.nz, using “HR Senior Advisor” in the subject line.