HR Business Partner

Position Title:HR Business Partner

Position Type: Regular - Full-Time ​

Requisition ID: 44355 

In every role, McCainers are ambitious, curious, and passionate about creating exceptional work experiences—together. With a customer-first mindset, we make doing business with McCain easy.

About the role.

Ready to be a true business partner and make a real impact?

We're looking for an experienced HR Business Partner to join our team in Timaru. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys working closely with leaders, influencing business outcomes through people strategies, and being a trusted advisor across all aspects of the employee lifecycle.

This is a rare opportunity for an experienced HR professional who enjoys both strategic partnering and operational HR. The role offers significant scope, variety, and ownership, allowing you to influence business outcomes while remaining closely connected to the day-to-day employee experience.

You'll have broad exposure across the full employee lifecycle, partnering with leaders on people strategy while also owning day-to-day HR case management and core HR processes through our systems (including SAP/ServiceNow and SuccessFactors). Working on-site with our manufacturing leadership team, you'll play a key role in building capability, driving engagement and supporting organisational performance.

With a high degree of autonomy and ownership, you'll be empowered to set priorities, manage your workload, and deliver practical people solutions that support both our employees and the business.

Please note: This role is based full-time on-site at our Timaru facility, as being visible and accessible to our people is essential to success in this role.

What you'll be doing.

• Partner with leaders to implement people strategies that support business objectives


• Advise and support managers and employees on a broad range of HR matters, balancing strategic guidance with practical solutions


• Lead recruitment and onboarding activities to attract and retain great talent


• Support leaders to build high-performing, capable, and engaged teams


• Lead and contribute to initiatives that enhance engagement, culture, wellbeing, diversity, inclusion, and retention


• Support leadership capability, development planning, talent conversations, and succession planning


• Manage employee and labour relations matters and workplace issues – including performance issues, investigations and disciplinaries – ensuring fair, consistent, and legally compliant outcomes


• Support employee relations input into collective agreement matters and our site's union relationship


• Own day-to-day HR case management through our HR systems, and coordinate core HR processes, programmes, and administration to ensure a seamless employee experience


• Use people insights and data to identify trends, inform decision-making, and drive continuous improvement


• Operate with a high level of autonomy, managing competing priorities and proactively identifying opportunities to add value across the business


• Take ownership of HR initiatives and projects, driving outcomes and ensuring deliverables are achieved


• Maintain a strong on-site presence, building trusted relationships with leaders and employees at all levels

What you'll need to be successful.

• You'll be a confident and pragmatic HR professional who enjoys balancing strategic thinking with operational execution.


• Experience in a HR Business Partner, Senior HR Advisor, HR Advisor, HR Specialist, or similar role


• A Bachelor's degree in human resources or a related field would be well regarded


• Strong generalist HR capability across employee relations, recruitment, engagement, performance management, and people processes


• Demonstrated experience influencing, coaching, and partnering with leaders to achieve positive people and business outcomes


• Strong employee relations and employment law knowledge, with confidence managing people matters from initial enquiry through to resolution


• Comfort operating in digital and technology-enabled HR environments, including case management through SAP and SuccessFactors


• Excellent relationship-building skills and the ability to establish credibility across all levels of the organisation


• A proactive, solution-focused approach and the confidence to challenge constructively when needed


• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to plan, prioritise, and manage competing demands effectively


• Excellent communication skills, sound judgement, and high levels of integrity


• A genuine passion for people, continuous improvement, and creating great employee experiences


• Manufacturing, FMCG, or unionised workforce experience would be advantageous but is not essential.

About the team.

We're a collaborative, down-to-earth team that values initiative, authenticity, and a genuine passion for people. If you're looking for a role where you can influence, coach, challenge, and support leaders while also rolling up your sleeves to deliver great HR outcomes, we'd love to hear from you.

About McCain.

Click Here to learn more about McCain and how we provide opportunities to make an impact that matters.

Leadership principles.

At McCain, our leadership principles guide how we engage with customers, collaborate as a team, and achieve success. We focus on understanding customer needs, driving innovation, empowering people, and taking ownership to clear obstacles and deliver results.

AI & Digital Capabilities.

At McCain, AI and digital capabilities are part of how we work and innovate. We value curiosity toward emerging technologies and the thoughtful, responsible use of AI-enabled tools to improve outcomes as part of our future-ready culture.

The McCain experience.

We are McCain. This statement is a testament to our collective strength and our individual value. Your contributions play a vital role in our success. Our winning culture is rooted in authenticity and trust, empowering us to bring out the best in one another. Here, you'll find opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Join us and experience why we're better together.

Our purpose is grounded in building meaningful relationships. We're big believers in the power of working together in person. It helps us stay connected, collaborate more effectively, and grow as a team. At the same time, we recognize the importance of flexibility. Most office-based roles follow a hybrid model, with the option to work remotely two days a week. There may be exceptions depending on the role and location, so we encourage you to speak with your recruiter for more details.

Ready to make an impact?

Apply today and bring your expertise, curiosity, and ideas to a company where your contribution truly matters.

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McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. As a global family-owned company, we strive to be the employer of choice in the diverse communities around the world in which we live and work. We recognize that inclusion drives our creativity, resilience, and success and makes our business stronger. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

McCain is an accessible employer. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials or accessible meeting rooms), please let us know  and we will work with you to find appropriate solutions. 

Your privacy is important to us. By submitting personal data or information to us, you agree this will be handled in accordance with McCain’s Global Privacy Policy and Global Employee Privacy Policy, as applicable. McCain leverages AI in the hiring process, though all final decisions are made by humans. You can understand our approach to AI and how your personal information is being handled here. 

Job Family: Human Resources

Location(s): NZ - New Zealand : Canterbury : Timaru  

Company: McCain Foods (NZ) Limited