Chief People and Culture Officer

Massey University is one of Aotearoa New Zealand's leading universities, with campuses in Auckland, Manawatū and Wellington and a distinctive history of distance and flexible learning. For almost a century, Massey has connected education and research with the needs of Aotearoa. Its refreshed strategy builds on this legacy, with an ambition to be New Zealand's most applied, connected university, globally recognised for impact and innovation.

With a newly configured Executive Leadership Team and the strategy moving into delivery, the University is focused on building the people, leadership, culture and organisational capability needed to turn ambition into results. This is a significant opportunity to help shape Massey's next chapter and contribute to a more connected, focused and future-ready university.

We are seeking an outstanding and strategically minded leader to serve as Chief People and Culture Officer. Reporting to the Vice-Chancellor and serving as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Chief People and Culture Officer will provide strategic leadership for the University's people, culture and organisational capability agenda, and executive leadership of health, safety and wellbeing for staff. The portfolio spans workforce strategy and planning, leadership development, the employee lifecycle, remuneration, employment and industrial relations, and culture, engagement and inclusion.

The Chief People and Culture Officer will enable enterprise-wide transformation through workforce strategy and change leadership, foster an inclusive, values-led and high-performing culture, lead constructive engagement with unions and staff, and position Massey as an employer of choice in a rapidly evolving higher education environment. The ideal candidate will bring significant executive-level people and culture leadership experience in a large and complex organisation, with a demonstrable record of delivering enterprise-wide people strategies, leading large-scale organisational and cultural change, and advising chief executives, executive teams and governing bodies. Experience in health, safety and wellbeing leadership, a sound understanding of New Zealand employment and workplace legislation, and a genuine commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi are essential, as are exceptional communication, judgement and influencing skills. Experience in the tertiary, public or research sectors, or in a bicultural context, would be an advantage.

How to Apply

Massey University will be supported in its global search for this appointment by the executive search firm Perrett Laver. For more information and to submit your application, please visit the Perrett Laver website quoting reference 8657, or for a confidential conversation please contact Claudia Roth at [email protected].

The deadline for applications is 23 November 2026 at 11.30pm NZDT.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to assist you in the selection process, please advise us of these so that we can make appropriate arrangements.

Perrett Laver's Privacy Statement

Perrett Laver Pty Ltd collects and uses personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles. Your data is held securely and used only for the purpose for which it was provided. For our full Privacy Statement, visit https://perrettlaver.com/privacy-policy/

If you have comments that would support us to improve access to documentation, or our application processes more generally, please do not hesitate to contact us via [email protected].