Remuneration Specialist - University of Otago

HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION | TE WĀHANGA MATUA PŪMANAWA TANGATA

Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka

The University of Otago | Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka has been a renowned place of learning and discovery for more than 150 years. It is one of the South Island’s largest employers with some 10,000 staff (4,000 FTEs) and close to 20,000 enrolled students. Our Vision / Ko te Aronga is for our people and knowledge to transform lives, connect communities and nurture the environment in Ōtākou, Te Waipounamu, Aotearoa, the Pacific, and the world.

We are now looking for a Specialist Remuneration Advisor to join our collaborative and dedicated Human Resources team. This role comes at a pivotal time as the University implements Pae Tata, a new strategic plan focused on developing clear career pathways, transparent professional development, and fair performance evaluation and promotion practices.

About the Role / Te mahi

This newly created role sits within our Promotions and Remuneration team, working alongside HR Advisors to provide expert advice on remuneration, benefits, job evaluation, and staff promotions.

As part of a small and tight-knit team, you will lead the University’s total rewards functions, ensuring fair, competitive, and well-structured remuneration strategies. While specialising in remuneration, you will also contribute to broader HR initiatives, supporting policy development and process improvements across the organisation.

Key responsibilities include:

• Gathering and analysing internal and external data to shape remuneration strategies.
• Participating in remuneration surveys and benchmarking against the tertiary sector and other markets.
• Evaluating employee benefits and advising on market alignment.
• Providing data and insights for policy reviews, career pathways, and employment negotiations.
• Ensuring consistent and equitable job evaluation processes.
• Contributing to strategies that enhance Māori and Pacific staff recruitment, retention, and career development.

About You / Kā pūkeka me kā wheako

You will have a strong analytical mindset and experience in HR, remuneration, or workplace data analysis. Ideally, you will be looking to deepen your expertise in total rewards and job evaluation.

You will bring:

• A tertiary qualification in a relevant field.
• Knowledge of HR, payroll, and compensation practices.
• Strong problem-solving, critical thinking, and time management skills.
• Experience with HRIS, job evaluation, payroll systems, and data visualisation tools (e.g., Power BI).
• A commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnerships and cultural competency.

Familiarity with the New Zealand higher education sector and job evaluation training would be an advantage. Absolute discretion when handling confidential information is a must.

Further details / Pūroko

If you want to play a key role in shaping fair and transparent career pathways at Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – reach out, opportunities like this don’t come up often!

This is permanent, full-time (37.5 hours per week) position, based in Dunedin.

The salary range for this role is $78,018 – $97,368 with a 3.5% increase on 1 July 2025. As a member of the UniSaver superannuation scheme, the University will contribute up to 6.75% for a 5% employee contribution.

You will receive five weeks’ annual leave and the University’s flexible working policies support a real work/life balance. See our website for more information regarding our Employee Benefits.

The University of Otago is a workplace that values and utilises diverse and inclusive thinking, people and behaviours. This means that the contributions of staff with diverse backgrounds, experiences, skills and perspectives are valued and respected.

Application / Tono

Applications quoting reference number 2500512 will close on Sunday, 30 March 2025. To submit your application (including CV and cover letter) please follow the attached link.

Apply now