Head of People and Culture, Tūhono Tāngata - Wellington

• Drive leadership and culture programmes across a complex organisation

• Lead OD, Internal Comms and Cultural Capability teams

• Partner with leaders to support ACC achieve it's workforce objectives

Our vision is ACC is a trusted and high-performing organisation, providing care, supporting recovery and promoting injury prevention, now and into the future. 

 
About ACC | Mō mātou 
At ACC, we help prevent injuries and get New Zealanders and visitors back to everyday life if they’ve had an accident. 

The People and Culture function plays a critical role in shaping the culture, capability, and leadership that enables ACC to be a high performing organisation, delivering better outcomes for the people and communities it serves.  

 
About this role | Mō tēnei tūranga mahi 
Reporting to the DCE People and Culture, as Head of People & Culture, Tūhono Tangata you will lead a broad and important portfolio spanning Organisational Development, Internal Communications, Cultural Capability, and Principal Advisor functions across Strategic Engagement and Leadership. 

This is a role balancing strategic thinking and delivery in a complex, exciting setting. You will be working with a team of people who bring genuine depth and strong subject matter expertise. The programmes are real, the investment is in place, and the expectation is clear: bring it to life, at pace, and make it impactful. 

Key areas of focus for the portfolio over the coming year include: 

• Leading the delivery of an organisation-wide culture change programme with a strong focus on leadership expectations, values, performance management, and feedback mechanisms 

• Developing leadership capability that enables a high performing organisation and partnering across the business to identify and drive other levers for developing the performance muscle of the organisation. 

• Leading the Internal Communications function, building trust and connection across the organisation and effectively leveraging channels to ensure ACC tells its story clearly and consistently 

• Leading and supporting our Māori Cultural Capability team to continue to grow the organisation’s confidence and capability  

• Working across OD, engagement, and capability teams to surface ideas, cut through complexity and keep delivery moving 

• Demonstrating collective leadership alongside colleagues of a geographically spread People & Culture function to enable effective collaboration and cohesion across work programmes. 

• Operating confidently at executive level, presenting recommendations, managing challenge, and progressing decisions at pace and quality. 

What we’re looking for | Ngā tino pūkenga me ngā wheako 
You are an experienced senior people leader with a strong Organisational Development foundation, alongside real breadth across the people spectrum. You will be visible, connected, and comfortable leading across the wider People and Culture business group, not just your own team. 

You will bring: 

• A track record of designing and delivering large-scale leadership, culture, and capability programmes in complex organisations, with a clear focus on measurable outcomes 

• The ability to translate strategy and theory into practical, high-impact delivery 

• Confidence at executive level, with the judgement to balance pace, stakeholder input, and organisational context 

• A leadership style that brings people with you while still driving clear, timely outcomes 

• Commercial acumen and a bias for action. You will know what good looks like, and you move toward it while bringing others with you.  

• An authentic connection to or credibility within te ao Māori including sound understanding and demonstrated leadership of the application of Te Tiriti o Waitangi 

Candidates from large, complex private sector organisations are encouraged to apply, as well as those proven in the public sector. Wellington or Auckland location is preferred. 


Apply now | Tono mai 
Applications close at midday Thursday 21st May 2026. We will be assessing applications as they are received, so we encourage you to apply for this role at your earliest convenience.  

For a confidential discussion please contact Jeremy McLeod (Wellington), jeremy@inside.co.nz, or Richard Gray-Smith (Auckland), richard@inside.co.nz