Hybrid Role – Employment Advocacy and Community Organising

Are you interested in educating and empowering rangatahi, and supporting them to resolve their employment issues and achieve employment justice? Do you have the skills to build an alliance of organisations, in the Hamilton City area or wider Waikato region with the purpose of winning a Living Wage for all?

The Young Workers Resource Centre (YWRC) provides employment relations education and advocacy to young people aged 15-35. The Living Wage Movement (LWM) aims to ensure all workers earn a wage where they can live with dignity. This opportunity is a shared staff member role for these two not-for-profit organisations working in the employment advocacy space.

This is a fixed term position until 31st March 2027, with the possibility of an extension depending on funding and sustainability

This is an exciting opportunity for a positive, enthusiastic, and politically aware person to become part of two passionate and progressive community organisations. It would be a great starting role for someone looking to become a union organiser.

Responsibilities

We are seeking applications for a hybrid role pilot based in Kirikiriroa, Hamilton undertaking two jobs.

• Help Centre Representative for 20 hours per week for the YWRC.
• This role is responsible for supporting young workers to resolve employment issues through the provision of empowerment, advice, and where necessary representation in formal processes, as well as managing Help Centre capacity through volunteers and networking with external advocates
• Community Organiser for 20 hours a week for the Living Wage Movement.
• This role is to build a broad-based alliance of civil society organisations, including faith, union, and community groups in the Hamilton City area or wider Waikato region, to win the Living Wage locally for workers in the area, and to support national Living Wage campaigns. The organiser will organise through the Industrial Areas Foundation's relational community organising methodology.

The successful candidate will show:

• Passion for supporting young people to have positive employment outcomes.
• Cultural humility, an understanding of the purpose of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, respecting the importance of it as a founding document of Aotearoa, and a willingness to contribute to indigenisation (decolonisation).
• Well-developed interpersonal skills, and an ability to relate to people from diverse backgrounds.
• An ability to connect and communicate with youth in a meaningful and respectful manner.
• An understanding of the fundamentals of Community Organising.
• Well-developed written and oral communication skills with the ability to communicate through a variety of channels.
• Ability to navigate computer systems with ease.
• Ability to work autonomously, off-site, and with self-management and organisational skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a small close-knit team, to multi-task and respond quickly and effectively to requests.
• Adaptable/flexible where appropriate and able, to meet organisation needs.
• Strong understanding of employment legislation including the Employment Relations Act, Holidays Act, Wages Protection Act, and Human Rights Act.
• Strong understanding of employment relations processes and agencies including mediation services, Employment NZ, the Employment Relations Authority.
• Experience providing support and representation to workers during formal employment processes including disciplinary processes, personal grievances, mediation, restructuring etc.
• Experience providing support and representation to workers experiencing workplace bullying, sexual harassment, discrimination, significant disadvantage, wage arrears.

Ideal, but not required specifications:

• Strong digital content creation skills and familiarity with content creation applications.
• Ability to present in public settings.
• Adaptability to different environments.