About the role
Are you looking for a rare communications role at one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing companies that’s transforming an essential industry? Well, timing is everything - we’re looking for a Communications Lead to provide fixed-term maternity cover and lead our communications and public relations strategy across New Zealand, Australia, and emerging markets. You’ll play an important strategic role at Halter - a high-growth, deep-tech company - where communications are meaningful, dynamic, challenging and exhilarating.
This isn’t your typical communications role. Halter is pioneering a new way of farming that is more productive and sustainable - transforming an essential industry through our technology. This requires strategic communications and creative storytelling.
What do we do exactly? Our world-first technology enables farmers to virtually fence and remotely guide cattle, and monitor cows’ health 24/7. With Halter, farmers are growing more grass, increasing milk production, improving the health of their animals and environmental impact on their farms.
Halter is in a category of its own. We are attracting attention globally and in New Zealand, with policymakers, leading industry bodies, farmers and media excited and curious about the Halter system and its potential for farming.
Our Communications Lead informs and educates about how the Halter system works and the value of Halter to farmers, animals, the environment and the industry. Reporting to one of Halter’s senior leaders, the VP of Growth, you will also provide communications advice to the Executive team. You will collaborate cross-functionally with a range of exceptional talent - from mechanical and software engineers to animal behaviour specialists, environmentalists and market growth experts. And externally, you will work closely with media and stakeholders in leading industry organisations, government departments, and technology and research groups. You will also lead successful PR campaigns that help drive business growth, telling the story of Halter and our farmers amongst the agricultural sector and broader communities.
We’re looking for a Communications Lead to provide maternity leave cover (12 months) beginning around February 2025.
What your day could look like
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Strategic communications: You have years of experience leading strategic communications with media and external stakeholders, and managing complex issues. You can speak to examples of how your compelling communications of nuanced, technical topics grew knowledge and confidence and strengthened relationships with media, policymakers, politicians and industry leaders.
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Public relations: You’ll lead public relations campaigns that support business growth, attract world-class talent, and continue strengthening our brand and reputation. An important part of this role will be leveraging the stories of how Halter is positively impacting the lives of thousands of farmers and ranchers across New Zealand and multiple international markets.
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Internal communications: You will be the storytelling and cultural glue across a range of internal teams, from Product & Engineering to our market-facing teams (Marketing, Business Development, Customer Success and Support), to the Executive team. As a custodian of our company values, your communications guidance across the company will empower our people and support the growth of our company.
- This role will see you context-switching several times a day. You quickly grasp the strategic context of your work and help shape this context with quality input and ideas, and then you zoom in to execute and deliver your work while showing deep care for the details. You’re comfortable and composed with navigating ambiguity and complexity. You’re highly self-directed and self-motivated, and able to break down a communications objective into specific tasks for yourself and the team to execute.
Core requirements: these skills are essential for this role. We expect applicants to demonstrate evidence of these requirements in their CV, cover letter and in interviews.
- Minimum 7+ years experience in strategic communications and/or public relations roles
- Sound experience in issues management, with a good risk radar and problem-solving capabilities especially under pressure.
- Ability to communicate complex, deep-tech solutions and concepts simply and clearly
- Impeccable communication skills ranging from inspiring storytelling to informative content writing, from written comms to verbal presentation skills
- Expertise in the media landscape with proven relationships with journalists
- Proven experience managing stakeholders across fast-paced, high-tech environments
- Demonstrated experience in adapting, leading, and supporting others in a fast-paced environment
Bonus experience (not essential for you to apply)
- Experience working in public affairs/public sector/government relations
- First-hand knowledge and understanding of dairy or beef farming
- Experience working with international companies and different cultures.
- Experience working with disruptive technology and/or a scale-up company in rapid growth model
Why our team loves working at Halter
- Dedicate yourself to solving real-world problems alongside an epic team in a culture designed around growth.
- A genuine and shared connection to our mission to make a difference in the world.
- The pride of joining an iconic New Zealand technology company. The excitement, risk, and reward of a high-growth technology scale-up on the global stage.
- Our ideas are truly valued, we are able to move fast, and our impact is real.
- State-of-the-art, dog-friendly office that’s been thoughtfully designed right in the heart of Auckland city. Did we mention dogs and cows?
- Healthy body, healthy mind. We’re partnered with Southern Cross Health Insurance to support your well-being.
- We offer an inclusive and attractive remuneration package.
- Delicious snacks and drinks are available for your daily flow.
About Halter
At Halter, we’re on a mission to enable farmers and graziers to run the most productive and sustainable operations. Our customers are using Halter to break free from the time-intensive constraints of conventional practices. Imagine watching 500 cattle stand up and walk calmly towards their next break? No quad bikes, no dogs, no fences. Just a group of cattle walking at their own pace. People say it looks like magic. Our customers are revolutionizing grazing with Halter. It's changing lives and transforming an industry. People join Halter to do meaningful work. By joining us you’ll be solving challenging problems within a talented team and a culture built for high performance. Our team out-think, out-work and out-care. We’re committed to delivering real change in the world - this isn’t easy, and in truth, we love that it’s hard. We’re backed to deliver on a mission that matters by Tier 1 investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, DCVC, Blackbird, Promus Ventures, Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck and Icehouse ventures.
Join our team
Halter is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace — a place where we can each be ourselves and do the best work of our lives. Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the requirements, women and under-represented groups of candidates tend to only apply when they meet every requirement. If you think you have what it takes but don’t necessarily tick every requirement on this job description, please still get in touch and apply to Halter. We’d love to chat to see if you’ll be an epic fit!
If this opportunity sounds like you, please apply below by sending through your cover letter explaining why you’re excited about this role and working at Halter, along with your CV, and we’ll be in touch!
Please also feel free to check out the careers page for more information on working at Halter and don't forget to follow us on LinkedIn & Instagram.
