Senior Director, External Relations
Halter · Auckland
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 Founders Fund, Bessemer Venture Partners, BOND, DCVC, Blackbird, Promus Ventures, Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck and Icehouse ventures.
To find out more, visit our LinkedIn & Instagram.
About the role
External Relations is Halter's voice and connection to the industry and the markets we operate in. We open doors, build trust, and shape our operating environment - so that regulators, media, industry bodies and the wider sector understand us, back us, and clear the path for our mission.
As Senior Director External Relations, you own that mandate. You'll set and drive Halter's strategy across three fronts - regulatory access, reputation & narrative, and policy & advocacy - and lead the high-performing team that does this work across New Zealand, Australia and the US.
This is a player-coach role, not a hands-off one. You'll guide the team on standards, give feedback and direction, and set the strategy, but you'll also be in the room yourself, holding our most senior regulator, government, media and industry relationships and carrying your own work end-to-end. We'd rather have a few deeply-invested operators than a large, transactional team, and we expect our leader to operate the same way.
Your north star: Turn the external landscape from a risk to be managed into an advantage we create - securing Halter's licence to operate and grow in every market we enter. Regulators know us and trust us, our story is told on our terms, and the industry sees Halter as a partner rather than a disruptor to fear.
This is a rare opportunity to shape the operating environment for one of the most transformative companies in agriculture, own the relationships and reputation that let the rest of the business move fast, and leave your fingerprints on how fast Halter can grow.
What your day could look like
Set and continuously evolve Halter's external strategy across our three pillars - regulatory & market access, reputation & narrative, and policy & advocacy - and lead your team and in-market partners to execute against it.
Clear the regulatory path so Halter can sell and scale in every market. Engaging regulators early, shaping how virtual fencing and animal welfare rules are written, and securing the approvals that unlock new geographies.
Own Halter's public story, directing media and PR so the Halter story is told clearly and authentically, creating opportunities, and leading us calmly and credibly when things go wrong.
Shape policy, standards and the rules of the game in Halter's favour over the long term. You won’t just react to regulation, but help write the future of it, and invest in building trust and creating champions before we need them.
Hold Halter's most senior external relationships yourself, regulators, officials, industry leaders and media, and carry them from first contact through to a result.
Lead and develop the External Relations team: External Relations Leads (NZ, AU), Government Affairs Director (US), Director Strategic Comms, and Comms / PR Managers across AU, NZ and US, all reporting to you.
Work hand-in-hand with the teams driving market expansion so commercial ambition and regulatory reality move together.
Anticipate reputational and regulatory risks before they bite, and stay clear-headed and decisive when they land.
Partner cross-functionally by default, influencing across the business. Work with Commercial, Product, Legal, Customer and the Executive team to bring the business opportunities and early warnings, making sure your team is involved in all the right work streams and delivering benefits to the business.
Keep the team small and high-leverage, multiplying the credibility of the whole company rather than centralising every external touchpoint.
What we're looking for
You build durable, high-trust relationships with regulators, officials, industry leaders and media. Trust is our core currency, and yours.
You have deep regulatory and policy literacy. You understand how rules are made and changed across jurisdictions, and can translate complex regulation into clear paths forward for the business.
You're a sharp communicator and storyteller. You shape compelling narratives for government, media and industry audiences and know how to land them.
You know how the press works. You build journalist relationships and manage both proactive coverage and reactive issues with judgement and speed.
You have strong political and cultural judgement. You read the room across different countries, cultures and institutions, and know what to say, to whom, when and how.
You're calm under pressure. You anticipate issues before they bite and stay clear-headed when they land.
You lead a distributed, senior team well. Setting high standards, coaching, and staying hands-on in the work yourself.
You're a gritty problem solver. Doors don't always open on the first knock, and you're persistent, creative, and unafraid of a hard, ambiguous, long-game challenge.
You're future-focused, you think ahead about how the external landscape is shifting and position Halter for it.
You'll crush this gig if you
Lead from the front: Set the external strategy, coach the team, and own the outcome end-to-end, without waiting for perfect clarity.
Operate with dynamic range and altitude: Equally at home setting multi-year strategy and briefing a regulator or placing a story before lunch.
Live across strategy and execution: You're in the room building the relationship, not just behind the deck.
Are proactive, not reactive: You invest in relationships and shape the narrative before you need to, and bring opportunities and early warnings to the business.
Are selective and growth-focused: You ruthlessly prioritise the work that opens doors and growth, and cut what's only a nice-to-have.
Communicate with clarity and judgement: Honest, on-message, no spin, protecting Halter's credibility in every interaction.
Influence without ego: You build trust quickly and people loop you in early because you make their lives easier.
Embrace discomfort: Long, uncertain regulatory and reputational battles are exactly where you do your best work.
Bonus points if
You've built or led an external relations, government affairs, public affairs or corporate comms function through a period of rapid growth or international expansion.
You have experience engaging regulators and shaping policy across multiple markets, New Zealand, Australia and/or the US especially.
You've worked in or alongside agriculture, agtech, hardware or another regulated, high-growth industry.
You have a track record of managing high-stakes issues and media moments and coming out with reputation intact.
You've built relationships and trust that out-live you, champions who show up when the company needs them.
Our Benefits
Delicious snacks and drinks are available for your daily flow.
Healthy body, healthy mind. We're partnered with Southern Cross Health Insurance to support your well-being.
We offer 6 months of fully paid parental leave for primary caregivers, 4 weeks of fully paid secondary caregiver leave and many other parental benefits that support you and your family.
Our personal growth is important. Halter offers an annual $1000 self-development budget to be used for anything that fuels personal growth.
Our time to recharge is valued, we're offered wellness leave and unlimited paid annual leave.
Importantly, we offer an inclusive and attractive remuneration package made up of salary, benefits and an employee stock ownership plan.
Our Office First Approach
Humans are wired for connection. Being office first is a core pillar of our culture because in-person connections drive your growth, learning, impact, and relationships. Strong relationships make it easier to disagree, give feedback, and do meaningful work together.
We're office first, not office only. Working from the office is our default, but we flex when needed. We have a high-trust culture where everyone is trusted to do what's best for Halter.
Our office vibe is special, the high energy and spectacular people make work enjoyable. Your growth and impact are unlimited here, coming from solving problems, innovating, and constantly learning from each other.
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.
Why our team loves working at Halter:
Work that genuinely matters. Every now and again a company comes along that transforms an entire industry and leaves the world in a better place. Our team gets to be part of something truly meaningful, helping farmers improve their livelihoods, spend more time with their families, and build more sustainable operations.
Spectacular people solving hard problems. Our culture is designed for talented people to do work that changes lives. The team is filled with diverse, kind, and driven people who push each other to do their best work. You'll be thrown into the deep end, tackling complex challenges and building something tangible that solves real problems.
You'll grow here. Autonomy, mastery, and learning define how we work. You'll have the freedom to work on interesting problems, master new skills, and continuously develop yourself, both through your role and our personal growth fund.
This isn't easy, and we love that it's hard. Working at Halter will be the most rewarding and the most challenging work of your life. We move fast, take bold bets, and work hard to reshape an entire industry. As one team member put it: "Joining Halter is a bit like strapping yourself to a rocket ship, but it's an epic journey to be a part of!"