Chief People Officer

PJ Recruitment; Blacktown; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Marist180 is seeking a trusted People & Culture adviser to partner with the CEO, Executive and Board. You will translate workforce strategy into practical structures, systems and accountability that drive safer, more capable teams and sustainable growth.

With senior P&C experience in complex service organisations, you will balance resources with purpose and performance, while maintaining high EQ and strong governance across a dispersed workforce.

Qualifications

• Executive-level People & Culture experience in a complex service organisation.
• Ability to read a P&L and translate strategy into practical systems, structures and behaviours.
• Experience through change with high emotional intelligence (EQ).
• Experience building workforce capability, governance and safety frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Shape Marist180’s next chapter with the CEO, Executive and Board by shaping workforce strategy and organisational design.
• Turn workforce insight into practical structures, systems and accountability across the organisation.
• Expose risk and guide investment using workforce data to improve performance.
• Build psychologically safe, compliant environments across a dispersed, award-based workforce.
• Provide managers with frameworks, confidence and accountability to lead people well.

Skills

People & Culture experience

Executive-level experience

Industrial relations

Leadership development

Organisational design

Safety

Culture transformation

High EQ

Education

Tertiary qualifications

Job description

• Shape workforce capability behind services supporting approximately 1,300 people each year.
• Partner with the CEO, Executive and Board on organisational design, leadership and sustainable growth.
• Attractive salary | Hybrid: three days office/on-site, two days from home.

PEOPLE CAPABILITY DRIVES ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCE.

Shape the workforce, leadership and structures behind Marist180's next chapter.

What if people metrics told the business story?

Marist180 supports young people facing disadvantage through care, accommodation, education and employment pathways. Across more than 50 homes in NSW and the ACT, with services in Queensland, its 620 employees support approximately 1,300 people each year.

This makes workforce capability critical to Marist180 service quality and outcomes.

The organisation has grown quickly. Now it is time to build the people foundations for its next stage of growth. Turnover, workers compensation, return to work, engagement, grievances, leadership development and psychological safety are more than people measures. They are indicators of organisational performance.

Why this role. Why now?

As trusted adviser to a dynamic CEO, you will work with the Executive and Board to shape Marist180’s next chapter, turning workforce strategy and insight into practical structures, systems and accountability.

Success looks like a credible and trusted People & Culture function, clearer workforce governance, engaged and safer teams, stronger leadership development, meaningful workforce insight and structures built for sustainable growth.

The work that matters

• Use workforce data to expose risk, focus investment and improve organisational performance.
• Assess organisational design, layers, spans and capability, then help leaders make and sustain the changes.
• Build psychologically safe, compliant environments across a dispersed, award-based workforce.
• Give managers the frameworks, confidence and accountability to lead people well.
• Balance purpose, performance and finite resources without exhausting the people delivering the mission.

And you are…?

You think like an operator.

You understand how people decisions influence service quality, margin, risk and growth.

You are comfortable reading a P&L, challenging assumptions and translating strategy into practical systems, structures and behaviours.

You have led through change and can point to what shifted. You have high EQ.

You bring executive-level People & Culture experience, ideally from a complex service organisation where people capability is central to success.

Organisational design, leadership development, industrial relations, safety, reward and culture transformation are familiar territory.

Human services experience is useful, not essential. Relevant tertiary qualifications are preferred.

You align strongly with Marist values and can lead authentically within a Catholic, mission-led organisation. A personal connection to the Catholic faith would be highly regarded, but is not essential.

You listen before prescribing. You are candid and discreet. You build trust across an organisation, stay close to the work and do not avoid difficult conversations.

You can be a CEO’s sounding board while bringing an independent view. No ivory tower required.

Why Marist180?

Because strong people leadership here has a direct line to safer, more consistent services and better outcomes for young people.

This is an opportunity to strengthen the workforce, leadership and culture behind a growing organisation whose purpose is both urgent and tangible.

Marist180 is ambitious about its next chapter.

The CPO will help translate that ambition into the organisational capability, accountability and resilience required for sustainable growth, with genuine influence alongside the CEO, Executive and Board.

Curious?

P.J. Recruitment and Executive Search is managing this appointment on behalf of Marist180.