Director, People

KBR, Inc.; Canberra; On-site; AUD 230,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Great Place To Work

Flexible working

Competitive salary

Paid parental leave

Income protection

Career development

Job summary

KBR, Inc. in Australia is seeking a Director, People to lead the strategic and operational people agenda across the business, partnering with executive leaders to drive organisational performance and sustainable growth.

Reporting to the Chief People Officer, you will shape a contemporary, high-performing people strategy during a pivotal transformation period, while promoting an inclusive culture and strong governance across a geographically dispersed organisation.

Qualifications

• Significant senior People leadership experience within a complex, geographically dispersed organisation.
• Strong knowledge of Australian employment legislation and industrial relations frameworks.
• Proven ability to influence executive leaders and deliver measurable HR outcomes.
• Experience developing and implementing People strategies that align with business priorities.
• Ability to obtain and maintain an Australian Government security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the People strategy and delivery across the business, aligning workforce capability, culture and employee experience with business objectives.
• Partner with executive and senior leaders to translate business priorities into workforce and organisational strategies.
• Oversee workforce planning, organisational design, talent management and succession planning initiatives.
• Provide strategic advice on organisational effectiveness, leadership capability, culture and people risk.
• Champion change, transformation and workforce transition across the organisation.

Skills

People leadership

Strategic HR

Stakeholder engagement

Change management

Organisational design

Education

Tertiary qualifications in Human Resources or related discipline

Job description

At KBR – We do things that matter.

We deliver science, technology and engineering solutions to governments and companies around the world. KBR employs approximately 38,000 people worldwide with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in over 29 countries.

Title

Director, People

At KBR – We do things that matter.

We deliver science, technology and engineering solutions to governments and companies around the world. KBR employs approximately 38,000 people worldwide with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in over 29 countries.

KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, and long-term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results. At KBR, We Deliver.

Think.KBR.com

KBR in Australia

With over 65 years working on some of Australia’s largest and most complex projects, KBR has unmatched experience supporting the nation’s critical infrastructure, energy transition and national security priorities. KBR has around 2,000 employees throughout Australia, who are focused on delivering innovative technology and engineering solutions for a safer, more secure and sustainable future.

Learn more about KBR in Australia

Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR

At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture. These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company. That commitment is central to our team of team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together.

The Opportunity

As Director, People, you will lead the strategic and operational people agenda across the business, ensuring workforce capability, culture, leadership effectiveness and employee experience support the achievement of business objectives. Reporting to the Chief People Officer and serving as a key member of the People Leadership Team, you will partner closely with executive leaders to drive organisational performance, strengthen capability and enable sustainable growth.

This is a rare opportunity to influence the future direction of the People function within a complex and evolving organisation at a pivotal point in its journey. You will lead the development and execution of a contemporary, high-performing people strategy that supports business success while fostering a strong, inclusive culture, playing a critical role during a significant period of transformation.

Following the September 2025, KBR announced the planned separation of its Mission Technology Solutions (MTS) business into a standalone public company. This role will ultimately transition into the new company, providing a unique opportunity to help shape the future workforce, culture and people strategy of an emerging organisation serving government and defence, intelligence, space, aviation and critical infrastructure customers.

In This Role, You Will

• Lead the People strategy and delivery across the business, aligning workforce capability, culture and employee experience with business objectives.
• Partner with executive and senior leaders to translate business priorities into workforce and organisational strategies.
• Lead workforce planning, organisational design, talent management and succession planning initiatives.
• Provide strategic advice on organisational effectiveness, leadership capability, culture and people risk.
• Drive organisational change, transformation and workforce transition initiatives.
• Lead employee and industrial relations strategy, including Enterprise Agreements, workplace relations matters and compliance obligations.
• Champion leadership capability, employee engagement, diversity, inclusion and belonging.
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation, governance frameworks and workforce risk requirements.
• Collaborate with global People leaders to deliver consistent and scalable people solutions.
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing People team.
• Influence enterprise-wide decision making and build strong partnerships across senior stakeholder groups.
• Champion KBR's Zero Harm culture, promoting a safe, secure and respectful workplace

About You

You are an experienced People executive with a proven track record leading strategic and operational people functions within complex and geographically dispersed organisations. You are a trusted advisor to executive leaders, recognised for your ability to align people strategy with business priorities and deliver sustainable organisational outcomes.

You bring deep expertise across workforce planning, organisational design, employee and industrial relations, organisational change and leadership capability. Commercially astute and outcome focused, you balance business priorities, workforce considerations and risk while providing pragmatic and influential advice on complex people matters.

You are an authentic and collaborative leader who excels in periods of transformation, builds high-performing teams and influences effectively across all levels of an organisation.

Essential

• Tertiary qualifications in Human Resources, Employment Relations, Business, Law or a related discipline.
• Significant senior People leadership experience within a complex, geographically dispersed organisation.
• Demonstrated success partnering with executive and senior leadership teams to influence strategic and operational outcomes.
• Proven expertise in workforce planning, organisational design, employee and industrial relations and organisational change.
• Strong knowledge of Australian employment legislation, industrial relations frameworks and compliance requirements.
• Experience developing and implementing People strategies that deliver measurable business outcomes.
• Strong commercial acumen and the ability to balance business priorities, workforce considerations and organisational risk.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement, influencing and communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing high-performing teams.
• Ability to obtain and maintain an Australian Government security clearance

Highly Regarded

• Experience within Defence, Defence Industry, Government or other highly regulated environments.
• Experience supporting large-scale organisational transitions, transformations or restructures.Experience leading People functions through significant organisational change.
• Postgraduate qualifications in Human Resources, Business Administration or a related discipline.
• AHRI accreditation or equivalent professional certification.

All candidates will be required to hold and maintain an active Baseline Defence Security Clearance.

What We Will Offer You

• A workplace culture certified as a Great Place To Work
• Flexible working
• Competitive salary (including annual reviews)
• Paid parental leave
• Income protection
• Corporate rewards
• Salary packaging/Novated leasing
• Employee stock purchase plans
• Flu shots, skin checks and discounted private health insurance
• Career development: Online learning, mentorship and career pathways

R2129495