Employee and Industrial Relations Advisor

NSW Department of Communities and Justice; Sydney; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Legal Aid NSW in Sydney is seeking an experienced Employee and Industrial Relations Advisor to provide strategic guidance on industrial relations and workplace standards. You will support decision‑making across the agency and drive consistent, high‑quality practice.

Responsibilities include delivering timely advice, developing evidence‑based policies and resources, creating tools and training, and maintaining strong relationships with unions and internal stakeholders while monitoring legislative

Qualifications

• Extensive experience delivering industrial relations, complaints and policy advice in complex environments.
• Strong analytical and communication skills to present insights clearly.
• Proven stakeholder engagement experience with unions, employees and management.
• Ability to work under pressure, manage priorities and meet deadlines.
• Knowledge of NSW public sector legislation, employment frameworks and workplace relations practices.
• Experience in data analysis; proficiency in Excel desirable.
• Experience triaging an IR related shared inbox for timely responses.

Responsibilities

• Deliver timely, high-quality advice on industrial relations and workplace standards.
• Contribute to development of evidence-based IR policies and resources.
• Create tools, guidance and training for internal capability uplift.
• Establish and maintain relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Represent Legal Aid NSW in cross-agency forums and sector initiatives.
• Monitor legislative developments to provide proactive, risk-informed advice.

Skills

Industrial relations

Policy advice

Stakeholder engagement

Data analysis

Excel

Education

IR/HR degree

Job description

Employee and Industrial Relations Advisor

Location: Sydney, NSW, AU, 2000

• Ongoing full-time position
• Haymarket location – 5-minute walk from Central Station

About Legal Aid NSW

We stand beside people when they need it most.

At Legal Aid NSW, fairness isn’t just a legal principle, it shapes everything we do - our culture, our services, our workplace and our decisions.

Since 1979, Legal Aid NSW has provided legal advice, support and representation in criminal, family and civil law, helping people across NSW navigate hardship and complex legal issues. Our work is challenging, but deeply meaningful.

In partnerships with LawAccess NSW, Community Legal Centres and the Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT, we are located throughout the state including our Central Sydney office, 25 regional offices, and satellite and outreach offices.

About the Role

Legal Aid NSW is seeking an experienced Advisor to provide strategic and expert guidance on Industrial Relations and Workplace Standards. This role plays a key part in supporting organisational decision-making, shaping policy, and promoting consistent, high-quality practices across the agency and broader sector.

Key responsibilities include:

• Delivering timely, high-quality advice on industrial relations and workplace standards matters.
• Contributing to the development of evidence-based frameworks, policies, and resources related to industrial relations and complaints management.
• Supporting internal capability uplift through the creation of tools, guidance, and training materials.
• Establishing and maintaining effective relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners, including government agencies and unions.
• Representing Legal Aid NSW in cross-agency forums and contributing to sector-wide initiatives aligned with public service values.
• Monitoring legislative developments and emerging trends to provide proactive, risk-informed advice.

About You

You are a skilled and solutions-focused professional with a strong foundation in industrial relations and workplace standards. You bring sound judgement, analytical capability, and a collaborative mindset to support informed decision-making across Legal Aid NSW.

To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate:

• Extensive previous experience in an alike role providing industrial relations, complaints, and policy advice in complex environments.
• Strong analytical and communication skills, with the ability to present insights clearly to varied audiences.
• Proven extensive stakeholder engagement experience, including with unions, employees, and management.
• Ability to work under pressure, manage competing priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Knowledge of NSW public sector legislation, employment frameworks, and workplace relations practices.
• Experience in data analysis and reporting; proficiency in Excel is desirable
• Previous experience managing and triaging an IR related shared inbox to ensure timely and effective responses.

You Belong Here

Here, every role has purpose.

Whether you’re delivering frontline legal services or strengthening our organisation from behind the scenes, you’ll help create fairer outcomes for the people across NSW.

We’re building a workplace where every culture, identity, ability and voice are included and valued. We welcome Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with visible and invisible disability, culturally diverse communities, and LGBTQI+ communities so you can connect and flourish at every stage of career.

You will be part of a diverse and inclusive organisation, working alongside like-minded and values driven people dedicated to justice, community impact, and delivering exceptional support and service through cross collaboration.

Benefits of working at Legal Aid NSW

As an employee of Legal Aid NSW, you will have access to and enjoy a variety of support and benefits so you can thrive professionally and personally. You’ll love our:

Flexible Working – we are a Flex Ready certified and Carers and Employers accredited organisation. We are leading the way in offering a variety of flexible working options to uniquely support your unique work life balance.

Professional Growth – as the largest law firm in NSW we offer a variety of opportunities to enhance your career at every stage, through regional graduate programmes, Practical Legal Training and work placements, mentoring, training, and secondment opportunities.

Work Health, Safety and Wellbeing – with dedicated programmes, training, resources, and respectful work practices, our Wellbeing Framework ensures your physical, mental and psychosocial wellbeing matters, so you feel supported, safe and holistically well.

• Hold Australian or NZ citizenship or Australian Permanent Residency
• Undertake relevant pre-employment checks such as Criminal Record Check and Conduct Service Check
• Possess Tertiary qualifications in Industrial Relations, Employment Law, Human Resources, Public Policy, or a related discipline, AND/OR, equivalent relevant experience.
• Willingness to travel to regional and metropolitan offices as required.

Closing Date: Tuesday, 27th of October 2026 at 11.59pm

We may use this recruitment to create a Talent Pool for similar ongoing or temporary vacancies we have over the next 18 months.

Legal Aid NSW is committed to a recruitment process that is inclusive and barrier free.

For recruitment enquiries, accessibility support and recruitment adjustments, please contact Emma‑Louise Mctigue [e-mail] or call the Talent Acquisition team on 02 9134 9347.

Head to our Careers Page to discover more about working at Legal Aid NSW, our recruitment process, and how you can champion fairness, empower communities and build your career.