Employment Relations Manager

APA Group; Sydney; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Career development programs

Employee benefits

Job summary

APA is seeking an Employment Relations Manager to lead the employment relations function within the People, Safety & Culture team, based in Sydney (or Melbourne/Brisbane depending on the successful candidate). You will drive governance, compliance, and workforce outcomes while advising senior leaders and guiding ER strategies across the organisation.

You will lead complex investigations, disputes and Fair Work Commission matters, partnering with Legal and Risk to manage organisational change and

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in Australian employment relations and Fair Work framework.
• Experience managing complex and high‑risk ER matters including investigations and proceedings.
• Experience in regulated, unionised or infrastructure environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and improvement of employment relations frameworks, governance and case management.
• Ensure compliance with legislation, awards and enterprise agreements.
• Provide expert ER advice to senior leadership and manage complex ER matters and investigations.
• Partner with Legal, Risk and stakeholders to manage ER risks during change and major projects.
• Coach and develop ER capability within the team.

Skills

Employment relations expertise

Stakeholder management

Legal/compliance knowledge

Negotiation/mediation

Leadership/coaching

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Law/Business

Tools

Fair Work framework

Job description

At APA, our purpose is to secure Australia’s energy future. We’re not doing it alone. We’re doing it with our customers and communities as Australia’s energy infrastructure partner, a role our unique experience and expertise positions us to play.

The Opportunity

We now have an exciting opportunity available for an Employment Relations Manager to join our People, Safety & Culture team in Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane office on a permanent full-time basis. Reporting to the General Manager People Operations, you will play a key role in leading APA’s employment relations function, building and embedding a fit‑for‑purpose ER capability that drives strong governance, compliance and effective workforce outcomes across the organisation. You will partner across the broader People, Safety and Culture Team and business leaders to provide expert advice, enable effective management of ER matters and act as the escalation point for complex employment relations matters.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation and continuous improvement of APA's employment relations frameworks, policies, governance and case management practices.
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation, enterprise agreements and organisational policies while balancing legal, commercial and operational outcomes.
• Act as the escalation point or lead complex ER matters, including workplace investigations, disputes, litigation strategy and Fair Work Commission proceedings.
• Provide expert, commercially sound ER advice to People, Safety and Culture Team and business leaders on workforce matters and organisational risk.
• Partner with Legal, Risk and business stakeholders to proactively manage employment‑related risks associated with organisational change, major projects and merger and acquisitions.
• Lead and support the ER Advisor while fostering a high‑performing, solutions‑focused employment relations function.

Your Background

• Deep expertise in Australian employment relations, including strong working knowledge of the Fair Work framework, enterprise agreements and modern awards.
• Proven experience managing complex and high‑risk employment relations matters, including workplace investigations, disputes, litigation and Fair Work Commission proceedings.
• Experience operating in a regulated, unionised or infrastructure‑intensive environment, with exposure to major projects, organisational change initiatives and complex workforce matters.
• Demonstrated success designing, implementing or embedding employment relations frameworks, governance models or case management practices within a complex organisation.
• Strong commercial judgement, with the ability to balance legal risk, operational requirements and strategic business outcomes.
• Highly developed stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the credibility to coach, challenge and partner with senior leaders.
• Proven experience building employment relations capability through coaching, guidance and trusted advisory support across People & Culture and business teams.

Working at APA

At APA, we’re committed to fostering a safe and inclusive workplace where you can achieve your best. We offer targeted career development programs designed to accelerate your career, competitive remuneration, employee benefits, flexible working arrangements, and wellbeing initiatives are all part of what we’ll offer you. Our inclusive parental leave policy offers 18 weeks of leave, including superannuation, to support parents at work and in life. We employ around 2,000 people across Australia and are committed to building a high‑performing, customer‑focused organisation where everyone feels safe, valued, and trusted to perform at their best.

We are APA

At APA, we’re taking on one of Australia’s greatest challenges: the energy transition. We’re not doing it alone. We’re doing it as Australia’s energy infrastructure partner, a role our unique experience and expertise positions us to play. We proudly own, operate and manage a diverse $20 billion portfolio of assets which deliver essential services to communities and customers across Australia. And we own more than 15,000 kilometres of gas pipelines which deliver energy to households and businesses across every corner of Australia. As the partner of choice in delivering infrastructure solutions for the energy transition, we’re focused on bundled remote grid energy solutions, electricity and gas transmission, and future energy, including hydrogen and carbon capture and storage. Our customer focused approach means we understand our customers and offer them reliable, innovative, and cost‑effective energy solutions that support their decarbonisation ambitions. We are committed to securing Australia’s energy future by delivering infrastructure solutions for Australia’s energy transition and supporting the decarbonisation ambitions of our customers and communities.

APA is an equal opportunity employer. The safety, health and wellbeing our people, community and environment a priority. We embrace diversity in our people to ensure our workforce is representative of the communities that we operate in.

Applicants must be eligible to work in Australia to be considered.

This vacancy works with critical APA data, systems or infrastructure and candidates are subject to background vetting (including Police checks) before & during employment.

Role closes on Sunday, 20 September 2026. Role Reference Number: JR4503