Employment Relations Specialist

Unitywater; Brisbane; Hybrid; AUD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Private health discounts

Salary packaging

Employee assistance

Retail discounts

Job summary

Unitywater is seeking an Employee Relations Specialist to support a fair, positive employee experience across the organisation. You will partner with leaders and HR Business Partners to navigate complex employee matters, including performance, conduct, grievances and workplace investigations.

You will also help prepare for Enterprise Agreement negotiations, drawing on your expertise to provide trusted advice, strengthen our employee relations practices, and build leadership capability across the

Qualifications

• Hold a relevant tertiary qualification in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Employment Relations or a related discipline.
• Bring at least five years’ experience in an HR, Employee Relations or Industrial Relations advisory role, ideally within a unionised environment.
• Have demonstrated experience managing complex employee relations matters end to end, including performance, conduct, disciplinary matters, grievances and workplace conflict.
• Possess strong knowledge of employment legislation, enterprise agreements, employment contracts, policies and procedures, with the ability to interpret and apply these in practice.
• Have experience leading formal employee relations processes, including show cause, disciplinary, performance management and outcome processes.
• Experience in workplace investigations, including information gathering, interviewing, analysis and preparation of findings and outcome documentation.
• Be a confident communicator and trusted adviser who can coach and influence leaders, navigate sensitive situations and provide balanced, commercially focused advice.
• Demonstrate sound judgement, strong analytical skills and a commitment to procedural fairness, confidentiality and continuous improvement; experience in complex, multidisciplinary organisations; valid C Class driver’s licence.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic employee relations advice to leaders and HR Partners on complex matters.
• Lead end-to-end employee relations processes (performance, conduct, grievances and investigations) and advise on appropriate outcomes.
• Support Enterprise Agreement negotiations and help strengthen employee relations practices across Unitywater.

Skills

Employee relations

Industrial relations

HR advisory

Disciplinary processes

Workplace investigations

Legislation knowledge

Coaching leaders

Analytical skills

Driver's license

Education

HR/IR qualification

Job description

About the role

As our Employee Relations Specialist, you’ll play a key role in supporting a fair, consistent and positive employee experience across Unitywater. You’ll partner with leaders and HR Business Partners to navigate complex employee matters, including performance, conduct, grievances and workplace investigations.

You’ll also play a key role in preparing for our upcoming Enterprise Agreement negotiations, helping position the business for a successful bargaining process. Drawing on your technical expertise and practical, people-focused approach, you’ll provide trusted advice on complex employee relations matters, build leadership capability and help strengthen our employee relations practices across the business.

This is an initial 6 month full-time role with potential for extension and can be based at either Mango Hill or Maroochydore.

About the Team

You’ll join Unitywater’s People, Safety and Governance team, working closely with HR Business Partners, senior leaders and specialist people teams to support a safe, fair and high-performing workplace. We take a collaborative, practical approach to solving complex people challenges, building leadership capability and ensuring our people practices align with our values and business objectives.

About you

Our One Unitywater behaviours – Create the Future, Care Together, and Own It – define how we work together at Unitywater. To contribute to this, you will demonstrate the following skills and qualities for the role:

• Hold a relevant tertiary qualification in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Employment Relations or a related discipline.
• Bring at least five years’ experience in an HR, Employee Relations or Industrial Relations advisory role, ideally within a unionised, blue and white collar environment.
• Have demonstrated experience managing complex employee relations matters end to end, including performance, conduct, disciplinary matters, grievances, complaints and workplace conflict.
• Possess strong knowledge of employment legislation, enterprise agreements, employment contracts, policies and procedures, with the ability to interpret and apply these in practice.
• Have experience leading formal employee relations processes, including show cause, disciplinary, performance management and outcome processes.
• Bring experience in workplace investigations, including information gathering, interviewing, analysis and preparation of findings and outcome documentation.
• Are a confident communicator and trusted adviser who can coach and influence leaders, navigate sensitive situations and provide balanced, commercially focused advice.
• Demonstrate sound judgement, strong analytical skills and a commitment to procedural fairness, confidentiality and continuous improvement, along with experience in complex, multidisciplinary organisations and a current C Class driver's licence

Working at Unitywater

• Flexibility: We value flexibility and support work-life balance with hybrid and flexible working, purchased annual leave and access to floating public holidays.
• Wellbeing: We offer several initiatives to support your wellbeing, such as discounted private health insurance, salary packaging, employee assistance program, and access to retailer discounts and benefits.
• Learning and Development: We offer a range of opportunities to feed your curiosity such as: Walk on Country experience, study assistance, access to a dedicated learning program and professional memberships.
• Diversity: We celebrate, value and include people of all backgrounds, gender and expressions, sexualities, cultures, bodies and abilities. We invite you to join our dedicated employee networks focused on First Nations Reconciliation, LGBTQIA+, CALD, Gender, Life Stage, Disability and accessibility.

About us

Unitywater operates in one of Australia’s most exceptional environments in terms of natural beauty, geographical and demographic breadth. We operate on Kabi Kabi, Jinibara and Turrbal Country, proudly providing safe and reliable water to customers in Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Noosa. We are a water utility serving one of the fastest growing regions in the country.

We think a pretty good job starts here.

Unitywater respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waterways in which we live, work and operate, the Kabi Kabi, Jinibara and Turrbal peoples. We honour their enduring connection to these places and their deep cultural, spiritual and environmental knowledge and stewardship over the waterways that sustain us all. We pay our deepest respects to Elders past and present, who hold the wisdom, traditions and stories of their people.