Head of People & Culture - APAC

The Next Step; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

The Next Step is seeking an experienced and commercially-minded People leader to guide the HR function across Australia and New Zealand, partnering with senior executives and portfolio leadership to drive growth and engagement. You will balance strategic leadership with hands‑on execution in a decentralised model.

You will shape the people agenda for expansion into Southeast Asia, overseeing talent acquisition for leadership roles and building scalable HR frameworks to support multiple operating

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a senior HR leadership role with a global organisation.
• Experience within a scale-up technology company, software business, consulting environment, private equity‑backed organisation or professional services firm.
• Proven success partnering with senior executives and leadership teams to deliver business outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the People strategy and function across the APAC region.
• Partner with senior executives, business leaders and portfolio leadership teams to drive organisational effectiveness, leadership capability and business performance.
• Provide expert advice on employee relations, performance management, organisational design and change.
• Lead talent reviews, succession planning and leadership development initiatives.
• Drive employee engagement, culture and organisational effectiveness programs.
• Support leaders through restructures, workforce planning, executive transitions and complex people matters.
• Develop scalable HR frameworks, playbooks and self‑service resources to support operating businesses.
• Oversee strategic talent acquisition activities for key leadership and specialist positions.
• Partner with global stakeholders to adapt and implement people initiatives across the region.
• Rebuild and strengthen the foundations of the regional shared‑services People model.

Skills

Senior HR leadership

Global organisation experience

Scale-up / tech industry

Executive stakeholder management

Change management

Employee relations

Talent development

Job description

A rare opportunity exists for an experienced and commercially minded People leader to join a rapidly growing global technology organisation as it continues to expand across the APAC region. This is a unique opportunity to lead the People function across a portfolio of software businesses, partnering directly with senior executives, business leaders and portfolio leadership teams to drive organisational performance, leadership capability, employee engagement and sustainable growth. Operating within a decentralised business model, you will play a critical role in balancing strategic leadership with hands‑on execution, providing expert guidance across a broad range of people‑related matters while helping scale the People function for future expansion. The Opportunity Reporting into the Global Head of HR, you will lead the People function across Australia and New Zealand, supporting both the regional headquarters and a portfolio of operating businesses, while helping shape the people agenda for future expansion into Southeast Asia. You will act as a trusted advisor to executives, business leaders and portfolio leadership teams, supporting a diverse group of businesses through growth, organisational change and leadership challenges. Working closely with global colleagues, you will deliver pragmatic people solutions that enable business performance while fostering strong cultures and high‑performing teams. This role also has oversight of Talent Acquisition, focused on strategic and executive‑level hiring rather than high‑volume recruitment. Key Responsibilities

• Lead the People strategy and function across the APAC region.
• Partner with senior executives, business leaders and portfolio leadership teams to drive organisational effectiveness, leadership capability and business performance.
• Provide expert advice on employee relations, performance management, organisational design and change.
• Lead talent reviews, succession planning and leadership development initiatives.
• Drive employee engagement, culture and organisational effectiveness programs.
• Support leaders through restructures, workforce planning, executive transitions and complex people matters.
• Develop scalable HR frameworks, playbooks and self‑service resources to support operating businesses.
• Oversee strategic talent acquisition activities for key leadership and specialist positions.
• Partner with global stakeholders to adapt and implement people initiatives across the region.
• Rebuild and strengthen the foundations of the regional shared‑services People model.

About you You are an experienced People leader who thrives in dynamic, growth‑oriented environments and brings the commercial acumen and credibility to influence senior stakeholders. You are equally comfortable discussing long‑term organisational strategy with executives as you are rolling up your sleeves to support leaders through day‑to‑day people matters. You bring a practical, commercially focused approach and enjoy partnering with senior executives, business leaders and portfolio leadership teams to navigate performance, employee relations, organisational change and leadership challenges, while also driving broader People initiatives across talent, culture, capability and organisational effectiveness. To be successful, you will bring:

• Significant experience in a senior HR leadership role with a global organisation
• Experience within a scale‑up technology company, software business, consulting environment, private equity‑backed organisation or professional services firm.
• Proven success partnering with senior executives and leadership teams to deliver business outcomes.
• Experience supporting multiple business units, entities or geographically dispersed teams.
• Strong commercial acumen and the ability to align people strategy with business performance.
• Demonstrated capability leading organisational change, transformation and organisational effectiveness initiatives.
• Strong employee relations expertise and confidence managing complex and sensitive people matters.
• Exceptional stakeholder management, coaching and influencing skills.
• The ability to operate autonomously and make sound decisions in a fast‑paced, decentralised environment.

This is an opportunity to join a high‑growth global technology organisation at an exciting stage of its journey across the APAC region. With established operations across Australia and New Zealand and a clear appetite for further growth into Southeast Asia, this role offers the chance to influence both current operations and future expansion. You'll work closely with accomplished leaders, shape the employee experience across multiple businesses and play a pivotal role in building the people foundations that support long‑term growth and success. If you're looking for a role where you can genuinely influence business outcomes while partnering with senior leaders on some of their most important people and organisational challenges, we'd love to hear from you.