HR Business Partner

Laurent Bakery Group; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Laurent Bakery Group in Melbourne (Braeside) seeks an experienced HR Business Partner to support leaders across manufacturing and retail. You will coach managers, deliver HR solutions, and lead initiatives from investigations to onboarding and leadership development.

This hands-on generalist role covers workforce planning, learning, change management and HR process improvements. Based onsite at Braeside with coverage for Camberwell, you’ll report to the Head of HR and partner with senior

Qualifications

• Proven experience as HRBP or People & CultureBP with broad generalist background.
• Experience in employee relations, investigations and advising managers.
• Understanding of Australian employment laws and modern awards.
• Experience recruiting end-to-end and partnering with hiring managers.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and coach leaders with data-driven guidance.

Responsibilities

• Provide practical HR advice to managers to build effective teams.
• Lead workplace investigations with accurate documentation.
• Coach managers to address performance and employee concerns.
• Award interpretation and respond to pay/employment queries with Payroll.
• Manage end‑to‑end recruitment for specialist and senior roles.
• Develop onboarding plans to help new employees settle in.
• Identify learning needs and develop programs across manufacturing and retail.
• Produce HR reports and translate data into insights.
• Maintain accurate HRIS data and HR policy improvements.
• Support workforce planning, succession and change initiatives.

Skills

Employee relations

Workplace investigations

Manager coaching

HR data interpretation

Stakeholder engagement

Policy interpretation

Education

HR qualification or related discipline

Tools

HRIS

Microsoft Office

Job description

Location: Braeside, Melbourne
Employment: Permanent full-time | 38 hours per week
Working arrangement: Fully onsite
Reporting to: Head of HR

Bring your employee relations expertise and practical approach to a role where you’ll work directly with leaders across manufacturing and retail.

Laurent Bakery is seeking an experienced HR Business Partner to support our people, coach our managers and deliver effective HR solutions across the business. From workplace investigations and specialist recruitment to onboarding and leadership development, you’ll have the opportunity to take ownership of varied work and see its impact firsthand.

Why Join Laurent?

Variety across manufacturing and retail: Partner with leaders and employees across different operational environments.

Meaningful ownership: Manage employee relations matters, lead recruitment and contribute to people initiatives.

Work closely with decision-makers: Report to the Head of HR and partner directly with senior and line managers.

Improve how we work: Help strengthen onboarding, learning and development, HR systems and reporting.

The Role

You’ll provide practical HR advice and support that helps managers make informed decisions and build effective teams.

This is a hands‑on generalist position combining day‑to‑day employee relations and recruitment with broader work across workforce planning, learning and development, change management and HR process improvement.

Based in Braeside, you’ll also support our Camberwell location and retail café network.

Key Responsibilities

Employee relations: Be a key contact for managers and employees, providing clear advice on workplace matters, policies and processes.

Workplace investigations: Undertake investigations, maintaining accurate documentation and supporting fair, consistent processes.

Manager coaching: Build managers’ capability to address performance, conduct and employee concerns effectively.

Award compliance: Work with managers and Payroll to interpret applicable awards and respond to pay and employment queries.

Recruitment and selection: Manage end‑to‑end recruitment for specialist and senior positions, partnering with hiring managers throughout the process.

Onboarding: Develop and implement onboarding plans that help new employees settle in and understand their roles.

Learning and development: Identify capability needs and develop or update programs that build skills across manufacturing and retail.

HR reporting: Produce recruitment, turnover and exit interview reports, translating data into useful insights.

Systems and processes: Maintain accurate HRIS information, update position descriptions and support improvements to HR policies and systems.

People planning: Contribute to workforce planning, succession planning and organisational change initiatives.

What You Bring

Proven experience as an HR Business Partner or People & Culture Business Partner, with a broad generalist background.

Practical experience managing employee relations matters, undertaking workplace investigations and advising managers.

A sound understanding of Australian employment legislation and modern awards, with the ability to translate requirements into clear, practical advice.

Experience managing end‑to‑end recruitment and working closely with hiring managers.

Confidence building relationships, influencing stakeholders and coaching leaders.

Strong written communication skills, accurate documentation and sound judgement when handling sensitive information.

The ability to manage competing priorities and work autonomously.

Confidence using HR data to identify trends and communicate recommendations.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office and experience using HR information systems.

Highly regarded, but not essential:

Experience in manufacturing, food manufacturing, FMCG or a multi‑site retail environment.

A qualification in Human Resources, Business or a related discipline.

Experience developing learning programs and supporting organisational change.

About Laurent Bakery

For over 30 years, Laurent Bakery has combined authentic French baking traditions with modern manufacturing to produce quality breads, pastries and cakes.

Our business spans manufacturing facilities in Braeside and a network of retail cafés across Melbourne. Our HR team supports the people and leaders who bring these products and experiences to our customers every day.