HR Business Partner

Hutchison Ports Australia; Sydney; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus Scheme

Fitness Passport

Novated Leasing

Discounted Perks

ER/IR exposure

Supportive People team

HRBP capability growth

Job summary

Hutchison Ports Australia seeks an experienced HR Business Partner to join our Sydney terminal and support one of Australia’s key port and supply chain operations.

You will partner with terminal leaders, operational managers, employees and employee representatives to support workforce performance, industrial stability and safe, commercially sustainable operations in a highly unionised environment.

Qualifications

• Approximately 4+ years’ experience in HR, ER, IR advisory or HRBP roles.
• Experience in operational, industrial, blue-collar or unionised environment.
• Strong understanding of Australian employment legislation, employee relations and IR principles.

Responsibilities

• Provide practical HR, ER and IR advice to terminal leaders and operational managers.
• Support workforce performance, leader capability and disciplined people management.
• Interpret and apply enterprise agreement provisions, employment legislation, company policies and procedures.

Skills

HR Advisory

Employee Relations

Industrial Relations

Unionised environment

Stakeholder Management

Coaching Managers

Communication Skills

Policy Interpretation

Australian Law

Education

HR/IR degree

Business/Law degree

Tools

HRIS

Payroll Systems

Workforce Reporting

Job description

Hutchison Ports Australia is seeking an experienced HR Business Partner to join our Sydney terminal and support one of Australia’s key port and supply chain operations.

This is a genuine business partnering role for someone who enjoys working close to operations, building trusted relationships with leaders, and providing practical HR, employee relations and industrial relations advice in a complex, unionised environment.

You will partner with terminal leaders, operational managers, employees and employee representatives to support workforce performance, industrial stability, compliance and safe, commercially sustainable operations.

This role would suit a mid-level HRBP, strong HR Advisor, ER Advisor or IR Advisor who is ready to step further into business partnering, deepen their ER/IR capability and gain meaningful exposure to a highly operational and unionised workforce.

About The Role

Reporting to the Head of People, Compliance & Safety, the HR Business Partner will provide site-based Human Resources, Employee Relations and Industrial Relations support to Hutchison Ports Sydney.

You will work as both a strategic advisor and hands-on practitioner, supporting leaders across the full employee lifecycle while helping ensure consistent, fair and defensible employment decisions.

This role is embedded in the terminal environment and works closely with Operations, HSEQ, Payroll, Learning & Development and employee representatives.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Provide practical HR, ER and IR advice to terminal leaders and operational managers.
• Support workforce performance, leader capability and disciplined people management.
• Interpret and apply enterprise agreement provisions, employment legislation, company policies and workplace procedures.
• Coach leaders through performance, conduct, absenteeism, grievances and disciplinary matters.
• Support consultation, workplace change and engagement with employee representatives and unions.
• Partner with leaders on recruitment, onboarding, probation, employee movements and exits.
• Support merit-based recruitment practices and fair, consistent selection processes.
• Work with HSEQ and Operations to support people-related safety matters, return to work and compliance outcomes.
• Maintain clear, accurate and defensible HR documentation and case records.
• Use HR data and insights to identify workforce trends and support practical decision-making.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of HR processes, tools, templates and reporting.

About You

You are a practical, commercially minded HR professional who enjoys working in an operational environment.

You are confident advising leaders, comfortable managing complex people matters, and interested in developing deeper industrial relations expertise. You do not need to come from stevedoring, but you will need to be comfortable working with a blue-collar workforce, employee representatives and a safety-critical operating environment.

You are calm under pressure, clear in your communication and confident balancing people, risk, compliance and business needs.

Skills And Experience

To be successful in this role, you will ideally bring:

• Approximately 4+ years’ experience in HR, ER, IR advisory or HR Business Partner roles.
• Experience working in an operational, industrial, blue-collar or unionised environment.
• Strong understanding of Australian employment legislation, employee relations and industrial relations principles.
• Experience interpreting and applying enterprise agreements, workplace policies or procedures.
• Proven capability managing performance, conduct, grievances, absenteeism or disciplinary matters.
• Ability to support consultation and engagement with employee representatives or unions.
• Strong coaching capability, with the confidence to guide managers through complex people matters.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to prepare accurate, professional and defensible HR documentation.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage competing priorities.
• A practical, solutions-focused and risk-aware approach.

Highly Regarded

• Experience in ports, logistics, transport, infrastructure, manufacturing, mining or heavy industry.
• Exposure to enterprise bargaining, industrial negotiations or workplace change.
• Experience preparing documentation for Fair Work Commission or other employment-related proceedings.
• Tertiary qualifications in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Business, Law or a related discipline.
• Experience using HRIS, payroll, workforce reporting or case management systems.

Why Join Hutchison Ports Australia?

This is a strong opportunity for an HR professional who wants to build real operational HR and industrial relations depth.

You will gain exposure to a complex unionised workforce, enterprise agreement application, people risk, operational leadership coaching, and employee relations matters that genuinely impact business performance. Competitive salary and benefits

You will also join a supportive and engaged People team that values practical advice, sound judgement, collaboration and continuous improvement.

Benefits Include

• Bonus Scheme
• Fitness Passport
• Novated leasing
• Discounted employee perks
• Exposure to complex ER/IR and unionised operations
• Supportive People team and engaged leadership environment
• Opportunity to build meaningful HRBP capability in a critical infrastructure setting

Work Rights Requirement

Applicants must already hold current Australian working rights and be able to work full-time in Australia.

Hutchison Ports Australia is not offering visa sponsorship or international relocation support for this appointment.

Hutchison Ports Australia (HPA) is part of Hutchison Port Holdings, the world's leading port operator, with a global network of 48 ports across 25 countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australasia.