HR Leader — Hybrid, Systems-Driven People Ops

Buttercups Childcare; Western Australia; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Buttercups Childcare, a leading Western Australian childcare provider, seeks an experienced Human Resources Manager to lead the HR function across our network of centres. You will own the full employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding through to employee relations, payroll, performance, capability and exit, with a focus on compliant, scalable people processes.

You will combine industrial relations expertise with a process mindset to map how things work, identify gaps, and implement

Qualifications

• A tertiary qualification in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Business or a related field.
• 5+ years' generalist HR experience, including at least 2 years in an HR Manager or senior HR role leading a team.
• Strong knowledge of the Fair Work Act, National Employment Standards and Modern Awards; early childhood award experience is highly regarded.
• Proven experience managing complex employee relations, investigations and performance matters through to resolution.
• A demonstrated track record of designing, mapping and improving end-to-end HR processes and systems, with measurable outcomes.
• Working knowledge of WHS, injury management and workers' compensation.
• Advanced HRIS, Excel and reporting skills, and confidence using data to inform decisions.
• Excellent communication, influencing, coaching and project management skills, with sound judgement and discretion.
• A National Police Clearance and Working with Children Check (or the ability to obtain them).

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the HR team, setting priorities and ensuring consistent, high-quality service across all centres.
• Translate people strategy into an annual HR plan and deliver HR projects on time and within scope.
• Oversee payroll coordination, remuneration and award compliance.
• Map and redesign HR processes across the employee lifecycle to remove duplication and build consistency.
• Optimise our HRIS and related systems to automate workflows and improve data quality.
• Establish HR metrics and reporting that give leaders clear workforce insights.
• Advise and coach leaders on employee relations, performance management, grievances and terminations.
• Manage complex cases end to end, including investigations, redundancies and Fair Work matters.
• Interpret awards and legislation, and address the root causes of recurring issues.
• Lead end-to-end recruitment and onboarding, ensuring childcare-specific compliance requirements are met.
• Partner with Operations on learning and development, and build manager capability through coaching and training.
• Drive engagement, retention, recognition and culture initiatives.
• Develop and maintain HR and WHS policies, procedures and compliant employee records.
• Lead the WHS management system, including audits, risk assessments and incident investigations.
• Manage injury management, workers' compensation and return-to-work processes.

Skills

HR Leadership

Industrial Relations

Payroll

HR Analytics

Policy & Compliance

Employee Relations

Training & Development

Change Management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources / Industrial Relations / Business or related field

Tools

HRIS

Excel

Job description

Buttercups Childcare, a leading Western Australian childcare provider, seeks an experienced Human Resources Manager to lead the HR function across our network of centres. You will own the full employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding through to employee relations, payroll, performance, capability and exit, with a focus on compliant, scalable people processes.

You will combine industrial relations expertise with a process mindset to map how things work, identify gaps, and implement