HR Manager (Organisational Change)

Australian National University; Canberra; On-site; AUD 138,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent educational institution in Canberra is seeking a Senior Manager to lead their HR approach to organisational change. This full-time, fixed-term role requires a strategic HR practitioner capable of influencing senior leaders and managing complex projects. The successful candidate will guide a specialist team, provide strategic advice, and ensure compliance while promoting a people-centered approach to change. This position offers significant opportunities for professional development and impact at a high institutional level.

Benefits

Career development opportunities

Diverse workplace culture

Potential for impactful projects

Qualifications

• Experienced HR practitioner capable of influencing senior decision-makers.
• Strong judgement and ability to navigate complex people challenges.
• Ability to guide a small specialist team in organisational change.

Responsibilities

• Lead the HR approach to organisational change.
• Provide strategic advice on workforce change and structural reform.
• Manage and mentor a small, specialist team.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Leadership

Excellent communication

Collaboration

Organizational change experience

Education

Broad generalist HR experience

Job description

Classification : Senior Manager 1 (Administration)

Salary package : $138,182 - $144,783 per annum plus 17% superannuation

Type : Full time, Fixed-term until 13 January 2027

A great role for an experienced HR practitioner who enjoys solving complex people challenges and getting involved in purposeful project work - developing tools, shaping structures and supporting change from planning through to delivery.

If you’re a senior HR practitioner, Manager or Business Partner who enjoys strategic, people-focused work and wants to deepen your impact at an institutional level, this role offers an exciting step forward.

You’ll thrive here if you :

• Enjoy shaping approaches to complex organisational change and influencing senior decision‑makers.
• Bring clarity, structure and confidence to ambiguous or sensitive change environments.
• Can translate strategy into practical pathways – balancing compliance, people impacts and organisational needs.
• Build strong relationships with leaders, guiding them through complex choices with insight and credibility.
• Are energised by leading project‑based work and uplifting the capability of others.
• Are looking for an opportunity that puts you at the table.

About the role

The HR Manager, Organisational Change leads the University’s approach to organisational change, partnering closely with senior leaders, HRBPs and specialist teams to deliver consistent, people‑centred and compliant change outcomes across ANU.

This fixed‑term opportunity (parental leave backfill until 13 January 2027) offers rare strategic exposure—shaping how workforce change is designed, governed and implemented at an institution‑wide level. You will lead a small, specialist team, provide authoritative advice on complex and sensitive matters, and influence key workforce and structural decisions.

This role is an excellent development pathway for a senior HR practitioner seeking to further their HR career by specialising in organisational design and organisational change at a strategic level.

Why you’ll enjoy this role

• A strategic HR leadership role with strong influence and visibility across the University.
• Direct exposure to institution‑wide projects, structural reforms and executive‑level decision‑making.
• Lead a specialist team and shape the tools, frameworks and governance that guide organisational change at ANU.
• Career opportunity – build capabilities that position you for future pathways in HR leadership, ER / IR, change and transformation, or organisational development.

What you’ll do

• Provide strategic advice to executives and senior leaders on organisational design, workforce change and structural reform, ensuring alignment with University strategy, risk considerations and compliance obligations.
• Lead the delivery of major and complex change initiatives, overseeing governance, risk management, stakeholder engagement and implementation planning.
• Set the strategic direction for organisational change frameworks, methodologies and tools, ensuring consistency and best practice across ANU.
• Offer expert interpretation of enterprise agreement requirements, legislation and policy, guiding leaders through consultation, decision‑making and implementation.
• Build capability across the HR community – coaching HRBPs and senior leaders to confidently lead and navigate change.
• Oversee quality assurance for change documentation, proposals and communications, ensuring clarity, accuracy and compliance.
• Manage and mentor a small specialist team, fostering a collaborative, high‑trust and high‑performance environment.
• Collaborate closely with Employee Relations, Workforce Planning, Finance, Communications, Legal and other stakeholders to deliver integrated and sustainable change outcomes.

About you

You will bring :

• Broad generalist HR experience, able to contribute at Manager or Senior Business Partner level, with a strong track record advising leaders on complex people matters.
• Demonstrated leadership capability and the ability to guide and develop others.
• Strong strategic thinking, sound judgement and the confidence to influence diverse stakeholders at all levels.
• The ability to interpret industrial instruments and navigate employment legislation in practical, people‑centred ways.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to craft clear documentation, articulate risks and support executive decision‑making.
• Experience leading or contributing to organisational change, with an interest in further developing this expertise.
• A collaborative mindset and a commitment to leading with integrity, care and professionalism.

For further information and confidential discussion about the role please contact Mark Cook, Deputy Chief People Officer – People Experience via [e-mail].

Application information

In order to apply for this role please make sure that you upload the following documents :

• A cover letter outlining your interest and suitability for the role
• A current curriculum vitae (CV)

The University actively encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. For more information on employment opportunities, contact our Indigenous Employment Consultant on [e-mail]

ANU values diversity and inclusion and believes employment opportunities must not be limited by socio‑economic background, race, religion or gender. For more information about staff equity at ANU, visit http://hr.anu.edu.au/staff-equity

The successful applicant must have rights to live and work in this country and will be required to undergo a background check during the recruitment process. An offer of employment is conditional on satisfactory results.