Interim HR Operations Manager

Gofractional; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Gofractional is seeking an HR Operations Manager for a hands-on leadership role based in Sydney. You will manage a Sydney-based team and own the employee lifecycle, with a focus on mobility and immigration across APAC and beyond.

This 14-month contract requires delivering high standards, driving ongoing projects, and setting up the team for a smooth handover. The role offers broad exposure within a high-performing global trading firm.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Human Resources, Business or related field.
• 6+ years’ experience in HR generalist/HR Operations roles in fast-paced environments.
• Experience leading a small team and global mobility across APAC is preferred.
• Strong HRIS knowledge, preferably Workday, with data-driven mindset.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the HR Operations team in Sydney.
• Own mobility and immigration across APAC, coordinating visas and relocations.
• Run HR Operations across the employee lifecycle from onboarding to offboarding.
• Improve HR processes, SOPs, and automate where possible.
• Collaborate with HRIS, Legal, Finance and Payroll for accurate delivery.
• Support regional compensation queries and annual review cycles.

Skills

People leadership

Global mobility

HR operations

Stakeholder management

Data analytics

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Tools

Workday

Job description

HR Operations Manager - 14 month contract

Location: Sydney, Australia

Overview:This is a hands-on leadership role with real ownership from day one. You'll manage a Sydney-based team of HR Generalists and HR Coordinators, own the employee lifecycle across the region, and work globally to shape our mobility and immigration agenda as IMC expands and moves top talent across APAC and around the world.

Because this is a defined 14-month tenure, we need someone who can get up to speed quickly, hold the function to a high standard, keep in-flight projects moving, and leave the team in great shape at handover. It's a genuinely broad brief and a great opportunity to work inside a high-performing global trading firm at a point of significant regional growth.

Your Core Responsibilities:

Lead and develop the HR Operations team

• Manage, coach and develop a team of four in Sydney (HR Generalists and HR Coordinators), setting clear priorities and building capability across the team
• Create the conditions for the team to do their best work — clear ownership, sensible workload distribution and meaningful development, including through a leadership transition
• Set the service standard for the team: responsive, accurate and pragmatic support that HRBPs, managers and employees can rely on

Own mobility and immigration

• Oversee end-to-end global mobility across APAC — inbound and outbound moves, intra-region transfers and international relocations
• Lead all visa and immigration activity with the support of the HR Generalists, including sponsorship obligations, renewals, compliance and ongoing risk management
• Partner with employees, hiring managers and external counsel to make relocations feel seamless, from offer through to landing well in a new country
• Manage relationships and performance of external providers, including relocation specialists, immigration counsel, health insurance providers and tax advisor

Run HR Operations across the employee lifecycle

• Own every stage of the employment lifecycle — contracts, employment letters, onboarding and new hire orientation, staff movements, relocation support, offboarding and terminations
• Build, automate and maintain HR operations efficiency, defining and improving processes that strengthen a performance-driven organisation with a focus on quality, delivery and cost optimisation
• Lead the team in maintaining accurate HR information systems, including Workday, payroll data and related HR tools
• Support the HRBP and wider HR teams with the information, communication and service levels they need on HR Operations topics
• Review and improve HR policies, striving for best practice and staying aligned with legislative change across the jurisdictions we operate in
• Own local and regional HR reporting requirements, ensuring accurate reporting for both local and global stakeholders
• Contribute to regional and global HR projects, including HR systems and process improvement initiatives, and look for opportunities to automate and simplify how the function works
• Work with the leadership team to develop HR practices and programs aligned to IMC's strategy and culture
• Partner with key stakeholders across HRIS, Legal, Finance and Payroll to ensure smooth, accurate delivery of HR Operations priorities and improvements
• Support regional compensation queries from leaders and recruitment, and partner with global compensation on the annual review cycle

Your Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Human Resources, Business or a related field
• 6+ years' experience in a generalist HR, HR Operations or shared services role in a progressive, high-touch, fast-paced environment
• Experience leading and developing a small team
• Demonstrated experience in global mobility and immigration, ideally across multiple APAC jurisdictions
• Strong working knowledge of HRIS platforms (Workday highly regarded) and a genuine interest in using systems and data well
• A track record in process improvement, developing SOPs, and building HR capability through training
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the credibility to partner confidently with senior stakeholders
• An abundance of common sense and pragmatism — you solve problems and get results