Manager, Workplace Relations

seek.com.au; City of Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

SEEK is seeking a Manager, Workplace Relations to lead the day-to-day delivery of workplace relations consulting and advisory services in Australia. The role oversees the Workplace Relations Advisory team, delivers billable consulting, and ensures high-quality client outcomes with strong commercial performance.

Melbourne or Brisbane, hybrid model (three days in office or at client sites). The role emphasises practical guidance on employment matters, policy development and client relationship

Qualifications

• Significant experience in workplace relations or related HR disciplines.
• Experience advising across diverse industries on employment matters.
• Experience leading or supervising Workplace Relations/HR professionals.
• Strong understanding of Australian employment legislation and workplace obligations.
• Experience managing employee relations and performance issues.
• Excellent report writing and communication skills.
• Strong client relationship management capability.
• Commercially aware with billable consulting experience.
• Practical, solutions-focused approach with collaborative leadership.

Responsibilities

• Personally deliver workplace relations consulting to clients, including complex case management and policy development.
• Maintain an active portfolio of billable client engagements and achieve utilisation and revenue targets.
• Prepare clear, practical written advice, recommendations and reports.
• Develop trusted adviser relationships with client leaders and stakeholders.
• Lead and manage the Workplace Relations Advisory team.
• Provide coaching, mentoring and guidance to Workplace Relations Consultants.
• Oversee workflow management, workload allocation and service delivery performance.
• Monitor consultant productivity and client outcomes.
• Support recruitment, onboarding and professional development activities.
• Create a collaborative, high-performance and client-focused team culture.

Skills

Workplace relations

Employee relations

HR consulting

Employment law

Leadership

Client relationship management

Commercial awareness

Coaching

Policy interpretation

Job description

Join an organisation making a genuine difference to workplaces across Australia.

The organisation is an established and growing professional services organisation with more than 25 years’ experience helping organisations navigate complex workplace challenges, strengthen compliance and build better-performing workplaces.

They partner with businesses, government and not-for-profit organisations across Australia and New Zealand, delivering practical advice, specialist expertise and high-quality learning and development solutions.

With a strong reputation, a collaborative team and an exciting period of growth ahead, this is an opportunity to join an organisation where your work has impact, relationships matter and there is genuine opportunity to grow.

About the role

The Manager, Workplace Relations leads the day-to-day delivery of the organisation's workplace relations consulting and advisory services. The role is responsible for managing the Workplace Relations Advisory team, ensuring high-quality client outcomes, developing consultant capability and maintaining strong commercial performance across the advisory function. The Manager provides practical and strategic workplace relations advice to clients across a broad range of employment and employee relations matters while maintaining an active portfolio of billable consulting work. The role is accountable for operational leadership of the Workplace Relations Advisory team, consultant utilisation, workflow management, client service delivery and quality assurance. This is a practising leadership role. The role holder is expected to personally deliver billable workplace relations consulting while leading and developing the Workplace Relations Advisory team.

Location: Melbourne or Brisbane

Hybrid: Three days per week working from the office or at client sites as required.

Key responsibilities

• Personally deliver workplace relations consulting services to clients, including complex case management, performance management advice, misconduct and disciplinary matters, employee complaints and grievances, workplace conflict and interpersonal issues, employment contract interpretation and compliance, policy development and implementation, workplace investigations of low to moderate complexity, termination and separation matters, restructuring and organisational change support, award and National Employment Standards advice, and industrial relations and employee relations guidance
• Maintain an active portfolio of billable client engagements and achieve agreed utilisation and revenue targets
• Prepare clear, practical and commercially focused written advice, correspondence, recommendations and reports
• Develop trusted adviser relationships with client leaders and stakeholders
• Lead and manage the Workplace Relations Advisory team
• Provide coaching, mentoring and technical guidance to Workplace Relations Consultants and Senior Consultants
• Oversee workflow management, workload allocation, utilisation and service delivery performance
• Monitor consultant productivity, quality standards and client outcomes
• Support recruitment, onboarding, performance management and professional development activities
• Create a collaborative, high-performance and client-focused team culture

About you

• Significant experience in workplace relations, employee relations, HR consulting, employment law or a related discipline
• Demonstrated experience providing workplace relations advice across diverse industries
• Experience leading, mentoring or supervising workplace relations or HR professionals
• Strong understanding of Australian employment legislation and workplace obligations
• Experience managing employee relations, disciplinary, performance and grievance matters
• Excellent report writing and written communication skills
• A strong client relationship management capability
• Commercial awareness and experience working within billable consulting environments
• Practical and solutions-focused approach
• Strong people leader and coach who takes a collaborative and supportive approach