Organisational Effectiveness Lead

The Next Step; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Australian Football League (AFL) is seeking an experienced Organisational Development leader to shape the future of people capability. Reporting to the Executive General Manager People, you will design and deliver initiatives that strengthen capability, performance and employee experience across a fast-moving, high-profile organisation.

Key priorities include strategic workforce planning, future of work initiatives, culture and engagement, and refining performance frameworks.

Job description

About Them

The Australian Football League (AFL) is one of Australia's most recognised and influential sporting organisations, connecting communities through a shared passion for Australia's game. With approximately 1,000 employees and 3,000 casual workers across a growing and increasingly complex organisation, the AFL is investing in its people capability to support future growth, performance and organisational effectiveness.

About the Role

This newly created role represents a rare opportunity to shape the future of organisational effectiveness at one of Australia's most iconic brands. Reporting to the Executive General Manager People, you will lead the design and delivery of key people initiatives that strengthen organisational capability, workforce performance and employee experience. Operating as a trusted adviser and strategic partner, you'll combine big-picture thinking with hands-on delivery across a broad organisational development portfolio.

Key priorities include:

• Strategic workforce planning and organisational capability
• Future of work and ways of working initiatives
• Culture and engagement strategy
• Performance framework enhancement
• Organisation-wide people projects and change initiatives
• Contributing to the development and driving execution of the AFL People Plan

This is not a role for someone who wants to simply advise from the sidelines. You'll have the opportunity to identify opportunities, design practical solutions and see them through to implementation in a fast-moving, highly ambitious environment.

About Success

Success in the first 12 months will look like:

• Establishing a practical and scalable workforce planning approach
• Enhancing the AFL's performance culture and performance frameworks
• Driving meaningful improvements in ways of working and organisational effectiveness
• Bringing engagement and culture insights to life through tangible action plans
• Building credibility as a trusted partner to leaders across the business
• Delivering high-impact outcomes at pace, without unnecessary complexity

You’ll be known for balancing strategic thinking with pragmatic execution and delivering solutions that genuinely improve business outcomes.

About You

You are an experienced Organisational Development, Organisational Effectiveness or People professional who thrives in high-performance environments.

To succeed, you’ll bring:

• Proven Organisational Development professional with experience leading workforce planning, culture, performance or organisational effectiveness initiatives
• Strong project and change leadership capability
• Commercial acumen and the ability to connect people initiatives to business outcomes
• A practical, solutions-focused mindset
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills
• The confidence to challenge thinking and introduce fresh ideas
• High levels of resilience, adaptability and personal accountability

Importantly, you’ll know what good looks like and be able to adapt leading practice to fit a fast-paced, resource-conscious environment.

About Culture & Benefits

As a values-led organisation built on Play to Win, Play as One Team, Play with Passion and Play Fair, the AFL is committed to creating a high-performing culture where people can thrive and make a meaningful impact.

The AFL offers a culture unlike any other. You'll join a highly capable and collaborative People team that values initiative, innovation and delivery. This is an environment where great ideas are welcomed, bureaucracy is limited and leaders are genuinely open to new thinking. In return, you’ll enjoy:

• A newly created role with significant organisational impact
• Exposure to executive leaders and enterprise-wide initiatives
• The opportunity to shape the future workforce of the AFL
• A values-driven, high-performance culture
• Flexibility and autonomy
• Working within one of Australia's most recognised and respected brands
• A collegiate team that enjoys challenging ideas, moving quickly and delivering outcomes

For an Organisational Development professional seeking breadth, influence and the opportunity to create meaningful change, few opportunities offer this level of exposure and impact.

Please note I will be out of the office from 27 - 30 October and will therefore only be able to speak directly with candidates who closely match the search criteria and are being seriously considered for the role.

For specific questions about this role, please contact Lisa Hammond at [e-mail]