People & Culture Business Partner

The Next Step; South Australia; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The Next Step is seeking an experienced People & Culture Business Partner to support its South Australian operation from Victoria. You will partner with senior leaders, balance strategic initiatives with practical HR solutions, and act as the primary P&C contact for the site.

In a fast-paced environment, you will provide coaching, handle employee and industrial relations matters, support enterprise bargaining, and drive workforce planning and change initiatives with data-driven insights.

Qualifications

• 3+ years’ experience in HR Business Partner or generalist role.
• Tertiary qualifications in HR, business management or related discipline.
• Strong knowledge of Australian employment legislation and workplace relations.
• Experience managing employee and industrial relations matters.
• Ability to coach leaders and influence at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational HR advice and coaching across the employee lifecycle.
• Manage complex employee and industrial relations matters, including investigations and performance issues.
• Support enterprise bargaining activities and stakeholder engagement.
• Assist workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding and retention strategies.
• Coach leaders on performance, development and leadership.
• Support organisational change and transformation initiatives.
• Provide guidance on employment legislation, policies and procedures.
• Contribute to national P&C projects and use workforce data to drive decisions.

Skills

HR generalist

Stakeholder management

People leadership coaching

Change management

Data-driven decisions

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR or related

Job description

The Opportunity

An established Australian family owned organisation with a national footprint is seeking an experienced People & Culture Business Partner to support its South Australian business.

This is a broad, hands‑on HR partnering role offering considerable autonomy and exposure across the full employee lifecycle. Working closely with senior leaders and as part of a national People & Culture function, you will act as the key P&C contact for the South Australian business, balancing strategic partnering with the delivery of pragmatic, commercially focused HR solutions.

The environment is fast‑paced and operational, so this opportunity will suit someone who enjoys being close to the business, building credibility with leaders and employees, and taking ownership rather than operating within a highly segmented HR model.

The Role

Partnering with leaders across the business, you will provide advice, coaching and support across a diverse range of people matters. You will build trusted stakeholder relationships and help strengthen leadership capability while ensuring national people initiatives are effectively embedded locally.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing operational HR advice and coaching to leaders across the employee lifecycle.
• Managing complex employee and industrial relations matters, including workplace investigations and performance issues.
• Playing an active role in enterprise bargaining, including preparation, stakeholder engagement, and implementation.
• Supporting workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding and retention strategies.
• Coaching leaders on performance management, development and effective people leadership.
• Supporting organisational change and transformation initiatives.
• Providing guidance on employment legislation, industrial instruments, policies and procedures.
• Contributing to the development and implementation of broader national People & Culture projects and initiatives.
• Using workforce insights and data to identify trends and support better people and business decisions.

About You

You will be an experienced HR generalist who is comfortable operating autonomously and can move confidently between strategic conversations and hands‑on employee matters.

Ideally, you will bring:

• 3+ years' experience in an HR Business Partner or comparable generalist HR position.
• Tertiary qualifications in Human Resources, Business Management or a related discipline.
• Sound knowledge of Australian employment legislation, workplace relations and contemporary HR practices.
• Practical experience managing employee relations and industrial relations matters.
• The confidence to coach and influence leaders at different levels of an organisation.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication and relationship‑building capability.
• The ability to navigate change, ambiguity and sensitive workplace matters with sound judgement.
• A commercial and pragmatic approach, with the ability to use data and insights to inform decisions.
• The ability to work independently while remaining closely connected to a broader national HR team.

Experience within transport, logistics, manufacturing, warehousing, infrastructure, engineering or another operational/industrial environment would be particularly valuable.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

This is an excellent opportunity for an HR professional looking for genuine ownership and breadth. Rather than specialising in one area of HR, you will work closely with the business across the full spectrum of people matters, while having access to the expertise and support of a national P&C function.

You will have the opportunity to guide and influence leaders, navigate ER/IR matters, contribute to enterprise bargaining and change initiatives, and help shape the people agenda within the South Australian operation.

If you enjoy being visible in the business, building trusted relationships and delivering practical HR solutions, this is an opportunity to make a tangible impact.