People Partner, APAC (12-months parental leave cover)

Verian Group; Sydney; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Verian Group is seeking an experienced People Partner for APAC, based in Australia. The role will lead the People & Culture agenda for Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, supporting ~190 employees.

You will partner with the APAC CEO and global teams, translating global HR strategies into regional delivery, and guiding employee relations, change initiatives and capability building across APAC. The role offers autonomous responsibility within a collaborative global HR team, with support from the

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a People Partner, HR Business Partner or equivalent generalist HR role.
• Strong employee relations experience across complex and varied matters.
• Experience partnering directly with senior leaders and leadership teams.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted advisor to the APAC CEO, regional leadership team and people managers.
• Align people initiatives with business objectives, supporting growth, performance and organisational effectiveness.
• Translate global People & Culture priorities into practical regional delivery plans.
• Coach leaders on people management, talent development, workforce planning and organisational change.
• Use people data and insights to identify trends, risks and opportunities and support evidence-based decision making.
• Represent APAC perspectives and requirements within global People & Culture initiatives.

Skills

People Partner

HRBP

Stakeholder management

Employment law APAC

Senior leadership partnering

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Tools

HR systems

Global HR platforms

Job description

We work with our clients to help solve the next generation of public policy challenges

Verian is a world leading, purpose-led and independent research, evidence, evaluation, and communications agency, providing services to government and the public realm. With offices across the globe, our specialist consultants and researchers are supported by our unique global data ecosystem. We provide gold standard data on the economy and society to decision makers.

We combine expertise in human understanding with advanced technologies and data science, connecting governments with citizens across the world. We support the rapid development of policy thinking in moments of urgency. We implement policies on the ground for multi-laterals. We build communications to reach diverse and complex audiences.

We are Verian. Powering decisions that shape the world.

About the role:

The People Partner, APAC is responsible for leading and delivering the People & Culture agenda across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, supporting approximately 190 employees. Reporting to the Global People Director and working in close partnership with the APAC CEO, the role provides commercially focused people advice, strengthens organisational capability, and ensures an exceptional employee experience across the region.

This is a standalone People Partner role for APAC, supported by administrative resources in the Singapore office and the central HR Services Hub. Whilst operating with a high degree of autonomy, the role forms an integral part of Verian's global People & Culture team, working closely with People Partners, Talent Acquisition, People Operations and HR Services colleagues across the organisation. The successful candidate will benefit from a highly collaborative team environment, shared expertise, and practical support to ensure sustainable delivery and successful integration of local and global people priorities.

The role requires an experienced and hands‑on People Partner who can confidently manage employee relations matters, organisational change, talent and capability initiatives, and people‑related risk, while translating global people strategies into meaningful outcomes across APAC.

Key responsibilities:

Strategic Partnering & Advisory

• Act as a trusted advisor to the APAC CEO, regional leadership team and people managers.
• Align people initiatives with business objectives, supporting growth, performance and organisational effectiveness.
• Translate global People & Culture priorities into practical regional delivery plans.
• Coach leaders on people management, talent development, workforce planning and organisational change.
• Use people data and insights to identify trends, risks and opportunities and support evidence‑based decision making.
• Represent APAC perspectives and requirements within global People & Culture initiatives.

Employee Relations & Legal Compliance

• Provide expert advice and guidance on employee relations matters across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
• Support managers with performance management, disciplinary matters, grievances, investigations and workplace conflict resolution.
• Ensure compliance with local employment legislation, regulatory requirements and company policies.
• Support organisational change activities, including restructures, consultations and workforce transitions where required.
• Proactively identify and mitigate people‑related risks.
• Partner with legal and external advisors when specialist advice is required.
• Partner with leaders on workforce planning, organisational design and talent requirements.
• Support recruitment activity in partnership with the Talent Acquisition team.
• Provide guidance on salary benchmarking, internal mobility, promotions and reward decisions in line with global governance frameworks.
• Oversee local benefits administration and vendor relationships, supported by HR Operations and local administration resources.
• Ensure reward and benefit programmes remain competitive, compliant and aligned with business needs.

Learning and Development

• Support leaders in identifying capability gaps and development priorities.
• Drive effective performance management and talent review processes across APAC.
• Partner with the wider People & Culture team to implement learning and development initiatives.
• Promote utilisation of global learning platforms, programmes and career development tools.
• Support succession planning and talent development discussions across the region.

Employee Experience, Engagement and Communication

• Champion Verian's culture, values and employee experience across APAC.
• Lead local engagement, wellbeing and inclusion initiatives aligned to the global people strategy.
• Support employee listening activities and develop meaningful action plans in response to feedback.
• Ensure people policies, processes and resources are accessible, relevant and understood by managers and employees.
• Partner with leaders to communicate organisational change effectively and consistently.
• Act as a visible and approachable People & Culture partner across the region.

People Projects & Continuous Improvement

• Lead and support regional people projects and change initiatives.
• Contribute to global People & Culture programmes, sharing regional insights and best practice.
• Identify opportunities to streamline processes and improve the employee and manager experience.
• Work closely with the HR Services Hub and People Operations teams to drive consistency, efficiency and service excellence.

Skills & Experience Required:

• Significant experience in a People Partner, HR Business Partner or equivalent generalist HR role.
• Strong employee relations experience across complex and varied employee matters.
• Working knowledge of employment legislation and HR practices within one or more APAC markets, ideally Australia, New Zealand and/or Singapore.
• Experience partnering directly with senior leaders and leadership teams.
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic thinking with hands‑on operational delivery.
• Strong communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience working within a global and matrixed organisation.
• Ability to work independently whilst building strong collaborative relationships across teams and geographies.
• Experience supporting multiple locations or markets
• Experience contributing to or delivering learning and development initiatives
• Exposure to global HR systems and processes
• Experience adapting global frameworks to meet local market needs

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the recruitment process, please let us know—we’d be happy to help.

Visit www.veriangroup.com to learn more about who we are and the impact we make.