Senior Adviser - Workplace Relations

Department Of Jobs, Skills, Industry And Regions; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 116,000 - 141,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department Of Jobs, Skills, Industry And Regions seeks a Senior Adviser - Workplace Relations in Melbourne to deliver high‑level workplace relations advice, support policy development, and manage complex cases. You will monitor electronic systems and contribute to Reviews of Actions processes, ensuring compliance with instruments, legislation and VPS directions.

The role requires strong written communication, stakeholder engagement, and the ability to translate issues into practical options.

Qualifications

• Stakeholder engagement: identifies and responds to stakeholder needs and context to achieve outcomes.
• Political and organisational context: ensure solutions comply with values, ethics and legal obligations.
• Future focus: understand broader context when reviewing issues and support others.
• Communicate with impact: clear, credible communication, handles sensitive topics well.
• Interpersonal skills: genuine, objective, fosters positive outcomes for people and organisation.
• Critical thinking and problem solving: considers wider business context and prevents recurrence by integrating solutions.

Responsibilities

• Provides high level expertise dealing with complex issues in a specialised corporate support function.
• Develops briefs on highly complex issues offering options for discussion and final decision.
• Contributes to strategic corporate initiatives and implements them.
• Initiates and maintains relationships with peer and senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Focuses on understanding stakeholder issues and delivering outcomes.
• Initiates research and analysis within area of expertise aligned with organisational objectives.

Skills

Stakeholder Engagement

Political and Organisational Context

Future Focus

Communicate with Impact

Interpersonal Skills

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Job description

Senior Adviser - Workplace Relations

• Salary: $116,413 - $140,849 (Plus superannuation)
• Ongoing position
• Usual hours of work: Full-time ((flexibility may be available)
• Usual work location: 121 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 (flexibility may be available)

The Role

Senior Adviser - Workplace Relations is responsible for the delivery of advice and consultancy services on a wide range of workplace relations activities, including providing strategic and tactical advice and support on workplace relations matters within the department. You will use your experience to support the overall workplace relations function, including monitoring and maintaining relevant electronic systems, supporting the management of complex intersecting cases and providing support to Review of Actions processes, as required. Your highly developed written and interpretation skills will be used to develop/review HR policies and lead/initiate projects, while ensuring compliance with relevant instruments, legislation, VPS directions and Common Policies, as well as preparing comprehensive, well-written documentation and communications on a range of complex and sensitive employee relations issues.

• Provides high level expertise dealing with more complex issues in a specialised corporate support function
• Develops briefs on highly complex issues that provide options for discussion and consideration and will contribute to the development of a set of final options for decision
• Contributes to strategic corporate initiatives and is responsible for implementation
• Initiates and maintains relationships with peer and senior internal and external stakeholders
• Focuses on understanding stakeholder issues
• Initiates research and analysis within an area of expertise consistent with organisational objectives

The Team

The position Senior Adviser - Workplace Relations will work within People and Culture - Workplace Relations and Safety Branch, which sits within Corporate Services Group. The Corporate Services group consists of specialist functions including finance, investment and procurement, performance and governance, legal and legislation, people and culture, information technology and workplace services and emergency management. These functions enable the department to operate efficiently and effectively and support the Secretary and Ministers to meet legislative obligations and responsibilities whilst actively supporting the department's portfolio groups and Ministers to create the conditions for growing Victoria's prosperity, building the productive capacity of our economy, and increasing participation.

About You

To be successful in this role you will have the following skills and experience:

• Stakeholder Engagement: Identifies and responds to stakeholder's underlying needs; Uses understanding of the stakeholder's organisational context to ensure outcomes are achieved.
• Political and Organisational Context: Ensures solutions or actions adhere to values, ethics, responsibilities, legal obligations and limits that apply to an organisation.
• Future Focus: Understands the broader context when reviewing an issue or problem and supports others to do so. Is future oriented in analysis, thought and action.
• Communicate with Impact: Makes a positive impression on others and comes across with credibility; Communicates in a manner that is clear, fluent and holds the listeners' attention; Able to deal with difficult and sensitive topics and questions.
• Interpersonal Skills: Presents as genuine and sincere when dealing with others; Projects an objective view of another's stated position; Uses understanding of individuals to get the best outcomes for the person and organisation.
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Takes into account wider business context within business unit when considering options to resolve issues. Identifies recurring problems and prevents future recurrence by integrating solutions into work process.

Further Information

For a confidential discussion, please contact Jason Steadall, Manager, Workplace Relations 0400 043 154.

The department is committed to creating and maintaining a child safe organisation.

We have zero tolerance of child abuse and are committed to taking the necessary steps to protect children from harm by adopting a preventative, proactive and participatory approach to child safety in accordance with the Child Safe Standards.

Successful candidates will be required to undergo a National Police Records Check prior to commencing employment with the Department.

For further information on the position, please refer to the attached position description.

Applications close at 23:59pm on Wednesday, 30 September 2026.