Senior Employee Relations Advisor

Albury Wodonga Health; Wodonga; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Albury Wodonga Health is seeking a Senior Employee Relations Advisor to provide expert leadership across our diverse workforce across Victoria and NSW. You will guide complex ER matters, advise leaders, and shape governance frameworks to ensure a legally compliant and high-performing workplace culture.

You will lead investigations, support change programs, and coach leaders to enhance workplace relations capabilities.

Qualifications

• Significant experience managing complex employee and industrial relations matters.
• Strong knowledge of employment legislation, enterprise agreements, awards and industrial frameworks.
• Experience leading workplace investigations and formal review processes.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement, negotiation and influencing skills.

Responsibilities

• Providing expert advice on employee and industrial relations matters.
• Leading complex workplace investigations, grievances, misconduct and disciplinary processes.
• Managing industrial disputes and supporting consultation with unions and employee representatives.
• Supporting organisational change, restructures, workforce reform and consultation processes.
• Coaching leaders to improve workplace relations capability and decision-making.
• Developing and reviewing employee relations policies, procedures and governance frameworks.
• Preparing executive briefings, reports and workforce risk assessments.
• Supporting enterprise bargaining and industrial relations initiatives as required.

Skills

Employee relations

Industrial relations

Stakeholder engagement

Negotiation

Leadership

Education

HR/IR degree

Employment law qualification

Job description

Shape Workforce Outcomes Across One of Regional Australia's Largest Health Services

Albury Wodonga Health (AWH) is seeking an experienced and highly capable Senior Employee Relations Advisor to provide expert employee and industrial relations leadership across our diverse and complex workforce.

This is an exciting opportunity for a senior ER professional who thrives on managing complex workplace matters, influencing organisational outcomes, and partnering with leaders to build a respectful, high-performing and legally compliant workplace culture. The role serves as AWH's senior specialist employee and industrial relations practitioner, supporting directors and managers across both Victoria and New South Wales.

About the Role

Reporting to the Director HR Business Partnering & Employee Relations, you will lead the management of complex and sensitive employee relations matters while providing trusted advice to leaders across the organisation. You will play a pivotal role in workforce governance, organisational change initiatives, workplace investigations and industrial relations strategy.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing expert advice on employee and industrial relations matters.
• Leading complex workplace investigations, grievances, misconduct and disciplinary processes.
• Managing industrial disputes and supporting consultation with unions and employee representatives.
• Supporting organisational change, restructures, workforce reform and consultation processes.
• Coaching leaders to improve workplace relations capability and decision-making.
• Developing and reviewing employee relations policies, procedures and governance frameworks.
• Preparing executive briefings, reports and workforce risk assessments.
• Supporting enterprise bargaining and industrial relations initiatives as required.

About You

You are a strategic and pragmatic employee relations professional with extensive experience navigating complex workplace matters in a unionised and highly regulated environment.

To be successful, you will bring:

• Qualifications in Human Resources, Employee Relations, Industrial Relations, Employment Law or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Significant experience managing complex employee and industrial relations matters.
• Strong knowledge of employment legislation, enterprise agreements, awards and industrial frameworks.
• Demonstrated experience leading workplace investigations and formal review processes.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Experience coaching and developing leaders.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and report‑writing capabilities.
• High levels of professionalism, resilience, judgement and emotional intelligence.

Why Join AWH?

At Albury Wodonga Health, we offer:

• The opportunity to influence workforce strategy and organisational decision‑making.
• Diverse and challenging employee relations work across a large health service.
• A collaborative People & Culture team committed to excellence.
• Professional development and career growth opportunities.
• An inclusive workplace that values respect, accountability, kindness and innovation.

Employment Type

This is a fulltime opportunity.

For further details, please refer to the Position Descriptionor alternatively contact Emily Shanahan at **************@awh.org.au for a confidential discussion.

AWH serves as the largest regional healthcare provider between Sydney and Melbourne, situated in the border cities of Albury and Wodonga. With a dedicated team of over 3,000 professionals, we proudly service a population of up to 300,000 across North‑East Victoria and Southern NSW. Our extensive network encompasses two primary hospital campuses and an additional 22 sites, delivering a diverse range of emergency, surgical, women's and children's, community, mental health, allied health, and sub‑acute services. Our growth continues with the opening of a state‑of‑the‑art Emergency Department in 2024, and excitingly, the construction of a new hospital at our Albury site by 2028. This expansion will greatly elevate our ability to service the needs of our community, and we need a great team of people like you to accomplish this.

Closing Date

11/11/2026

What awaits you at AWH?

We are committed to our Employee Value Proposition and will deliver on our key pillars of Growth, Balance, Contribution and Lifestyle. We provide comprehensive induction and training to set you up for success, offer exceptional Rewards and Benefits and continuously nurture your professional growth by providing opportunities for development.

Thinking about a tree‑change?

AWH has partnered with The Welcome Experience to support your move. This free service is designed to help essential workers and their families who are considering a move to Albury / Wodonga.

We know how rewarding life and work in regional Australia can be, and we want to make the transition as smooth as possible. The Welcome Experience team can guide you through the process and connect you with the information and support you need. This program is only available to employees relocating to the cities of Albury and Wodonga.

To learn more or register, visit The Welcome Experience | NSW Government

Are you ready to become part of our team?

To uncover compelling reasons to embark on this career journey with us and become part of our fantastic team, please refer to our Candidate Information Pack.

Salary and terms will be in accordance with the relevant state EBA or Award.

AWH prioritises Equal Employment Opportunity, Ethical Practice, and embraces Cultural Diversity and Social Inclusion. We welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Please note that appointments are contingent on satisfactory pre‑employment checks including Criminal Record check and working with Children checks.

Important Notice

All healthcare workers must maintain all vaccinations required by relevant healthcare regulations, guidelines, or their specific role within the organisation. In addition to mandatory vaccinations, AWH strongly encourage all employees to receive the COVID‑19 vaccination and the seasonal influenza (flu) vaccination, as recommended by public health authorities and as a preventative measure to help ensure the safety and well‑being of patients, colleagues, and the broader community.