Workforce Planning Manager

efm; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Professional development

Dynamic culture

Industry leader

Modern office

Free parking

Company functions

Charity volunteering

Job summary

efm Logistics in Melbourne seeks an experienced Workforce Planning Manager to own forecasting, capacity planning, rostering and real-time workforce management for our Customer Service function. You will lead a small team to optimise coverage, performance and cost-to-serve across 100+ staff in a high-volume environment.

You will collaborate with Customer Service leadership and IT to improve processes, reporting and system configuration, ensuring aligned resources with business needs and service

Qualifications

• 5+ years' experience in workforce planning or workforce management within a contact centre or high-volume customer service environment.
• 2+ years' experience leading and developing a team.
• Forecasting, scheduling and capacity management for 100+ FTE across multiple channels.
• Hands-on experience with workforce management platforms such as NICE, Verint, Genesys Cloud WFM, Calabrio or similar.
• Strong analytical skills and advanced Excel capability; able to develop workforce reports and dashboards.
• Understanding of Australian rostering requirements, Modern Awards, Enterprise Agreements and Fair Work obligations.
• Proven track record of improving processes, optimising systems and using data to drive performance.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management; capable of balancing strategic and operational needs.
• Tertiary qualification in Business, Analytics, Operations Research or related discipline (highly regarded).

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain short-, medium-, and long-term workforce forecasts using trends and demand.
• Translate forecasts into staffing requirements and headcount projections for 100+ employees.
• Design and manage multi-skilled rosters, including extended hours and holidays.
• Monitor volumes and adjust staffing to maintain service levels and manage spikes.
• Manage leave, absenteeism, and schedule adherence to optimise coverage.
• Oversee WFM systems, reporting and data integrity; drive automation and efficiency.
• Analyse workforce performance and provide insights to senior leadership.
• Lead and develop a small team of workforce planning analysts and schedulers.

Job description

At efm Logistics, we're passionate about delivering smarter, more efficient supply chain solutions for some of Australia's most recognised brands. As Australia's largest 4PL provider, we combine industry expertise and innovative technology to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

The Opportunity

We're seeking an experienced Workforce Planning Manager to take ownership of workforce planning across our Customer Service function.

This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll oversee forecasting, capacity planning, rostering and real-time workforce management to ensure our teams are equipped to meet customer demand and service level targets. Working closely with Customer Service leadership, you'll drive workforce efficiency, improve productivity and ensure our people, systems and resources are aligned with business needs.

You'll play a key role in improving processes, reporting and systems to support the continued growth and performance of our Customer Service function.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain short- medium- and long-term workforce forecasts using historical trends, customer demand, seasonality and business requirements.
• Translate forecasts into staffing requirements, capacity plans and headcount projections to ensure appropriate coverage across a workforce of 100+ employees.
• Design and manage complex, multi-skilled rosters across customer portfolios, including extended operating hours, public holidays, peak periods and customer-specific requirements.
• Monitor real-time call, email and case volumes, adjusting staffing and workload distribution to maintain service levels and manage unexpected demand.
• Manage planned and unplanned leave, absenteeism, schedule adherence and resource allocation to optimise workforce coverage and productivity.
• Oversee workforce management systems, reporting and data integrity, working with Technology and Customer Excellence to improve system configuration, automation and efficiency.
• Analyse workforce performance, including forecast accuracy, utilisation, productivity, service levels and cost-to-serve, providing insights and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Identify and implement continuous improvement initiatives across forecasting, scheduling, workforce processes and technology.
• Partner with Customer Service, People & Performance, Finance, IT and other stakeholders to align workforce planning with operational and customer requirements.
• Lead, coach and develop a small team of workforce planning analysts and schedulers, building capability and driving accountability.

About You

You're an experienced workforce planning professional with technical expertise and leadership capability to make an immediate impact. You understand the complexities of managing a high-volume customer service environment and can confidently translate data and customer demand into effective workforce plans.

To be successful, you'll bring:

• At least 5 years' experience in workforce planning or workforce management within a contact centre or high-volume customer service environment.
• At least 2 years' experience leading and developing a team.
• Demonstrated experience forecasting, scheduling and managing capacity for 100+ FTE across multiple channels.
• Hands-on experience with workforce management platforms such as NICE, Verint, Genesys Cloud WFM, Calabrio or similar.
• Strong analytical skills, advanced Excel capability and experience developing workforce reports, dashboards and performance insights.
• A sound understanding of Australian rostering requirements, including Modern Awards, Enterprise Agreements and Fair Work obligations.
• Experience managing complex rosters, fluctuating workloads, leave coverage and workforce utilisation.
• A proven track record of improving processes, optimising systems and using data to drive operational performance.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to balance strategic planning with practical, day-to-day operational needs.
• A tertiary qualification in Business, Analytics, Operations Research or a related discipline will be highly regarded.

Why Join efm Logistics?

• Strong focus on regular and ongoing professional development training, enhancing skills and career progression
• A dynamic and empowering culture, where we challenge each other to do it better
• An opportunity to be part of an industry leader
• Modern office space and technology
• Free parking and onsite café
• Company functions and team building activities
• Partner with 2 charities, volunteering time to make a difference and contribute to the positive impact they are having both locally and internationally