Workplace Relations Manager

People & Purpose; Sydney; On-site; AUD 165,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

People & Purpose is seeking an experienced Employee Relations Manager in Sydney to build and lead the ER/IR function for a national care provider. This newly created role offers operational and strategic impact, shaping workplace relations across service lines and partnering with HR colleagues to drive growth and change.

You will own Fair Work matters, investigations, and develop a standardized ER framework while coaching managers and senior leaders on sound employment practice.

Qualifications

• Experience in employee and industrial relations.
• Hands-on Fair Work Commission experience, including conciliations and complex investigations.
• Commercial judgement in employment matters.
• Willingness to lead ER/IR function from scratch.
• Ability to coach managers and leaders.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational and strategic ER/IR matters.
• Set the workplace relations strategy for the organisation.
• Lead Fair Work matters, disputes and investigations.
• Establish a standardized ER framework across service lines.
• Coach operational managers, BP’s and executives on employment practice.

Education

Legal qualifications

Employee relations

Industrial relations

Fair Work Commission experience

Dispute resolution

Strategic thinking

Leadership

Coaching

Commercial acumen

Job description

Employee Relations Manager | Yours to Build

Newly created role | Sydney| National care provider |Permanent, full time

$165,000 to $180,000 plus super

A great opportunity for an experienced workplace relations professional to join a national care provider going through real growth and change. This is a newly created role, so you get to set up the ER and IR function, be the subject matter expert, work alongside like-minded HR professionals, and take the organisation where it needs to go both operationally and strategically.

What you'll do

• This is both operational and strategic- You run the difficult matters yourself, and you set the workplace relations strategy the organisation runs on.
• Lead the Fair Work matters, active disputes and complex investigations. There is a live pipeline waiting for you.
• Be the escalation point for the business partners and operational leaders, the person they come to when something is genuinely difficult.
• Build the standardised ER framework across every service line. An external firm is creating a legally cleared template library now, so you are not starting from a blank page.
• Coach operational managers, BP's and the executive on sound employment practice.

What you'll bring

• A career built in employee and industrial relations. You are a SME in WPR's.
• Hands-on Fair Work Commission experience, including conciliations and complex workplace investigations you have run yourself.
• Commercial judgement. You know what the correct process is, and when the situation calls for a different answer.
• The confidence to challenge a leadership team, and the approachability that gets a frontline manager picking up the phone.
• Legal qualifications are well regarded.