Employment Relations Specialist

BUSY Ability; Sefton; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Paid parental leave

Retail discounts

Fitness Passport

Job summary

The BUSY Group is seeking an experienced Employee Relations Specialist to guide leaders on complex employment matters across our multi-jurisdictional operations including the United Kingdom. You will drive compliant, fair and commercially sound people practices while proactively developing ER frameworks and leadership capability.

You will be the go-to advisor on workplace investigations, legislative interpretation and strategic People & Culture initiatives, with a focus on reducing risk and

Qualifications

• Minimum 4 years' experience in Employee Relations, Industrial Relations or HR Advisory roles.
• Strong working knowledge of the Fair Work Act, National Employment Standards and Modern Awards.
• Proven experience managing investigations, misconduct matters and termination processes.
• Ability to interpret legislation and provide practical, risk-based advice.
• Experience coaching and influencing leaders at all levels.
• Outstanding communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience in not-for-profit, community services, education or multi-site environments will be highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert employee relations advice to leaders and managers across multiple jurisdictions.
• Lead workplace investigations, misconduct matters, disciplinary processes and performance management cases.
• Interpret Modern Awards, Enterprise Agreements and employment legislation to provide practical solutions.
• Support complex employment matters including redundancies, terminations and consultation processes.
• Coach leaders to confidently manage employee concerns and performance issues.
• Create Workcover responses for psychosocial claims.
• Monitor legislative changes and provide proactive recommendations to reduce risk.
• Develop and maintain ER policies, procedures, templates and guidance materials.
• Analyse ER trends and case data to inform organisational decision-making.
• Support enterprise bargaining activities and employee consultation requirements.
• Contribute to key People & Culture projects and strategic initiatives

Skills

Employee relations

Industrial relations

HR advisory

Stakeholder management

Investigations

Education

Bachelor/Master in HR or Law or IR

Job description

Our purpose is to make skills, education and employment accessible to every person, so they can create their own world of unbounded possibilities.

The BUSY Group is one of Australia's leading not-for-profit employment, education and skills providers, helping people gain employment, learn new skills and improve their futures. Every day, our work creates meaningful social impact in communities across Australia and internationally. Based in Southport, Gold Coast, this is an opportunity to combine your employee relations expertise with a genuine sense of purpose.

Job Description

About the Role

We're looking for an experienced Employee Relations Specialist to become our trusted expert across a diverse and growing organisation. Reporting to the Head of People & Culture, you'll play a critical role in guiding leaders through complex employment matters, building leadership capability, and ensuring our people practices remain compliant, fair and commercially sound.

This is a specialist employee relations position supporting our multi-jurisdictional operations across Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada. You'll be the go-to advisor for workplace matters, helping leaders make confident decisions while ensuring compliance with employment legislation, Modern Awards and organisational policies.

You won't simply respond to issues. You'll proactively develop frameworks, coach leaders, identify emerging risks, improve ER capability across the business and contribute to strategic People & Culture initiatives.

As our Employee Relations Specialist, you will:

• Provide expert employee relations advice to leaders and managers across multiple jurisdictions.
• Lead workplace investigations, misconduct matters, disciplinary processes and performance management cases.
• Interpret Modern Awards, Enterprise Agreements and employment legislation to provide practical solutions.
• Support complex employment matters including redundancies, terminations and consultation processes.
• Coach leaders to confidently manage employee concerns and performance issues.
• Create Workcover responses for psychosocial claims.
• Monitor legislative changes and provide proactive recommendations to reduce risk.
• Develop and maintain ER policies, procedures, templates and guidance materials.
• Analyse ER trends and case data to help inform organisational decision-making.
• Support enterprise bargaining activities and employee consultation requirements.
• Contribute to key People & Culture projects and strategic initiatives

Why BUSY?

• Purpose-driven organisation changing lives through employment, education and training
• Opportunity to influence employee relations strategy across Australia and international operations
• Partner directly with senior leaders on complex and meaningful people matters
• Diverse and varied role with genuine autonomy and ownership
• 4 additionalpaid annual leave days – 1 My BUSY Day and 3 days at Christmas
• Enjoy a hybrid work model, collaborating in the office and working from home
• Clear pathways for internal advancement
• Dedicated training budget for personal and professional growth
• BUSY Benefits program -Paid parental Leave, retaildiscountsand access to Fitness Passport
• Community Giving day
• Monthly office mini massages
• Enjoy work that genuinelyimpactslives
• Employee Assistance Program with Sonder Wellbeing App

Desired Skills and Experience

About You

You are an experienced Employee Relations or HR professional who thrives on solving complex workplace challenges while balancing compliance, commercial outcomes and employee experience.

To be successful, you'll bring:

• Minimum 4 years' experience in Employee Relations, Industrial Relations or HR Advisory roles.
• Strong working knowledge of the Fair Work Act, National Employment Standards and Modern Awards.
• Proven experience managing investigations, misconduct matters and termination processes.
• The ability to confidently interpret legislation and provide practical, risk-based advice.
• Experience coaching and influencing leaders at all levels.
• Outstanding communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Tertiary qualifications in Human Resources, Employment Law, Industrial Relations or a related discipline.
• Experience in not-for-profit, community services, education or multi-site environments will be highly regarded.

Next Steps

This role will actively commence recruitment from the date of advertisement. The closing date of this ad is dependent on the appointment of the role.

The BUSY Group is an organisation that prioritises the safeguarding of children and all vulnerable people by actively adopting strategies that embed a culture of zero tolerance for abuse of any kind. The appointment of successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory employment screening including criminal history and relevant working with children checks.

The BUSY Group is committed to achieving a diverse workforce and strongly encourages applications from First Nations People, veterans, people from culturally diverse backgrounds and people with disabilities.