This large, national organisation is a recognised leader within the industrial and heavy services sector, supporting critical infrastructure and operations across multiple sites. With a diverse and geographically dispersed workforce, the business is undergoing continued evolution, with a strong focus on strengthening culture, capability and governance.
 
The Employee Relations Manager plays a pivotal leadership role in shaping and executing the organisation’s employee and industrial relations strategy. Acting as the central authority on ER / IR matters, this role ensures compliance with legislative and industrial frameworks, mitigates workforce risk and fosters a fair, consistent and high-performing workplace culture aligned to organisational values.
 
Key Responsibilities

• Lead and embed the enterprise-wide employee and industrial relations strategy, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives and regulatory requirements;

• Manage complex and high-risk ER / IR cases, investigations and legal matters;

• Develop and maintain strong, constructive relationships with unions, employee representatives and external stakeholders, supporting effective consultation and negotiation outcomes;

• Provide authoritative, expert advice to senior leaders and HR teams on employment legislation, industrial instruments, policies and emerging ER / IR risks;

• Lead Enterprise Agreement negotiations and industrial consultations;

• Design, implement and continuously improve ER / IR frameworks, policies and governance processes to drive consistency, compliance and best practice; and

• Partner closely with HR Business Partners, Legal Counsel and operational leaders to align workforce strategy with business priorities and risk management.

About You

You are a highly experienced and commercially astute Employee Relations professional with a proven ability to operate at both strategic and operational levels. You bring strong judgement, resilience and the ability to navigate complexity, balancing business outcomes with legal and ethical considerations.
 
A confident communicator and influencer, you build credibility quickly and are comfortable engaging with executives, unions and diverse stakeholder groups. You thrive in dynamic environments, bring a pragmatic and solutions-focused mindset and are passionate about driving fair, transparent and high-performing workplace practices.
 
Key Requirements

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in employee and industrial relations within large, complex organisations;

• Demonstrated success leading enterprise agreement negotiations and managing union relationships;

• Deep knowledge of Australian employment legislation, industrial instruments and compliance frameworks;

• Proven experience managing complex ER cases, investigations and dispute resolution processes;

• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to build trust and maintain effective relationships at all levels;

• Experience designing and implementing ER / IR policies, frameworks and governance structures; and

• Tertiary qualification in Law, Human Resources, Industrial Relations, or a related discipline (postgraduate qualifications highly regarded).

How to Apply
 
For more information or a confidential discussion please call Kate Benson at u&u on 07 3232 9163 quoting reference number 44624.
 
At u&u Recruitment Partners, we value diversity, equity and inclusion. We welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and people with disability.
 
Should you require reasonable adjustments or have a preferred method of communication throughout the recruitment process, we encourage you to make a request via adjustments@uandu.com or phone the above-mentioned u&u consultant to discuss. In response to these requests, we will collaborate closely with you to implement the appropriate adjustments.
 
Additionally, for a barrier-free and inclusive online experience, you can access u&u’s opportunities using accessibility software Recite Me at https://www.uandu.com/jobs.
 
Please submit your resume in Word format only.