Head of Employee Relations
Permanent Full-Time
Sydney
$220k - $250k
We are partnering with a well-established and highly regarded organisation operating within the Australian financial services sector. With a strong market presence, a diverse workforce and a reputation for putting people at the heart of its business, this is an opportunity to make a genuine impact at a senior leadership level.
Reporting directly to the Chief People Officer, the Head of Employee Relations & Safety will provide strategic leadership across employee relations, industrial relations and workplace health and safety, ensuring the business is supported by a proactive, commercially minded and highly effective function.
The Opportunity This is a genuine functional leadership role requiring someone who has successfully led an Employee Relations function, rather than simply operated as a senior ER specialist.
You will take ownership of the ER and Safety agenda, setting the direction, building capability and ensuring the organisation has the frameworks, governance and expertise to navigate an increasingly complex employment landscape.
Working closely with the CPO and senior leadership team, you will be a trusted adviser on complex and sensitive people matters, balancing commercial objectives with legislative obligations, organisational values and employee experience.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Lead and develop the Employee Relations and Safety function, creating a high-performing, commercially focused team.
- Set and execute the organisation’s ER, IR and workplace safety strategy.
- Provide expert advice to the CPO and executive leadership on complex employment matters, organisational risk and emerging regulatory developments.
- Oversee complex investigations, disputes, performance matters and employment litigation, ensuring sound judgement and appropriate risk management.
- Build leadership capability across the business, shifting ER from a reactive advisory service to a proactive strategic function.
- Strengthen policies, frameworks and governance to ensure consistency, compliance and best practice.
- Provide strategic oversight of workplace health and safety, fostering a culture of accountability, wellbeing and continuous improvement.
About You We are particularly interested in speaking with established Employee Relations leaders who have demonstrated experience owning and leading an ER function within a complex organisation.
You will bring deep technical expertise, but equally importantly, the leadership maturity, commercial judgement and confidence to operate as a genuine partner to a Chief People Officer.
Ideally, you will offer:
- Proven experience leading an Employee Relations function, including responsibility for strategy, people leadership and operational delivery.
- Strong expertise across Australian employment legislation, industrial relations, investigations and complex employee matters.
- Experience advising executive stakeholders and influencing decisions at the most senior levels.
- A track record of developing teams, improving ER operating models and driving more proactive, commercially aligned outcomes.
- An appreciation of workplace health and safety governance, with the ability to provide strategic oversight alongside specialist safety expertise.
- Experience within financial services or another complex, regulated environment would be advantageous.
Above all, you will be a credible, pragmatic and confident leader who knows when to challenge, when to influence and how to bring people with you.
Why This Role? This is an opportunity to take ownership of a critical function within a substantial Australian business, with the visibility and influence that comes from reporting directly to the CPO.
You will have the opportunity to shape the future direction of Employee Relations and Safety, influence executive decision-making and build a function recognised for both its technical excellence and commercial contribution.
For an established ER leader looking for broader accountability, genuine executive exposure and the opportunity to make their mark, this is a particularly compelling next step.
Interested?
For a confidential discussion, please contact etonHR or apply directly.
