Employee & Industrial Relations Manager

Elders is seeking an experienced Employee & Industrial Relations Manager to lead the development and implementation of industrial and employee relations strategies that align with their broader people and business objectives. This pivotal role will provide expert guidance on employment legislation, modern awards, and workplace issues while fostering a collaborative environment across the organisation. As a trusted advisor to senior leaders, you will play a key role in policy development, risk mitigation, and strategic workforce planning. You will also build capability by delivering education and coaching to HR Business Partners and leaders, ensuring confident and compliant people management practices. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to Elders’ values-driven culture while driving impactful change across the organisation. The opportunity: Join Elders as the Employee & Industrial Relations Manager, where you will: - Shape industrial relations frameworks that ensure compliance with labour laws, and regulations. - Provide expert advice on complex employee issues, disputes, Fair Work conciliations, and procedural matters. - Foster open communication between management and employees to promote a positive work environment. - Develop policies that promote diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws. - Deliver training programs for HR Business Partners and senior leaders on best practices in industrial relations and conflict resolution. - Oversee investigations into workplace grievances or complaints with fairness, sensitivity, and procedural integrity. - Monitor workforce trends to identify risks and opportunities for improvement in employee relations practices. Key Responsibilities: - Industrial & Employee Relations Compliance: Ensure adherence to relevant labour laws, regulations, modern awards, and Elders policies while proactively managing workplace issues. - Policy Development & Training: Create robust policies promoting diversity, EEO compliance, sexual harassment prevention, and effective conflict resolution; deliver training programs for leaders and HR teams. - Workplace Investigations: Provide strategic oversight for sensitive investigations into grievances or misconduct cases while ensuring fairness and legal compliance throughout the process. - Strategic Workforce Planning: Embed ER/IR considerations into organisational decision‑making processes related to change initiatives or workforce planning. Key Requirements: To be successful in this role at Elders, you will bring: Essential Qualifications & Skills: - Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Law or related field. - Minimum 10 years of experience in industrial relations or employee relations roles within complex organisations. - Strong knowledge of labour laws, regulations, modern awards, and collective agreements. - Exceptional interpersonal skills with proven ability to manage conflict sensitively and facilitate resolution effectively. - Advanced analytical skills for interpreting workforce data trends to inform decision‑making processes. Preferred Qualifications & Skills: - Master’s degree in a related field or certification in industrial relations/human resources management. - Experience working within unionised environments. Why Join Elders? Elders is committed to creating a thriving workplace culture built on their core values of Accountability, Integrity, Teamwork, Innovation, and Customer focus. As the Employee & Industrial Relations Manager at Elders: You’ll have the opportunity to shape impactful strategies that enhance employee engagement while ensuring compliance across all levels of the organisation. You’ll collaborate closely with executive leaders, unions, regulators, HR Business Partners, legal advisors—and make meaningful contributions toward building a high‑performing team culture that drives success across Elders Limited. Applications close Friday, 14 November 2025. To apply, please click "Apply" or contact Ella Morgan directly on 08 8216 3553 or ella.morgan@robertwalters.com.au for a confidential discussion. About the job Contract Type: Permanent Specialism: Human Resources Focus: Other specialist positions Industry: Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry Workplace Type: Hybrid Experience Level: Mid Management Location: Adelaide CBD #J-18808-Ljbffr