Manager Employee Relations

**TAFE SA**
**Job reference**: 680126
**Location**: 5000 - ADELAIDE
**Job status**: Long Term Contract
**Eligibility**: Open to Everyone

**MANAGER, EMPLOYEE RELATIONS**
- **Long term contract until August 2026**:

- **Based at TAFE SA Adelaide City Campus**:

- **AS08 salary range $121,107 - $127,679 p.a. + super**

**About TAFE SA**
Awarded the Training Provider of the Year at the 2021, 2022 and 2024 SA Training Awards, TAFE SA ensures all South Australian students have access to quality education and skills training across a number of regional and metropolitan locations.

By working with TAFE SA, you’ll have the opportunity to advance your career in a diverse and inclusive organisation, while helping to deliver job-ready skills and meaningful outcomes for students across our state.

**About the role**
Are you ready to shape the future of employee relations in one of South Australia’s most respected public sector organisations?

TAFE SA is looking for a passionate and experienced leader to take on the role of **Manager, Employee Relations.** This is a high - impact opportunity to lead a dedicated team and drive proactive, solutions - focused outcomes that reinforce TAFE SA’s standing as a leading employer of choice.

In this key leadership role, you’ll work in close collaboration with the Workforce Alignment team to streamline processes, influence strategic outcomes, and ensure best - practice approaches to employee and industrial relations. You’ll serve as a trusted advisor, offering expert guidance on complex and sensitive matters while ensuring TAFE SA’s interests are represented with professionalism and integrity.

Success in this role hinges on your ability to engage confidently with a broad range of stakeholders - including senior leaders, unions and government agencies - to build constructive relationships and support a high - performing, values - driven workforce.

This is your chance to make a meaningful impact - shaping the employee relations culture of TAFE SA while upholding the core public sector values of integrity, accountability, and service.

**Key Outcomes of this role**
- Champion employment practices and policies that reflect TAFE SA’s commitment to being a model public sector employer - proactive, compliant, and future - focused.
- Deliver expert, practical advice on complex employee relations matters, ensuring timely, fair, and compliant resolution in line with legislation and industrial obligations.
- Assist with representing TAFE SA with integrity in escalated matters before the South Australian Employment Tribunal and other forums, achieving outcomes aligned with organisational values.
- Lead strategic oversight of industrial relations risks, guiding the Employee Relations team to address emerging issues before they escalate.
- Oversee the development and continuous improvement of employee - related policies, procedures, and frameworks to ensure legal compliance and operational alignment.
- In collaboration with stakeholders, strategically direct enterprise bargaining and formal negotiations delivering outcomes aligned with TAFE SA’s strategic employee relations framework.
- Build organisational capability by mentoring the Employee Relations team and supporting leaders across TAFE SA in best - practice approaches to people management.
- Foster effective and respectful consultation with union stakeholders, promoting constructive dialogue and continuous improvement in engagement practices.
- Provide clear, strategic advice and insights to the Director, Workforce Alignment, ensuring emerging issues and opportunities are addressed proactively.

**Essential Key Selection Criteria**
- Ability to work within a team, lead and support a team, demonstrate initiative, be self - motivated and maintain confidentiality and professional integrity in all correspondence.
- Ability to prioritise and manage tasks whilst under time duress while ensuring high - quality outcomes that meet stakeholder expectations, both personally and through effective delegation.
- Proven ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders both verbally and in writing, including high - level briefings, letters, reports, project briefs and discussion papers, and guiding team contributions where appropriate.
- Demonstrated ability to resolve conflict, solve problems and conduct difficult negotiations with proven advocacy skills.
- Demonstrated ability to develop, implement and evaluate policies and recommended improvements to existing policies and practices across TAFE SA.
- Proven experience in developing and maintaining effective networks, alliances and operational relationships with internal and external clients and stakeholders that fosters strong credibility.
- Ability to think strategically, identify and analyse problems, formulate creative solutions, and implement appropriate courses of action.
- Knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal culture and community, and a commitment to culturally respec