Manager Employee Relations

Company description:

Department of Communities and Justice

Job description:

Manager Employee Relations

Based in Parramatta

Ongoing Opportunity Available

Competitive Salary up to $173,174 plus 12% superannuation and 17.5% leave loading

Your role

Are you a strategic and people-focused leader ready to make a real impact?

We're looking for an experienced and dynamic professional to lead the Employee and Industrial Relations team at the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ). In this pivotal role, you'll guide a team of specialists who partner with business areas across DCJ to navigate complex and sensitive employee relations matters.

You'll provide high-quality, consistent advice and services that support fair, effective, and timely outcomes—helping shape a positive workplace culture and contributing to the success of the agency.

What you'll do

As a Manager within Employee and Industrial Relations, you'll play a critical leadership role in shaping a fair, responsive, and high-performing workplace across the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ). You'll lead a team of specialists and work closely with senior executives, unions, and stakeholders to drive strategic outcomes in a complex and high-profile environment.

In this role, you will:

• Coach and advise senior executives, providing proactive, high-level strategic guidance to effectively manage industrial relations matters.
• Identify and respond to emerging employee relations issues, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to support the evolving needs of the business.
• Design and implement employee relations initiatives, influencing decision-makers with solutions that align with legislative requirements and support a productive, capable workforce.
• Lead complex industrial matters and union negotiations, ensuring fair, pragmatic, and sustainable resolutions to disputes and major issues.

What we're looking for

We're seeking a highly capable professional with a strong background in Employee and Industrial Relations to join our team in Sydney. This is a unique opportunity to work with high-profile clients in a dynamic and complex environment that mirrors the challenges and responsibilities found in government, and politically sensitive sectors.

To thrive in this role, you'll bring:

• Proven experience in Industrial and Employee Relations, ideally within a high-profile or government setting.
• A solid understanding of union engagement and negotiation, with experience in managing union-related matters being highly desirable.
• Familiarity with IRC and tribunal proceedings, including case preparation and representation.
• A background in ER/IR, with the ability to navigate sensitive workplace issues and drive positive outcomes.
• Experience working in environments similar to Human Services, or other high-stakes, politically nuanced sectors.
• Candidates with an employment law background may find their skills highly transferable to this role.

If you're passionate about shaping fair and effective workplace practices and enjoy working in a fast-paced, high-impact environment, we'd love to hear from you.

Download the role description.

If you are viewing this ad in Seek and wish to apply via their portal, you will be required to either set up a profile or login via your existing Seek account.

To apply directly via the DCJ Careers site click here. Search for the job and click the 'Apply now' button.

We focus on hiring people who share our commitment and goals of inclusion, collaboration, adaptability, courage and integrity. If you meet the essential requirements and the role resonates with you, please apply - you do not need to meet every desired requirement for us to want to talk to you.

What We Offer

We offer a variety of benefits, including:

• A challenging and rewarding career
• Flexible working arrangements with a 35-hour working week
• Competitive, salary sacrificing, employer's contribution to superannuation and annual leave loading
• Flex Leave entitlements, generous holidays & leave conditions
• Training and development opportunities to build and maintain capabilities
• Health & Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programs.

Want more information? Visit our website to see more information on Working for us.

We do work that really matters

Working for the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) provides lots of opportunities to make a real difference. We collaborate with other agencies and community partners, to improve lives and realise the potential of children, adults, families and communities. We're focused on breaking, rather than managing, disadvantage. It's work that really matters.

Apply now and join Australia's top public sector employer where we will support you and provide an exciting and flexible working environment

Are you ready to join us?

Click apply, attach a cover letter (maximum 2 pages) outlining how you meet the requirements of the role as well as an up-to-date résumé (maximum 5 pages).

Applications close Monday 22 September at 11:59pm AEST.

Got a question?

For more information about the role, what it's like to work for DCJ or If you've got a question about applying or would benefit from an adjustment in the recruitment process to help you perform at your best (including an alternate method submission of the application), please contact the Marijana Puric, on

Visit Recruitment adjustments on the DCJ website to learn more.

Inclusion and Diversity lies at the heart of how we recruit

We continue to hire great people with a wide variety of skills, experience and backgrounds. This includes people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people identifying as LGBTIQ+, culturally and linguistically diverse people, carers and other diversity groups.

To find out what DCJ are doing to build an inclusive and diverse workforce, visit Inclusion and diversity on the DCJ website.

Other Information

A talent pool may be created for future ongoing and temporary roles and is valid for a period of up to 18 months.

For more information visit Your recruitment journey on the DCJ website.

Thank you for your interest in this role. We look forward to receiving your application.