Manager Employee Relations

You crave a career that pushes you, where you'll meet challenges head on and you're guaranteed to grow. 

You know that to make a meaningful contribution there needs to be connection and collaboration across the teams. Here's your opportunity to help our people make a big impact. 

In this role, you'll:

The Sydney Trains Employee Relations unit oversees all aspects of industrial relations including enterprise agreements, industrial disputes, risk minimisation and everything in between.

We navigate a complex industrial landscape to achieve strategic and operational workforce relations outcomes for Sydney Trains, working closely with stakeholders across Sydney Trains leadership, unions, legal, state and federal groups. Our ambitious and supportive team includes experts from legal, HR, change management, industrial and employee relations backgrounds.

•Lead the employee relations activities through partnering with line managers in the effective engagement and management of staff and interaction with unions.

•Provide professional advice, support and coaching for leaders to foster collaborative workplace relations.

• Conduct high level negotiations dealing with industrial matters. 

•Liaise with transport industrial organisations and Unions on matters relating to the development and implementation of new and amended policies, strategies or programs.

•Shape and implement Employee Relations frameworks and strategies aimed at enabling the workforce priorities to ensure high levels of engagement and a collaborative approach to issues resolution and change.

This is a permanent opportunity.

Please click here to view a copy of the role description and click here to review NSW information pack.

About you

You're a proactive and self-driven individual with excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to engage and build effective working relationships with a diverse range of people. We are looking for a highly engaged and experienced industrial relations professional with a passion for lifting performance and focussing on outcomes. You have experience managing IR in a complex organisation, with active union representation.

You will have significant experience in understanding how to best implement business needs and identify risks and benefits in what can be a high pressured and time sensitive environment. You will have strong negotiating skills and the ability to establish yourself as a trusted advisor across the organisation. 

You will have a balanced understanding of customer needs as well as business requirements which is pivotal for this role to ensure customer needs are met whilst driving key business outcomes. You will be familiar with state government agency intricacies and have strong stakeholder negotiation skills.

•Proven high level strategic thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills in an industrial environment

•Strong negotiation skills and proven ability to be innovative in resolving conflict

•Comprehensive knowledge of the industrial relations discipline

•Experience with working in a blue-collar workforce

•Comfortable in a fast-paced complex customer centric and dynamic environment where delivery on tight deadlines and managing conflicting priorities are critical

Who we are

Transport for NSW provides a safe, integrated, and efficient transport system. We connect people, communities and industry every day. 

At Sydney Trains, our rail services keep Sydney moving by putting our customers at the centre of everything we do. We work with our local communities to deliver safe, timely and efficient rail services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Our trains and network are evolving to meet the needs of our customers now and well into the future. We're continuing to integrate technological innovations that help us deliver a smarter and more sustainable network. 

Join us

Our workforce is as diverse as the community we serve. If you'd like further information on our inclusion and diversity initiatives, visit Transport careers.

We offer a wide range of employee benefits, like our award-winning flexible and hybrid work options.

This is an in-person, on-site role.

What are you waiting for…? Connect with us.  Apply now

Applications close: 11:59 pm Sunday 30 November 2025.

For more information about this role, please contact YVONNE..NSW.GOV.AU.

Aboriginal people and people living with disability are supported throughout the recruitment process and at work, and we encourage you to apply. Visit Supporting Aboriginal people or Supporting people with disability for more info or speak to your talent team member to arrange any adjustments to how you interact with us. 

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