Principal Employee Relations Officer

About us

As a department our purpose is to help the community to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from the impact of fire and emergency events.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) is the primary provider of fire, rescue and emergency management programs and services throughout Queensland. The department encompasses the Fire and Rescue Service, disaster management services, the Rural Fire Service and the State Emergency Service, and also supports other volunteer groups providing emergency response to Queenslanders.

QFES is one department with many services, many capabilities and many partners.

Purpose of the role

Employee Relations unit provides advice, representation and advocacy on behalf of QFES and performs traditional industrial relations functions such as negotiations and consultation with unions, advocacy before industrial tribunals, and negotiation and administration of industrial instruments, including awards and certified agreements. The team also supports management and employees to enable resolution of matters at the workplace level without the parties having to resort to formal proceedings or litigation and provides advice to managers and employees regarding their respective entitlements, rights and obligations in the context of public sector employment.

Reporting to the Executive Manager, you will be responsible for providing expert advice on complex employee relations cases, as well as the interpretation of policies and relevant legislations, providing leadership on workplace relations strategies, including negotiations with unions, and advocacy and representation in high complex matters in external bodies and forums. You will also be required to manage individual employee matters such as grievances, performance management and discipline issues, and work closely with other units and regional offices to facilitate appropriate outcomes.

Key requirements

Highly desirable requirements
- Knowledge and/or experience in interpreting relevant legislation and industrial instruments, negotiating with employee representative bodies and/or managing grievances and disputes.
- Relevant qualifications in industrial and/or employee relations or human resources will be highly regarded.

Your key accountabilities

Your part in the ongoing success of our department, in supporting key frontline services will see you responsible for a variety of work, including, but not limited to:

- Provide expert advice on contemporary industrial relations, high level dispute resolution, strategic employment frameworks and management of enterprise agreements to achieve business objectives.
- Assist in the case management of employee matters to resolve grievances and disputes through the provision of advice to management at the workplace level or by independent review and reporting.
- Manage the interpretation and provide advice on awards, enterprise agreements, legislation, policies and industrial relations matters to all levels of management and employees.
- Assist in the development and implementation of industrial strategy, variations to industrial instruments, Awards and Agreements, guidance materials, and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
- Prepare and review briefing material, cabinet submissions and correspondence in relation to industrial relations issues, employment and policy frameworks and best practice.
- Represent QFES and assist in the negotiation, development and implementation of enterprise agreements for all employee groups, including relevant unions/employee representatives.
- Appear as an industrial advocate in Queensland Industrial Relations Commission, other tribunals and at high level negotiations with a range of stakeholders to support resolution of issues.
- Maintain current professional knowledge of relevant legislation, policies, procedures and industry practices to ensure QFES meets compliance obligations regarding industrial relations legislation.

Capabilities

To determine your suitability for the role, you will be assessed on the following Leadership Competencies for Queensland behavioral profiles that link to the "key accountabilities" for this role:
Leadership Competency Stream - Individual Contributor (leading self)

Vision
- Leads strategically
- Stimulates ideas and innovation
- Makes insightful decisions

Results
- Builds enduring relationships
- Drives accountability and outcomes

Accountability
- Demonstrates sound governance

Once you join us, we will want you to exemplify the QFES shared values:

- Respect
- Integrity
- Trust
- Courage
- Loyalty
- Applications from recruitment agencies will not be accepted.