About the Role
We are looking for an experienced Senior HR Business Partner – Employee & Industrial Relations who enjoys being close to the operation and close to our people.
This isn't a role where you will spend your day sitting behind a desk providing HR advice from a distance. We want someone who is comfortable getting out into the business, building relationships with employees and frontline leaders, understanding what is happening on the ground and helping resolve workplace issues before they become bigger problems.
You will partner directly with operational managers and employees across our workforce, supporting everything from day-to-day employee relations and performance matters through to investigations, grievances, disciplinary processes, workplace change, enterprise agreement interpretation and industrial relations matters.
Some days you may be coaching a manager through a difficult performance conversation. On another, you could be at an operational site meeting with employees, conducting an investigation, responding to a grievance, working through an attendance or conduct issue, assisting with a return-to-work matter or preparing documentation for a formal process.
You won't simply tell managers what to do — you will work alongside them and help them do it well.
This role would suit an experienced HR/ER professional who has worked within a large frontline workforce such as aviation, transport, logistics, labour hire, security, hospitality, facilities management, manufacturing or another fast-paced operational environment.
What You'll Be Doing
You will work closely with our People and Operations teams to:
- Build strong, trusted relationships with employees, supervisors and operational managers across our workforce.
- Spend time within our operational environments to understand our people, workplace issues and operational pressures firsthand.
- Provide practical, timely advice on performance, conduct, attendance, grievances, workplace behaviour and employee relations matters.
- Coach managers through difficult conversations and support them to confidently manage their teams.
- Personally manage disciplinary and performance processes from initial issue through to resolution.
- Conduct workplace investigations, including interviews, evidence review, findings and outcome documentation.
- Prepare clear and practical correspondence including meeting invitations, allegations, warnings, performance documentation and outcome letters.
- Meet directly with employees and their representatives and support fair, respectful and procedurally sound workplace processes.
- Interpret and apply enterprise agreements, modern awards, employment contracts, policies and the Fair Work Act.
- Support enterprise bargaining, consultation and industrial relations matters.
- Assist with grievances, disputes, workplace claims and Fair Work Commission matters.
- Support restructures, redeployment, workforce change and associated employee consultation.
- Partner with Safety and Operations on workers compensation, return-to-work and fitness-for-work matters where required.
- Identify recurring workplace issues and work with leaders to address underlying causes rather than simply managing individual cases.
- Help build the capability of frontline leaders so that good people management becomes part of everyday operations.
About You
You are an experienced HR, ER or workplace relations practitioner who genuinely enjoys working with people.
You don't need to have been a Head of HR or Workplace Relations Manager. You may currently be an HR Business Partner, Senior HR Business Partner, Employee Relations Advisor, Senior ER Advisor, Workplace Relations Advisor or People & Culture Business Partner looking for broader responsibility and the opportunity to own matters from start to finish.
What matters is that you are comfortable rolling up your sleeves and getting involved.
You can build rapport with a frontline employee just as easily as you can advise a senior manager. You are comfortable walking onto an operational site, asking questions, listening to employees and understanding what is really happening before deciding how best to respond.
You know that good employee relations isn't only about policies and legislation. It is about relationships, judgement, consistency, communication and resolving issues practically and fairly.
You will also be confident having difficult conversations when required. You can challenge behaviour, address poor performance, manage conflict and support managers through sensitive situations while maintaining professionalism and procedural fairness.
What We're Looking For
Ideally, you will bring:
- Approximately 5+ years' HR/ER experience, with meaningful exposure to employee relations and workplace matters.
- Experience working with a large frontline, blue-collar, shift-based or operational workforce.
- Strong hands-on experience with performance, misconduct, disciplinary matters, grievances and workplace investigations.
- Experience coaching frontline managers through people and performance matters.
- Practical knowledge of the Fair Work Act, National Employment Standards, modern awards and enterprise agreements.
- The ability to prepare clear, professional and defensible HR documentation.
- Confidence communicating directly with employees and employee representatives.
- Exposure to enterprise agreements, industrial relations, union engagement or Fair Work matters.
- Strong judgement and the ability to balance employee, operational, legal and commercial considerations.
- The confidence to work independently while knowing when a matter requires escalation or specialist legal advice.
- Relevant tertiary qualifications in HR, employment relations, industrial relations, law or a related discipline.
Experience within aviation, transport, logistics, labour hire, security, facilities management, hospitality, manufacturing or another highly operational environment will be highly regarded.
Experience supporting a 24/7 or geographically dispersed workforce would also be highly regarded.
Why Join ACESGroup?
This is an opportunity to build your workplace relations career in a business where you can see the impact of your work.
You will be exposed to a diverse national workforce and a wide variety of employee and industrial relations matters. You will work closely with experienced People and operational leaders while having genuine ownership of your own matters.
Most importantly, you will know our people.
You will have the opportunity to spend time with our teams, understand our operations and help create practical workplace solutions that work for both our employees and the business.
If you enjoy being close to operations, solving problems, having real conversations and taking ownership rather than simply providing advice from the sidelines, we would like to hear from you.
How to Apply
If you are ready to join a progressive and forward-thinking team within a company that truly values your contribution, click APPLY NOW! You can also get in touch with our Recruitment Team on (02) 9699 7711 for a confidential discussion.
ACESGroup is the 2022 and 2023 recipient of the Australian Security Industry Awards for Excellence in Gender Diversity.
We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce inclusion and diversity. Successful applicants will be subject to relevant background, police, medical, and reference checks.
ACESGroup does not accept referrals from recruitment agencies.
ABN: 16 002 990 794 | ACN: 002 990 794 | M/L: 404776913 | ASIAL Member: 003749 | RTO: 90024 | VIC: PSBL 813-398-30S
Australian Concert and Entertainment Security Pty Limited, trading as ACESGroup, Affirm Training, Alleviate Event Administration and Logistics, Event Force, Avert Risk Management, Assure Safety Services, Secured and Secure Domain.
