Head of Employee Relations and WHS | $230-250k + Super + Bonus

The Company

Our client is a leading Australian digital organisation operating within a fast-paced, evolving, and highly commercial environment. With over 1,000 employees nationally and backing from a large global parent company, the business is navigating a significant period of transformation and growth.

As part of this evolution, there is a strong focus on strengthening employee relations capability, workplace governance, and leadership support across the organisation.

The business operates within a complex stakeholder environment, balancing Australian legislative requirements with global expectations and ways of working, creating an interesting and commercially nuanced operating environment for an experienced ER professional.
 
The Opportunity

This is a newly prioritised and highly influential leadership role sitting at the centre of employee relations, workplace risk, and governance across the organisation. The role is heavily ER-focused (circa 80%), leading complex and sensitive employee matters end-to-end, while also establishing more mature frameworks, processes, and capability across the broader business. Alongside this, the role also carries responsibility for the organisation's WHS governance approach, with a particular focus on psychosocial risk, compliance foundations, and preventative controls rather than operational site safety.

This is a genuine 'roll your sleeves up' environment. The successful person will need to operate strategically while remaining highly hands-on in case management, stakeholder coaching, and day-to-day advisory support. The role will initially operate as an individual contributor, with the opportunity to influence the future structure and capability of the function over time.

Key areas of focus include:

• Leading complex ER matters including investigations, performance management, disciplinary processes, terminations, and Fair Work matters
• Advising senior leaders and executives on workplace risk, case strategy, and legislative obligations
• Building and embedding scalable ER and WHS governance frameworks, policies, and processes
• Establishing foundational WHS compliance and governance structures across the organisation
• Supporting the business in navigating psychosocial risk and emerging workplace legislation
• Coaching leaders to improve capability, consistency, and confidence in people management
• Identifying trends and risk hotspots through ER and WHS insights and implementing preventative actions
• Partnering closely with Legal, HR, and global stakeholders within a matrixed environment
• Driving a pragmatic, commercially balanced approach to employee relations and workplace risk

About You

You are a strong ER specialist first and foremost, with exposure to WHS governance and workplace risk, particularly within corporate or complex environments.

You are comfortable operating both strategically and tactically, and enjoy environments where you can build, influence, and create structure while still remaining close to the work. You bring calmness, sound judgement, and strong stakeholder capability, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and complexity without becoming overly process-driven or rigid.

You will ideally bring:

• Significant experience within Employee Relations, Industrial Relations, or workplace risk leadership roles
• Exposure to WHS governance, compliance, or psychosocial risk frameworks
• Strong end-to-end case management capability across complex and sensitive matters
• Experience operating in large, matrixed, or highly complex organisations
• The ability to balance commerciality with legislative and procedural integrity
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing capability across executive and operational leaders
• Experience building frameworks, governance, policies, or capability uplift initiatives
• A pragmatic, hands-on approach and willingness to operate as an individual contributor
• Degree qualifications are essential for this opportunity as a minimum requirement

This role is particularly well suited to someone coming from a larger or more structured environment who is looking to step into a role with broader ownership, visibility, and influence.
 
The Process

The recruitment process will involve an initial meeting with Levyl, followed by interviews with key stakeholders across P&C and Legal. The process will also include references, background checks, and formal screening requirements.

For any confidential enquiries, please contact Antony Jones on 0448 198 544 or antony@levyl.com.au

Levyl encourage diverse, equitable and inclusive recruitment solutions and commit to responding to every applicant. We make selection and shortlist decisions based on your skills, experience, personal attributes, and motivators. Should you be successful for interview, we will provide an interview accommodation checklist so you can let us know how we can support you to perform at your best.