Lead HR Business Partner (Melbourne)

Our client is a long-established Australian manufacturing business operating across a national network of 14 sites and recognised as a category leader in its market. Headquartered in Melbourne, the organisation supplies major customers across food manufacturing, foodservice and quick service restaurants. The business is moving through a meaningful period of change, with a refreshed executive leadership team and a clear "simplify to win" strategy. Investment in the people agenda is genuine and the business is actively re-sizing, restructuring and reshaping how it operates. THE ROLE Reporting to the Chief People Officer and sitting on the Extended Leadership Team, this is a senior generalist role partnering across the Australian manufacturing operations of circa 500 to 600 employees. You will lead one direct report (P&C; Business Partner) and act as the trusted advisor to functional General Managers and site leaders across the network. In the near term, you will partner with leaders to deliver against the restructure agenda, supporting workforce design, change execution and capability lift across the sites. You will also play a central role on the IR front, with 14 unionised sites under management and three currently in active enterprise agreement negotiations. Looking further ahead, this role is positioned as a succession opportunity, with a transparent mandate to take ownership of the people operations agenda end to end and shape how P&C; supports the business as it simplifies. You will manage an ER caseload of approximately 20 cases per year (with advisor support available for more complex matters), coach leaders to raise people capability across the network, and drive practical, commercially grounded P&C; outcomes. The role is Melbourne-based, four to five days on site with flexibility as the role requires, and includes quarterly travel to sites in SA, NSW and WA. THE CRITERIA You are a seasoned HR Business Partner or HR Manager with a minimum of 10 years' experience in generalist HR. Strong union, ER and IR experience is essential, with demonstrable success leading or supporting enterprise agreement negotiations and managing complex industrial matters. You will bring a manufacturing or industrial background and be comfortable operating across multi-site, blue collar environments. You have the commercial credibility to partner with executive and site leadership, and the operational rigour to deliver in a business that is actively re-sizing and restructuring. Melbourne-based, four to five days on site, with quarterly interstate travel required. A package of circa $180,000 to $200,000 plus superannuation, plus a 15 percent short term incentive. #J-18808-Ljbffr Apply on Kit Job: kitjobau.com/job/3rw6mq