About Them
We are working with a large, complex organisation operating in a highly regulated, unionised environment to appoint an experienced Interim Head of People & Culture for a short‑term contract.
We are working with a large, complex organisation operating in a highly regulated, unionised environment to appoint an experienced Interim Head of People & Culture for a short‑term contract.
This role is ideal for a senior HR / P&C leader who enjoys stepping into challenging environments, providing calm, credible leadership, and ensuring continuity while supporting executive stakeholders.
About the Role
You will be responsible for overseeing the full People & Culture remit for a sizeable blue‑collar workforce across multiple operational sites. This is very much a “steady hand on the wheel” role, focused on maintaining momentum, supporting leaders, and keeping teams engaged and confident during a defined cover period.
- Provide senior‑level oversight across ER/IR in a highly unionised environment
- Support ongoing enterprise agreement activities, including attending scheduled bargaining meetings as part of a broader negotiating group
- Act as a trusted adviser to the executive team on workforce, industrial and change matters
- Oversee a multi‑disciplinary P&C team, including ER/IR, recruitment, training, payroll, communications and customer‑facing functions
- Support leaders and teams through operational challenges, incidents and high‑pressure situations
- Ensure continuity of People & Culture operations, processes and governance
- Proven experience in a Senior HR / People & Culture leadership role with Australian employment legislation
- Strong background in employee and industrial relations, ideally within blue‑collar, unionised or operational environments (e.g. transport, logistics, manufacturing, utilities)
- Confident dealing with unions and comfortable holding the line where required
- Calm, pragmatic and resilient, able to manage competing priorities without creating noise or disruption
- Available at short notice
About Applying
Click "Apply for this job" below to apply for this role.
For specific questions about this role, please contact Vicki Treeby at vtreeby@thenextstep.com.au or phone 8256 2516