HR Advisor

HR Advisor | Ballarat 12 Month Fixed Term Contract An exciting opportunity has become available for an experienced HR Advisor to join a leading global organisation supporting their Ballarat operations.

This is a hands-on site-based HR role supporting a complex industrial workforce. You will partner closely with operational leaders, frontline managers, and employees, providing practical HR advice across employee relations, industrial relations, performance management, workforce engagement, and organisational change.

The successful candidate will come from an operational environment such as manufacturing, engineering, rail, defence, heavy industry, utilities, or a similar industrial setting . You will understand the realities of supporting a blue-collar workforce, working alongside frontline leaders, navigating employee relations matters, and building strong relationships within a unionised environment.

Reporting to the HR Business Partnering Lead, you will play a key role in supporting the Ballarat site by delivering practical, commercially focused HR solutions and helping leaders confidently manage their people responsibilities.

Key responsibilities include:

• Provide hands-on generalist HR support across a large operational site
• Partner with leaders, supervisors, and managers to provide advice and guidance on day-to-day people matters
• Coach leaders through performance management processes, including performance improvement plans, difficult conversations, and employee development discussions
• Support employee relations matters including investigations, grievances, disciplinary processes, and workplace issues
• Provide advice on employment legislation, enterprise agreements, awards, contracts, policies, and procedures
• Support industrial relations activities, including union engagement, consultation, and resolution of workplace matters
• Build manager capability through coaching, training, and guidance on HR processes, employment obligations, and respectful workplace practices
• Support site communication initiatives to improve engagement and information flow across the workforce
• Assist with change management activities and HR projects with consideration of workforce impacts
• Support the annual performance management cycle including reviews, objective setting, remuneration processes, and succession planning
• Provide workforce reporting and HR insights to support business decisions and workforce planning
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across HR practices and processes

About you:

• Tertiary qualified in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Business, or a related discipline
• Proven experience as a HR Advisor or HR Business Partner within a manufacturing, engineering, rail, defence, heavy industry, utilities, or similarly complex operational environment
• Strong understanding of industrial relations principles and experience supporting unionised workforces
• Demonstrated experience managing employee relations matters and providing practical advice to leaders
• Confident coaching frontline leaders and managers through people-related challenges
• Strong knowledge of employment legislation, awards, enterprise agreements, and workplace policies
• Able to build trusted relationships across all levels of an organisation
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, hands-on environment where priorities can change quickly
• Strong communication, influencing, and negotiation skills

This opportunity will suit an HR professional who enjoys being close to operations, understands the complexities of industrial environments, and can provide pragmatic HR support that balances employee needs with business objectives.

Salary: $160,000 + Superannuation + 10% STI

Contract: 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

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