* Lead and build team ER/IR capability
* Senior officer contract with competitive salary (4 years duration)
* Live the North Queensland Lifestyle with flexible hours of work
Why Choose Us
Townsville City Council is the largest local government authority in Northern Australia. We are committed to creating value by growing Townsville through driving economic diversity and generating an enriching lifestyle.
Our organisation provides and maintains close to $9 billion worth of community assets including water and wastewater network and treatment plants, bridges, drainage, roads, waste management, community facilities, sporting venues and more.
We contribute to an active lifestyle for our residents and visitors through events, providing recreational facilities, protecting the natural environment and heritage, while creating a mentally and physically healthy city.
We are driving economic diversity and cultivating an enriching lifestyle, growing a city for this and future generations by building a vibrant, sustainable and innovative city.
Council's vision is for Townsville to be a connected, lifestyle driven and innovation focused city while continuing to deliver service excellence and to be led by our community to create an exciting today and future.
Our Vision:
A globally connected community driven by lifestyle and nature.
Our Purpose:
Grow Townsville
Our Values:
Safety, Excellence, Respect, Value, Enjoyment
About The Role
This pivotal role will lead the development and execution of employee relations and industrial relations strategies that foster a positive, productive, and compliant workplace culture across our diverse local government workforce. Two significant priorities for this role over the next twelve months will be leading collective bargaining negotiations and focussing on team and management capability by embedding a conduct and performance excellence program.
You will work closely with the senior leadership team and internal stakeholders, union representatives, and external bodies to manage complex employee relations matters, organisational change and design, employee engagement and culture initiatives, workforce performance and conduct programs, consultative committees and facilitate and lead the enterprise bargaining cycle, and apply working knowledge of regulatory requirements in interpreting and providing expert advice in legislation, regulation, policy, guidelines and other formal compliance related documentation.
This leadership position is responsible for shaping and implementing Townsville Council's people strategy, with a focus on co-designing services and embedding a whole-of-Council approach to integrated service delivery. The role leads all employee and industrial relations matters, including the oversight of investigations and disciplinary processes, while managing internal and external stakeholder engagement .
Working closely with the Senior Leadership Team, this role drives innovation across human resource management and workforce planning, championing organisational and cultural change initiatives. It also leads the development of strategic policies that align with business objectives, promote workforce engagement, and foster a culture of inclusion through collaborative partnerships across all levels of Counci l.
About You
You will be an accomplished Employee Relations professional with a solid track record in developing and coaching team capability and performance development. To succeed you will be a confident and collaborative leader with expertise working within a complex, unionised environment. You bring a strategic mindset with strong business acumen, analytical, negotiation and communication skills. You place a high value on managing people, legal, financial, industrial, safety and wellbeing risk management. You will have superior conflict and dispute resolution skills and will have experience representing an organisation in industrial tribunals or regulatory forums. This is a role that regularly needs to balance innovation with practicality, to ensure policies and frameworks support business goals. To succeed you will see yourself as a change agent who can manage the 'people side' of change and drive positive value through transparent and frank stakeholder engagement and capability building at all layers of the organisation.
With a deep understanding of HR operations, you will demonstrate sound judgement, strategic thinking, and the ability to navigate complex workforce challenges in fast-paced, multidisciplinary environments.
Armed with extensive industrial relations experience, you will have strong working knowledge of employment legislation, awards, and enterprise agreements, paired with hands-on expertise resolving sensitive matters and negotiating productive outcomes with unions and stakeholders.
You will need to be skilled in applying measured risk strategies and balance innovation with practicality to ensure policies and frameworks support business goals and drive meaningful engagement. A background in developing people and leadership capability strategies will round out your profile, making you a strategic asset ready to champion diversity, inclusion, and performance across Council.
How To Apply
Your application can be submitted through the 'Apply' button. Please include a cover letter (maximum 2 pages), outlining how your skills, qualifications and experience would allow you to achieve success in this role. We also will require your resume and attached copies of any licences and qualifications as per the key requirements of the role.
For Further Information Review The Position Description.
Closing Date: 11.45pm, Sunday 7th September 2025.
What We Offer
* 4 weeks annual leave
* 10 days Personal/Carers Leave
* 14 weeks paid Parental Leave
* Domestic and Family Violence Leave
* Natural Disaster Leave
* Long Service Leave available pro rata after seven years
* Salary Sacrifice opportunities
* Learning and Development opportunities
* Fitness Passport program offering discounted membership to selected gym, pool, and yoga facilities
* Employee Loyalty Program offering discounts at selected local businesses
* Employee Assistance Program
* The Council contribution to employees' superannuation for contributing employees shall be 13.5% of the employees' ordinary time earnings subject to the employee contributing a minimum of 6% of their ordinary time earnings.
We are committed to creating a safe and inclusive workplace where diverse styles, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, encouraged, and respected. People from diverse backgrounds (including but not limited to, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, people with diverse gender identities and sexualities, people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, people with disability, and veterans) are encouraged to apply
All successful candidates are required to undergo drug and alcohol testing as part of the recruitment process. Please be aware Townsville City Council has a 'zero tolerance' policy to drugs and alcohol in the workplace.
If you need any adjustments to be made to the recruitment process or if you would like to discuss any accessibility requirements, please contact
or phone for a confidential discussion.
Attachments
* Team Manager Business Partnering Employee