Employee Relations and Policies Senior Manager – Australia / New Zealand
Location: Sydney / Melbourne
Employee Relations (ER) shapes the way we engage with, support, and protect our people across the entire employee lifecycle. It is a critical lever in Accenture's culture, leadership capability, people management practices, and policy frameworks.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Subject Matter Expertise & Advisory
* Act as the senior ER authority for ANZ, providing high‐impact, timely, and pragmatic advice that is culturally aligned, strategically sound, operationally practical and compliant with Accenture/Avanade policies, Employment Agreements, and statutory obligations.
* Lead and advise on complex, sensitive, and high‐risk employee lifecycle matters, including:
o Large‐scale change management and workforce transformations
o Talent planning and reorganisations
o Complex performance and conduct issues
o Redundancy programs and workforce exits
o Ethics, respect, fairness, mediation, and conflict resolution
o Work health and safety, wellbeing, duty of care, illness and injury management
o Terms and conditions of employment and Making Our Conduct Count
* Maintain deep expertise in Australian and New Zealand employment law, Modern Awards, Employment Agreements, and HR policies, and translate legal requirements into practical ER guidance.
* Provide compassionate, trauma‐informed advice that balances organisational risk with genuine care for employee wellbeing.
* Partner with HR leadership to embed ER, Health & Safety, and wellbeing programmes into broader people strategies.
* Lead ER data insights, trend analysis and risk identification, translating findings into proactive interventions and recommendations.
* Design and deliver executive‐level education and capability uplift, including development of ER learning materials and presentations.
* Apply strong understanding of WHS principles and their intersection with employee relations and organisational risk.
* Proven experience managing IR/ER in large‐scale projects and complex industrial environments.
Investigations Leadership
* Lead and oversee complex and sensitive workplace investigations, ensuring fairness, procedural integrity and defensibility.
* Partner with Global Conduct, Sensitive Matters, and Employment Law teams on escalated or cross‐border investigations.
* Exercise judgement in determining when investigations are appropriate, and when alternative resolution pathways are more effective.
* Provide expert oversight, coaching, and escalation support to People Partners and HR Business Partners conducting investigations.
* Ensure investigation outcomes are evidence‐based, consistent and aligned with policy and legal frameworks.
Case Management, Governance & Reporting
* Own and oversee end‐to‐end management of complex ER cases, ensuring consistency with Accenture guides and frameworks.
* Establish strong governance, documentation standards and quality assurance across ER case management.
* Drive robust ER reporting, insights, and executive‐ready dashboards.
* Lead the development, execution and monitoring of ER compliance and risk mitigation plans.
* Act as the policy authority for ANZ HR policies, including Making Our Conduct Count (Policies 1000–1004).
* Lead interpretation, localisation and implementation of global policies for the ANZ context.
* Stay abreast of employment law reforms, landmark cases and regulatory changes across Australia and New Zealand.
* Drive continuous improvement of policy supplements in response to statutory, strategic or business changes.
* Educate HR and leaders on policy intent, application and risk management.
* Provide end‐to‐end leadership of ER and Policy initiatives, including:
o Change and stakeholder management
o System and tool development or migration
o Influence global ER and Policy roadmaps by contributing ANZ insights and requirements
Operational Excellence & Stakeholder Leadership
* Set high standards for ER operational discipline, record‐keeping and case management system usage.
* Build strong, trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, including executives and HR leadership.
* Demonstrate exceptional judgement, responsiveness and ownership in high‐pressure and time‐critical situations.
* Role‐model precision, discretion and attention to detail in all ER matters.
* Strategic, calm and decisive under pressure.
* Strong ethical compass with a commitment to fairness and respect.
* Confident influencer who balances empathy with commercial judgement.
* Curious, forward‐looking and committed to continuous improvement.
* Acts as a role model for Accenture's values and culture.
Career Level Expectations
Complexity
Operates in highly complex, ambiguous and high‐risk environments. Solves novel and unprecedented ER challenges, often shaping new approaches and solutions. Deep understanding of ANZ ER strategy and its alignment to global direction. Regular interaction with senior HR leaders and executives.
Authority
Operates with significant autonomy and judgement. Sets direction for ER practices and policies within ANZ. Trusted advisor on critical people and risk decisions.
Impact / Decision Impact
Decisions have material impact across ANZ, including reputational, legal and cultural risk. Influences outcomes at enterprise and leadership‐team level.
Scope
Leads ER programmes, initiatives, and complex work efforts across ANZ. May lead or mentor ER practitioners and influence broader HR capability.
Skill
* Change Management – P5 – Expert
* Operational Excellence – P4 – Expert
* People Safety & Health – P5 – Expert
* Safety Reporting – P5 – Expert
* Talent Management – P3 – Advanced
* Training & Performance Support – P5 – Expert
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement for Australia and New Zealand
At Accenture, we encourage applications from all people with the relevant skill set, and we are committed to removing barriers to the recruitment process and employee lifecycle. All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, disability status, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, religion or sexual orientation, and we do not tolerate discrimination. If you require any accommodations or adjustments for interviews and/or at work, please reach out to exectalent@accenture.com or contact us at +61 2 9005 5000 (Australia) or +64 44666056 (New Zealand).
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