Synopsis
* Join an ambitious and newly uplifted People, Culture and Safety team
* Shape culture, leadership, capability and workforce strategy
* $195K - $220K TRP (negotiable, dependent on experience)
About The Role
The Head of Culture, Capability & Workforce Strategy is a pivotal, enterprise-wide leadership role responsible for shaping how City of Melbourne builds capability, designs work and develops a workforce that is ready for both today's demands and the city's long-term future.
This role is the Chief People Officer's key strategic adviser and a trusted partner to the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Leadership Team. It provides evidence-based guidance on organisational design, leadership development, workforce strategy and cultural transformation.
Operating with pace and purpose, the role turns strategy into action – driving visible, measurable and sustained improvement. It balances strategic foresight with disciplined delivery, ensuring initiatives progress quickly from concept to implementation and deliver tangible outcomes.
The portfolio spans organisational design and development, learning and leadership, inclusion, workforce strategy and capability uplift. The role sets a clear agenda, prioritises the highest-impact interventions, and deploys resources where they create the greatest shift. Its mandate is not incremental improvement, but step-change uplift in leadership maturity, cultural alignment and workforce readiness.
The role plays a critical part in positioning City of Melbourne with a future-ready workforce for Melbourne 2050, while strengthening inclusion, safety, wellbeing and performance today.
Success in this role is defined by speed to impact, clarity of outcomes and sustained improvement — not the production of frameworks or strategies that sit on the shelf.
Impact
* Drive visible uplift in leadership capability and organisational culture, aligned to City of Melbourne's People Strategy.
* Shape a future-ready workforce that supports Melbourne 2050, balancing immediate operational needs with long-term capability.
* Enable faster, more confident executive decision-making through clear, evidence-based advice.
* Deliver integrated solutions that connect culture, capability, inclusion and organisational structure.
* Improve organisational agility by embedding ways of working that support change, innovation and performance.
* Translate strategy into outcomes quickly, with measurable improvements in leadership effectiveness, workforce capability and employee experience.
* Leave behind systems, frameworks and leaders that continue to deliver impact beyond your direct involvement.
Who We Are. How We Make a Difference.
People, Culture and Safety (PCS) exists to empower our people, leaders and volunteers to be safe, capable and inspired, so the city can flourish today and into 2050. We champion physical, psychological and cultural safety; build a values driven, high performance organisation; and uplift capability and leadership grounded in courage, care and accountability.
By transforming the employee experience, embedding inclusion and belonging, and using data to guide evidence-based decisions, PCS supports Team Melbourne and the city itself to connect and thrive.
Why join Team Melbourne?
Located on the traditional lands of the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation, Melbourne is globally recognised as one of the most liveable, diverse, and dynamic cities.
At the
heart
of it all is the
City of Melbourne
– a passionate, purpose-driven organisation where your work truly matters. As part of
Team Melbourne
, you'll help deliver what's most important to the people who live, work, study, visit and invest in our great city.
We're proud champions of diversity, committed to continuous improvement, and driven by a shared vision for a vibrant and sustainable future.
This is more than just a role – it's your chance to
make a real impact
, contribute to something bigger, and shape Melbourne's future alongside a collaborative and forward-thinking team.
About You
This is an amazing opportunity for an experienced people leader, to add value in a for purpose environment – you will bring:
* Proven experience leading enterprise-wide culture, capability or workforce transformation in a large, complex organisation.
* A strong track record advising CEOs and Executive Leadership Teams on best practice in organisational design, leadership, workforce strategy and change.
* The ability to work at pace, cut through complexity and move initiatives from concept to delivery quickly.
* Deep understanding of workforce planning, leadership development, inclusion and organisational design, and how these levers interact.
* Exceptional judgement and influence, with the confidence to challenge constructively and hold the line when it matters.
* Experience designing and delivering practical, scalable interventions, not theoretical models or shelf-ware.
* Strong commercial and systems thinking, supported by data, insight and evidence.
* A leadership style that combines courage, clarity and care, building trust while driving accountability.
Benefits Of Working With Us
* Attractive remuneration & benefits: Excellent pay package with a range of exciting benefits. Flexible working, study assistance & other great corporate discounts.
* Excellent leave entitlements: Enjoy up to 20 weeks of fully paid parental leave for primary carers, in addition to the government-funded parental leave, with no waiting period to access.
* Career progression: Career development support and opportunities to learn new skills within a creative and exciting environment.
* Work-life balance and hybrid working: We support flexible hours, alternative work arrangements, and hybrid work-from-home options.
How To Apply
We'd love to hear how you can make an impact in this role As part of your application, you will be required to:
* Attach your updated resume
* Include a cover letter (max one page) outlining your relevant experience and why you're a great fit for this role.
Submit your application no later than 11:45pm on
Sunday, February 1, 2026.
A few important things to note – don't miss out
* Applications must be submitted online. Unfortunately, we can't accept applications via email, so please be sure to apply through the official job link provided.
* Apply early This role may close sooner than the listed closing date if we find the right candidate — so don't wait to get your application in.
* We are a child safe organisation. The City of Melbourne has a zero tolerance for child abuse. All employees undergo thorough safety screening, including a Police Check and, for most roles, a Working with Children Check.
Need more info?
Refer to the position description below or contact Jo Giannini – Chief People Officer,
Inclusion matters
We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from all cultural and linguistic backgrounds, people with disabilities, LGBTIQA+ individuals, and people of all ages and faith backgrounds.
We provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to support all applicants. If you require any adjustments, please let us know via the application prompts or inform our Careers team if you're contacted for an interview.