Human Resources Business Partner

Representing our client MNAQ, we’re hiring an experienced HR Business Partner to lead employee relations and industrial relations in a complex, regulated setting.

Position Title: Human Resources Business Partner

Reports To: HR and Communications Director

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Position Type: Full Time

Role Purpose

The HRBP will partner with the P&C team and business leaders to deliver strategic and operational HR support, ensuring workforce stability, compliance, and cultural alignment across MNAQ’s Victorian laboratory, technical, and operational sites. The role will have a strong emphasis on Employee Relations (ER), Industrial Relations (IR), and operational HR delivery, supporting a highly regulated, multi-site, and unionised environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Workforce Administration & Compliance
  • Manage employee life cycle administration: new hires, transfers, terminations, and contract changes.
  • Oversee staff turnover monitoring, providing analysis and retention recommendations.
  • Coordinate visa and immigration processes for international hires in line with Australian Government requirements.
  • Ensure compliance with Fair Work Act, National Employment Standards (NES), Modern Awards, and Enterprise Agreements.
  • Resolve payroll-related queries and provide required payroll inputs to Payroll Services.
  • Manage remuneration and benefits administration, including superannuation, insurance, and leave entitlements.
  • Prepare and maintain employment agreements, addendum letters, and contract variations.
  • Ensure remuneration and benefits practices are compliant with legislative requirements and company policies.
• HR Systems & Data
  • Manage HRIS and HR tools, ensuring data accuracy and process optimisation.
  • Maintain employee records in compliance with privacy and record-keeping obligations.
  • Prepare and analyse HR reports on workforce trends, turnover, absenteeism, and compliance metrics.
• Recruitment, Onboarding & Workforce Planning
  • Lead recruitment for positions in collaboration with hiring managers.
  • Coordinate onboarding programs to ensure new employees are fully inducted.
  • Support lab transfers and redeployment planning across sites.
  • Assist with the development and maintenance of the workforce plans to meet operational demands.
  • Partner with P&C team and leaders to design development and training plans for individuals and teams.
  • Implement performance review processes, ensuring alignment with organisational goals.
• Employee Relations (ER) & Industrial Relations (IR)
  • Conduct investigations into misconduct, grievances, and workplace disputes.
  • Assist with the management of union relationships and act as a key point of contact for local workplace representatives.
  • Support Enterprise Agreement negotiations and manage industrial disputes.
  • Provide advice on IR strategies and legislative changes impacting the business.
  • Partner with HSE team to ensure compliance with WHS legislation and internal safety policies.
  • Support safety training, risk assessments, and incident investigations.
  • Promote health and wellbeing initiatives to maintain workforce engagement.
  • Partner with RTW coordinators regarding work-cover matters.
• Daily Relationship Management
  • Maintain a visible HR presence on site, engaging with staff at all levels.
  • Provide day-to-day guidance to leaders and employees on HR matters.
  • Act as a trusted advisor to business leaders in decision-making.

Key Relationships

• External: Unions, Fair Work Commission, Government Agencies (Immigration, WHS), Employment Lawyers, Recruitment Agencies, Schools and University Industry events.

Skills, Experience & Qualifications

• Degree in HR, IR, Law, or related field
• 10+ years HR experience, with significant ER/IR exposure in a unionised, multi-site environment
• Strong understanding of Australian labour law, Modern Awards, and Fair Work compliance
• Demonstrated success in HR systems and workforce reporting
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and influencing skills
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written).
• Exceptional planning and organisational skills.
• Analytical approach to problem solving.
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to effectively work within a team and independently when required including collaborating with staff and stakeholders at all levels of the business.
• Postgraduate qualification in HR, IR, or Law
• Experience in laboratory, food testing, or regulated technical industries
• Track record in integration or post-merger HR delivery

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