Employee Relations Manager - Hawthorn East

A new role means a new way to win together. We’ve been proudly serving Australian communities since 1914 and at the heart of our continued success lies our 115,000 team members working across the country. If you’re looking for a career-defining opportunity, take the next step and explore another way your work can have impact and make a difference.

About the team

Because of our size, who we are and what we do, each day brings with it a lot of complexity that our legal team make simple. With a deep understanding of Coles Group’s goals and values, we’re able to provide practical and commercial advice that helps us all win.

About the role

We have an exciting opportunity for an Employee Relations Manager to join Coles Group. Reporting to the Head of Employee Relations, this role provides ER leadership and expert advice across all aspects of employment and industrial relations law, supporting the strategic direction of the business.

You will partner closely with senior leaders and business units to shape and deliver employee relations strategies, manage complex collective matters, and play a pivotal role in enterprise bargaining and industrial advocacy in a large, fast‑paced operational environment.

Key responsibilities

Strategic employee relations

• Develop and implement ER strategies and frameworks aligned to Coles Group’s business objectives and future workforce needs.
• Provide proactive, commercially grounded ER advice to senior leaders and stakeholders.
• Monitor the external ER and industrial relations environment, identifying emerging trends, risks and opportunities.

Enterprise bargaining and industrial advocacy

• Lead end‑to‑end enterprise agreement bargaining across multiple and varied agreements, including strategy development, planning, negotiation, approval and implementation.
• Play a lead role in negotiations with unions and employee representatives.
• Manage collective disputes and industrial action risk.
• Undertake advocacy, primarily before the Fair Work Commission, including preparation of submissions and representation as required.

Advisory, risk and compliance

• Provide expert advice on complex or high‑risk collective employee relations matters.
• Support new business initiatives, transformation programs and organisational change with ER insights.
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation, industrial instruments, internal policies and regulatory obligations.
• Manage interactions with regulators, tribunals and external legal advisers.
• Identify and respond to legislative or industrial changes impacting Coles’ operating environment.

Stakeholder engagement and leadership

• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders across operations, P&C, safety, legal, payroll, IT and finance.
• Lead engagement with external stakeholders including unions, employer associations, regulators and legal partners.
• Coach and influence leaders to build capability and confidence in managing employee relations matters.
• Lead and develop team members (where applicable), fostering a high‑performance, inclusive culture.

About you

You are a trusted ER professional with strong commercial judgement, able to operate confidently in complex and unionised environments. You bring a pragmatic, solutions‑focused approach and are comfortable balancing risk, compliance and business outcomes.

Experience and capabilities

• Extensive experience in employee relations and/or employment law within large, complex organisations.
• Proven experience leading enterprise bargaining processes end‑to‑end, including multi‑agreement negotiations.
• Demonstrated experience working with unions, industrial tribunals and regulatory bodies.
• Strong stakeholder management, influencing and negotiation skills.
• Experience in retail, supply chain or similarly operational environments is highly regarded.
• Experience in advocacy before employment tribunals is highly regarded.

Qualifications

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Law, Industrial Relations, Human Resources or a related discipline.

Why join Coles Group

At Coles Group, you’ll have the opportunity to influence meaningful outcomes at scale, work with experienced leaders across the business, and play a critical role in shaping positive and sustainable workplace relations for the future.

What’s in it for you?

• Flexible working options: We know that work is only one part of your life, so we actively encourage a positive work-life balance and provide hybrid working options to help you achieve it.
• Office perks: Take advantage of our gym facility and fitness classes, free parking, BBQ area, mini-Coles supermarket, fooderie hub where you can sample new products before they hit the shelves, school holiday program and so much more when you come in.
• Discounts: Eligible team members receive 5% discount all year round on your Supermarket and Liquor online and in-store purchases. We also offer additional periods of double discount (10%) at various times throughout the year. As well as hotdeals exclusive to team members that translate into additional savings.
• Reward through recognition: Give and receive recognition, linked to our Coles values, through our digital recognition platform ‘mythanks’. You can accumulate points to redeem in the online shop for exciting gifts and electronic gift cards from an extensive range of retailers.
• Opportunities for learning and development: No matter where you start within our diverse business, you’ll have experiences, exposure, and education to satisfy you. Discover and explore a variety of career development programs and job-specific training.
• Paid parental leave: We understand how important your life outside work is and offer permanent team members paid parental leave to support you in balancing work and family.
• Investment in your future: Our annual team member share plan offer allows eligible team members to make regular pre-tax salary sacrifice deductions to purchase Coles Group shares.

About the recruitment process

We’re continuing to build a gender equitable team, and a culture that is just as diverse, inclusive and welcoming as the communities we serve. We are committed to creating a workplace that is safe and respectful for our team. We encourage applications from people of all ages, cultures (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples), abilities, sexual orientation and gender identities.

We’re happy to adjust our recruitment process to support candidates with disability. For further information and additional contact details visit the ‘Our Recruitment Process’ section of our careers site or email inclusionrecruitment@coles.com.au

Job ID: 186960

Employment Type: Full time

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