Head of Employee Relations - 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

At Coles, our team members are at the heart of how we serve millions of customers every week across our national store and supply chain network.

We’re looking for a highly experienced Head of Employee Relations & Industrial Relations to lead the ER/IR strategy across one of Australia’s largest and most complex, unionised workforces.

Currently  reporting to the Chief Legal & Safety Officer, this role sits at the intersection of legal, commercial and people strategy, leading enterprise bargaining, shaping workforce relations strategies across key change and innovation programs, leading payroll compliance programs, and providing trusted advice at the most senior levels of the business.

You’ll play a pivotal role in navigating a dynamic industrial landscape, strengthening relationships with unions, and enabling a high-performance, compliant and values-led workplace across our stores, distribution centres and support offices.

Key responsibilities:

ER/IR Strategy & Leadership

• Define and lead the enterprise-wide Employee Relations and Industrial Relations strategy, aligned to Coles’ commercial and operational priorities
• Monitor and interpret the evolving industrial relations landscape (including legislative reform, union activity and sector trends), translating insights into proactive strategies
• Act as a key advisor to the CLO and Executive Leadership Team on workforce risk, strategy and complex employment matters

Enterprise Bargaining & Union Engagement

• Lead enterprise bargaining strategy and negotiations across a large, unionised workforce
• Partner with senior leaders to define negotiation positions that balance commercial outcomes, team member experience and brand reputation
• Build and maintain effective, constructive relationships with key unions and external stakeholders
• Oversee the implementation and governance of enterprise agreements across the business

Employee Relations & Compliance

• Oversee the resolution of complex, high-risk and sensitive ER matters, including collective  disputes and regulatory issues, largely in the compliance space
• Act as the escalation point for matters with significant legal, reputational or operational risk
• Ensure consistent, fair and compliant application of ER frameworks across a geographically dispersed workforce

Executive Advisory & Transformation

• Provide expert ER/IR advice and coaching to senior and executive leaders across stores, supply chain and corporate functions
• Support large-scale transformation, change and workforce initiatives, ensuring alignment with industrial obligations
• Partner closely with Legal, Safety and People & Culture teams to deliver integrated outcomes

Continuous Improvement & Governance

• Drive ongoing improvement of ER policies, frameworks and processes to enhance compliance, efficiency and team member experience
• Ensure alignment with Fair Work legislation, awards and enterprise agreements
• Strengthen governance, reporting and risk management practices across ER/IR

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build trusted partnerships with senior operational leaders across retail and supply chain
• Lead engagement with external stakeholders, including unions, regulators and legal advisors
• Set the tone for high-quality communication, influencing and collaboration across the organisation

People Leadership

• Lead and develop a high-performing ER team, fostering deep technical expertise and strong commercial capability
• Create a culture of accountability, inclusion and continuous learning
• Build organisational capability in ER/IR through coaching and education of leaders

About you:

You are an experienced ER/IR leader who thrives in large-scale, fast-paced and highly unionised environments, with the ability to balance competing priorities and deliver pragmatic, commercially sound outcomes.

What you'll bring:

• Extensive experience in employee and industrial relations within large, complex organisations
• Proven track record leading enterprise bargaining negotiations at scale
• Deep expertise in Australian employment law, Fair Work frameworks and industrial instruments
• Strong experience managing high-risk, sensitive and high-profile workplace matters
• Expertise in management of payroll compliance programs
• Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to engage unions and executives alike
• Demonstrated ability to connect legal, commercial and operational considerations in decision-making
• A leadership style that builds credibility, trust and high-performing teams

Why join Coles?

• Lead ER/IR strategy at scale across one of Australia’s most recognised retail brands
• Work directly with the Chief Legal & Safety Officer and executive leadership team
• Shape workforce outcomes across a large, diverse and geographically dispersed team
• Play a key role in navigating a complex and evolving industrial landscape
• Be part of an organisation committed to building a safe, inclusive and high-performing workplace

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: 186959

Employment Type: Full time

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