ER Specialist

Employee Relations Specialist (Part Time – 3 or 4 days)

Progressive National Law Firm | Newly Created Role | Hybrid + Flexibility

If you're an Employee Relations specialist who enjoys complex work, thrives in a professional services environment, and wants to help shape a brand‑new People & Culture Centre of Excellence — this is the kind of role that doesn't come around often.

We're partnering with a progressive national law firm to recruit their first Employee Relations Specialist, a newly created position sitting within a refreshed People Risk & Compliance function. Working closely with the Head of People Risk & Compliance and the P&C Business Partners, you'll play a pivotal role in strengthening the firm's people compliance framework and elevating ER capability across the business.

This is a part‑time role (3 or 4 days per week) with hybrid working and additional flexibility.

The firm is investing in a more proactive, risk‑aware approach to people management. This role is central to that shift — helping leaders and P&C colleagues navigate complex ER issues, embedding early‑intervention practices, and ensuring the firm's frameworks are fit‑for‑purpose.

Key Responsibilities

A mix of hands‑on ER casework, advisory support, and framework-building:

• Manage complex and sensitive ER matters end‑to‑end, including performance, conduct, grievances and investigations
• Proactively identify workplace risk and advise on mitigation strategies, controls and defensible decision‑making
• Interpret and apply industrial instruments, including the Legal Services Award
• Draft and evolve ER frameworks — policies, procedures, guidance notes and supporting materials
• Coach and uplift capability across P&C and leaders, embedding early intervention and consistent practice
• Contribute to people risk, safety and compliance projects, including psychosocial safety, positive duty, privacy and broader governance initiatives

You could be from one of these backgrounds.

This role is ideal for someone who genuinely enjoys ER — not just managing issues, but shaping frameworks, improving controls and lifting capability across a business. It could suit:

• A HR Generalist who gravitates to ER
  You already spend 50%+ of your role on ER and want to specialise further — moving into a role where complex matters, policy work and risk advisory are the core focus.
• An ER Specialist stuck in reactive case management
  If you're in a high‑volume, reactive environment and want to do more thinking than firefighting, this role offers proactive work, framework design and broader people‑risk exposure.
• An IR Specialist wanting a more corporate, less industrial environment
  If you're coming from a unionised, EA‑heavy or highly industrial setting and want to apply your technical strengths in a professional services context with more nuance and advisory work.
• An external ER/IR consultant ready to move in‑house
  Perfect if you've been providing advice from the outside and now want to see the real‑world impact of your work — influencing leaders, shaping culture and building long‑term capability.

What you'll bring

• Strong technical ER capability — investigations, procedural fairness, documentation
• Confidence interpreting awards and translating obligations into practical, commercial advice
• Excellent written communication — policies, findings, briefing notes
• Sound judgement and professionalism in sensitive, high‑risk matters
• A collaborative, influential style suited to a professional services environment
• Curiosity, analytical thinking and a mindset for continuous improvement

To register your interest please apply via this site or email Matthew Mayoh at mmayoh@capabilityhr.com.au