Employee Relations Specialist (Part Time or Full time 3-5 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‑recent 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 or full timerole (3, 4 or 5days 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
- 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

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📌 ER Specialist (New South Wales)
🏢 Capability Hr
📍 New South Wales