About Our Client

Our client is a private equity-backed, scale-up technology business. The organisation has outgrown its current people infrastructure and needs an experienced leader to bring rigour, structure and cultural stability at a critical point in its growth. We are looking for an Interim Chief People Officer for a period of 6 months, with possibilities to move to a permanent position, based in Melbourne.

The Role

This is a standalone role and requires a leader who is equally able to execute strategy and roll up their sleeves in a hands on capacity. You will be able to build trust quickly, negotiate outcomes and work with diplomacy as you navigate the Founder, Board and private capital partners. You will lay the groundwork for the next phase of growth, including expansion into international markets.

Key Responsibilities

- Design and implement a remuneration and reward framework, including market benchmarking, position descriptions, levelling and incentive structures.
- Create HR processes and policies for the end to end employee lifecycle, including onboarding, offboarding, performance management and career pathways.
- Lead key hires, manage recruitment partners and design a recruitment process that supports growth.




- Assess existing talent and capability and recommend the future organisational structure and talent strategy.
- Be the primary point of contact for all employee matters, ensuring the business meets its obligations under Australian employment law.

What You’ll Bring

- Experience as a Chief People Officer, or equivalent senior people leader, in a scale up, SaaS or technology business.
- Demonstrated experience building and transforming an HR function.
- A hands on approach, with the ability to work in a standalone capacity and deliver the day to day as well as the strategy.
- Prior experience working effectively with a Founder, a Board and private equity or private capital partners.
- Experience working autonomously, in a lean workplace, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and work at pace.
- Experience designing the organisational structure for future growth, and experience expanding a business into international markets, particularly the USA.

To be eligible for this position, you must be based in Melbourne, be available immediately or on short notice and have full Australian work rights without restrictions for the duration of the contract.

Applications close: 28 October 2026

#J-18808-Ljbffr

📌 Interim Chief People Officer (Melbourne)
🏢 Derwent Search
📍 Melbourne