The Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) is Australia’s national human rights institution, dedicated to fostering a society where human rights are upheld, protected, and celebrated. We envision an Australia where every individual is valued equally in dignity and rights.

Our mission involves promoting and safeguarding the human rights of all Australians by:

- Advising all levels of government and various public and private organisations.
- Strengthening laws, policies, and practices while providing accessible investigation and conciliation services.
- Engaging inclusively with civil society, communities, and the private sector.
- Raising awareness about human rights and offering educational resources.
- Collaborating with partners to cultivate a culture of respect for human rights across the nation.

People & Culture team is a small team that leads strategic programs and operational activities across the entire employee lifecycle. The team manages programs and provides expert advice across a range of people and culture activities including employee relations, talent attraction and selection, onboarding, talent management, learning and development, organisational development, remuneration and reporting and workforce planning. We are looking for an experienced People and Culture professional to join our team. In this rewarding role, you will partner with leaders to provide expert HR advice and deliver specialist talent management support, and lead the design, development and implementation of talent attraction and selection initiatives. You will also play a key role in driving employee wellbeing programs that foster a positive workplace culture.

This is a full-time, non-ongoing position initially offered for a 12-month period. It offers a competitive salary range of $121,755 - $133,986 per annum plus 15.4% superannuation.

We offer flexible, hybrid work options.

The key duties of the position include:

What You’ll Do:

- Partner with leaders and all staff to provide specialist human resources advice and support, building manager capability to ensure effective human resources practices are embedded.
- Ensure compliance with provisions in the Commission’s Enterprise Agreement, Public Service Act 1999, Fair Work Act 2009, APS Commissioners Directions 2022 and other relevant APS guidelines.
- Provide specialist advice on talent recruitment and selection to inform effective talent attraction and selection activities and design fit-for-purpose attraction and selection activities to build organisational capability.
- Introduce new talent attraction channels to ensure future workforce talent needs are met.




- Ensure talent acquisition and selection are in accordance with the APS merit principles, work level standards and Commission policies and procedures.
- Design and implement new selection tools to ensure alignment with the Commission’s workforce needs.
- Lead and manage Affirmative measures recruitment campaigns.
- Design and develop an Intern program in partnership with leading Universities to build a future talent pipeline for the Commission.
- Design Diversity & Inclusion activities to increase workforce participation across all diversity and inclusion dimensions.
- Coordinate the Commission’s WHS activities in partnership with Health and Safety Representatives and the WHS Committee, ensuring compliance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
- Support the development and implementation of Health Safety and Wellbeing policies and programs.

Eligibility

What We’re Looking For:

- Demonstrated experience in providing HR and Talent advice and ability to implement and embed talent attraction and selection processes.
- Experience in designing and supporting wellbeing programs and initiatives.
- Knowledge of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
- Tertiary qualifications in Human Resources or demonstrated experience.
- Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) membership is desirable.
- Demonstrated experience across the APS or Government.
- Ability to build relationships with leading industry partners across both the public and private sector.
- Demonstrated ability to engage with staff and leaders at all levels and highly effective interpersonal skills, analytical and conceptual capabilities.
- Excellent knowledge of APS recruitment guidelines, APS Commissioner’s Directions, the Public Sector Act 1999, Fair Work Act 2009.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex information to a diverse audience.

Notes Why Join Us?

By becoming a part of our team, you'll play a vital role in influencing public conversations about human rights and making a meaningful impact. If you’re ready to use your skills to support a cause that matters, we want to hear from you!

Apply Now! Help us shape the future of human rights in Australia. Join us in making a difference!

Applications close: 5pm AEDT 28 October 2026

Notes





We value inclusivity and diversity and seek people who support and model the behaviours we promote in our workforce. We strongly encourage applications from First Nations Australians, mature workers, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, culturally and marginalised communities, carers, LGBTIQA+ and people with disability.

Under section 22(8) of the Public Service Act 1999, employees must be Australian citizens to be employed in the Australian Public Service (APS). An Agency Head may waive the requirement for citizenship prior to engaging an individual where it is appropriate to do so.

The Commission is committed to providing an accessible, inclusive work workplace to enable people with a disability to participate fully in all aspects of employment. Applicants are encouraged to request reasonable adjustment as required to assist your participation in this recruitment process.

Please note that this position may be filled on either an ongoing or non-ongoing basis. If an offer of non-ongoing employment is made, the successful applicant would be employed for an initial period of up to twelve months with the possibility of extension up to a maximum period of two years in total. The merit pool established through this selection process, which is valid for a period of eighteen months from the date the vacancy was advertised in the Public Service Gazette, may be used to fill future ongoing and non-ongoing vacancies in the Commission where the duties are of a similar nature.

RecruitAbility applies to this vacancy. Under the RecruitAbility scheme you will be invited to participate in further assessment activity for the vacancy if you choose to apply under the scheme; declare you have a disability; and meet the minimum requirements for the job. For more information visit: https://www.apsc.gov.au/recruitability.

How to Apply

Please provide a resume and a statement (maximum of 2 pages) outlining your interest in this position(s), your experience that would lead to impactful outcomes in the role, and the skills and capabilities you bring.

The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to fulfill the requirements of the role in an impartial and respectful manner as required by the APS Code of Conduct. The successful candidate will uphold the integrity and independence of the Australian Human Rights Commission.

As part of the recruitment and selection process, applicants will be required to consent to and undergo background checks which may include character and social media checks.

For more Information

Information about the role and Commission practices may be sought from Merle Mendonca via [email protected].

📌 Senior People and Culture Partner (Sydney)
🏢 Australian Human Rights Commission
📍 Sydney