People Partner (HR Business Partner)

Aspire Early Education | 18-Month Fixed-Term Contract

Location: South Yarra, Melbourne VIC

Employment Type: Full-time | 18-month fixed-term contract (potential for extension or permanency)

Partner with leaders. Build capability. Make a real impact.

Aspire Early Education is a growing early childhood education provider, with an expanding network of centres and a strong focus on developing our people, leaders and culture.

We're looking for an experienced People Partner (HR Business Partner) to join our People & Talent team on an 18-month fixed-term contract, supporting an established portfolio of early learning centres across Victoria and Western Australia.

This opportunity has become available following an internal promotion, reflecting the career development opportunities within Aspire. You'll benefit from a dedicated handover with the existing People Partner, providing valuable insight into the portfolio, key stakeholders and current priorities to help you hit the ground running.

With Aspire continuing to grow, there may also be opportunities to extend the contract or transition into a permanent role at the conclusion of the initial 18-month period, subject to business needs.

If you enjoy building strong relationships, navigating complex people matters and helping leaders succeed, this could be a great opportunity for you.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of People & Talent, you'll partner with Area Managers, Operations Leads and Centre Managers to provide practical people advice and support across an established, multi-site operational portfolio.

This is a hands-on HR Business Partner role where you'll balance employee relations case management with proactive leadership coaching, workforce planning and people initiatives.

You'll work closely with operational leaders to strengthen people management practices, support positive workplace cultures and ensure people decisions are fair, consistent and aligned with business needs.

No two days will look the same. You'll have the opportunity to build trusted relationships, influence people outcomes and contribute to improvements that make a real difference across our centres.

Location

This role is based at our South Yarra Support Office, with regular travel to centres across Victoria and remote partnering with our Western Australian operations.

Part of a Broader People & Talent Team

You'll be part of a collaborative People & Talent function, with specialist support across:

- Talent Acquisition
- Learning & Development
- Injury Management
- People Systems & Processes

This means you'll have access to specialist expertise while maintaining ownership of your portfolio and working closely with operational leaders.

What You'll Do

People Partnering & Leadership Support

- Build trusted relationships with Area Managers, Operations Leads and Centre Managers across your portfolio.
- Provide practical,



commercially considered advice that balances employee experience, operational requirements and organisational risk.
- Coach leaders to confidently manage performance, conduct, attendance and workplace challenges.
- Identify emerging people issues and proactively work with leaders to address them.
- Support leaders to build capable, engaged and high-performing teams.

Employee Relations & People Management

- Manage and advise on complex employee relations matters, including performance management, disciplinary processes, grievances and workplace investigations.
- Provide guidance on employment legislation, modern awards, enterprise agreements and internal policies.
- Support leaders through sensitive employee matters, ensuring fair, consistent and well-documented processes.
- Partner with specialist teams on employee wellbeing, workplace health and safety, and return-to-work matters.
- Identify people-related risks and recommend practical solutions that support both employees and the business.

Workforce Planning & People Initiatives

- Support workforce planning, talent reviews, succession planning and organisational change.
- Use people data and insights to identify trends, risks and opportunities across your portfolio.
- Partner with leaders to improve employee engagement, retention and team effectiveness.
- Contribute to the development and rollout of people frameworks, policies and initiatives.
- Work collaboratively with the broader People & Talent team to improve processes and strengthen the employee and leader experience.
- Support the business through continued growth and operational change.

About You We're looking for an experienced HR Business Partner who enjoys being close to the business, building relationships and helping leaders navigate people challenges.

You'll be someone who can balance empathy with accountability, think practically and confidently manage competing priorities.

You'll bring

- Demonstrated experience in a People Partner, HR Business Partner or broad HR generalist role.
- Strong employee relations experience, including managing performance, disciplinary matters, grievances and workplace investigations.
- Sound knowledge of Australian employment legislation, modern awards and contemporary HR practices.
- Confidence coaching and influencing leaders across a range of people matters.
- Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to establish credibility with operational stakeholders.
- Sound judgement and a balanced approach to managing employee needs, compliance and operational priorities.
- A proactive,



solutions-focused mindset and the ability to work independently.
- Robust organisational skills, attention to detail and confidence managing a varied caseload.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to navigate sensitive conversations professionally.
- Experience contributing to people initiatives, organisational change or workforce planning.
- A relevant qualification in Human Resources, Business, Psychology or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
- A current driver's licence and willingness to travel to centres as required.

Experience supporting multi-site operations, particularly in early childhood education, healthcare, retail or other people-intensive environments, will be highly regarded. Above all, you're someone who enjoys partnering with leaders, takes ownership and can turn people advice into practical outcomes.

Why Choose Aspire?

At Aspire, you'll be part of a growing organisation where your experience, ideas and contributions can make a genuine difference.

- A supported transition: Benefit from a dedicated handover with the existing People Partner, helping you build relationships and understand your portfolio from day one.
- Career opportunities: Join a business that values internal development and progression, with potential opportunities for extension or permanency beyond the initial contract.
- Meaningful work: Take ownership of an established portfolio and play an important role in supporting leaders and their teams.
- Variety and development: Gain experience across employee relations, leadership coaching, workforce planning and broader people initiatives.
- A collaborative team: Work alongside a supportive People & Talent function with dedicated specialist expertise.
- Connection and culture: Enjoy regular team events and monthly lunches at our South Yarra office.
- Employee wellbeing: Access our 24/7 Employee Assistance Program and dedicated Wellbeing Leave.
- Additional benefits: Enjoy paid birthday leave and up to 50% childcare discount across Aspire centres.
- Professional growth: Access ongoing development, networking and opportunities to contribute to a growing organisation.

Join Our Team If you're an experienced People Partner who enjoys building relationships, solving complex challenges and supporting leaders to get the best out of their teams, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now to join Aspire Early Education on an 18-month fixed-term contract and make a lasting impact on our people, leaders and culture.

We review applications as they're received, so we encourage you to apply early.

Aspire Early Education is committed to providing a protected and inclusive environment that promotes child safety, wellbeing and cultural awareness.

We champion diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as candidates from culturally diverse backgrounds.

📌 People Partner (HR Business Partner) (South Yarra)
🏢 Aspire Early Education
📍 South Yarra