Job Description:

Better and fairer care. Always.
Lead a collaborative and capable team of People Partners in support of People & Culture excellence
Partner with our supportive executive leadership team as a true trusted advisor

Better and fairer care. Always.

St Vincent's has been a leader in Australia's health and aged care landscape for more than 165 years. Since our founders, the Sisters of Charity, opened our first hospital in 1857, our services and people have been behind some of Australia's most important medical breakthroughs. We are a microcosm of our Australia’s health and aged care system and are uniquely positioned to lead and respond to our rapidly changing environment.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a special kind of person - a St Vincent’s kind of person. Someone who puts compassion, connection and caring for other people at the heart of everything they do.

Reporting to the Head of People Partnering, St Vincent’s is seeking to appoint a passionate and motivated Lead People Partner, ensuring the delivery of outstanding customer service to senior leadership, managers and employees at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne (SVHM), located on the home of the Wurundjeri people.

Leading a team of five tight knit People Partners, the role operates as a trusted advisor providing strategic HR advice to the organisation including interpretation of agreements, complex HR matters, workforce planning and change management support.

Key to success in the role will be a collaborative inter-professional approach, committed to elevating team capabilities, ultimately supporting St Vincent’s mission to deliver the highest calibre of patient-centred healthcare outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Primary day to day accountabilities for this appointment include:

Represent SVHM in Victorian Hospitals Industrial Association (VHIA) reference groups and lead SVHM representation to VHIA for all industrial matters
Manage portfolio allocation in the team, aligning the requirements of the organisation and resources available, whilst acting as an escalation point for case review, grievance management and resolving operational issues
Collaborate with People & Culture colleagues in People Services, Payroll, Talent, Workplace Relations and Occupational Health & Safety to ensure clear processes and responsibilities across the teams whilst delivering a high-level service to SVHM
Manage conflict, employee relations and industrial relations scenarios including liaising with employees, executive leadership and/or Unions
Drive workplace change in collaboration with managers, developing processes and implementation plans complying with relevant industrial instruments and legislation
Manage performance and conduct across the team, ensuring high levels of capability including regular reviews, ongoing feedback, development plans and addressing issues that may arise

This is an exciting time to join St Vincent’s with an increased focus on research capability and our commitment to cutting-edge medical innovation and person-centred care, both within the hospital and at home.

Required qualifications or experience

When formalising your application, please consider the following selection criteria:

Tertiary qualifications in Human Resources or Industrial Relations
Clearly demonstrable experience in providing generalist human resources services in a unionised environment
Employee and/or industrial relations capabilities, including contemporary understanding of legislation and hands on experience in enterprise agreement interpretation and implementation
Experience in managing Fair Work Commission cases including representation at the Commission
Strong business partnering and consultation skills, comfortable operating across all organisational tiers
High level leadership qualities, with a focus on developing individuals whilst uplifting team capability
A commitment to professional development, with a strong understanding of contemporary People & Culture practices

Whilst not essential, experience in a dynamic healthcare environment and/or experience in psychosocial risk assessment methodologies would be highly regarded.

Because you’re like us, you believe in our vision that every person, whoever and wherever they are, is served with excellent and compassionate care, by a better and fairer health and aged care system. Better for all our employees and volunteers, who work tirelessly to provide the highest levels of care and quality of life for our patients and clients. And better support for the local communities we play an important role in and continue to support.

Pre-Employment Checks

Your employment is conditional upon the completion of all role-required pre-employment checks, including relevant immunisations.

Equal Opportunity

We celebrate diversity & inclusion and are committed to equal employment opportunity for everyone.

How To Apply

Please submit your application via the Apply Now button, including your resume and cover letter. The closing date for applications is Sunday 1st February.

For further enquiries please contact Warren Tewkesbury (Talent Transformation Lead) via warren.tewkesbury@svha.org.au or email TalentHealthVIC@svha.org.au.

Respectfully, no recruitment agencies.

Position Description

St Vincent’s Health Australia (St Vincent’s) is a non-profit health organisation founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1857. We are renowned for industry leading research, education and the provision of exceptional and compassionate care. St Vincent’s is shaping a future health and aged care system that supports people with life-changing care, wherever and whoever they are. We care for people in our public and private hospitals, at home and in our aged care residences across NSW, QLD and Victoria. Our vision at St Vincent’s is that every person, whoever and wherever they are, is served with excellent and compassionate

care, by a better and fairer health and aged care system. Our 30,000 exceptional and dedicated staff together lead St Vincent’s to deliver three key priorities:

· Enhance Impact: Continuously improve our care, enhancing our positive impacts for patients, people, and our planet.

· Connect Care: Work together, building “One St Vincent’s” capabilities and services to create the future of connected

health and aged care.

· Transform the System: Work with partners to shape a better and fairer health and aged care system.

St Vincent’s also recognises its obligations under equal employment opportu

nity and unlawful discrimination in the workplace legislation, as a minimum standard. We are committed to diversity in the workplace and seek to create an inclusive environment that accepts everyone's differences, embraces their strengths, and provides opportunities for everyone to contribute their

unique experiences to the workplace.

Role Impact

Provide operational and strategic support to St Vincent’s (SVHM) clinical and non-clinical service directorates to support these directorates in managing and developing their teams and employees through contemporary People & Culture strategies and initiatives.

Lead a team of People & Culture (P&C) professionals to deliver outstanding customer service to managers and employees at SVHM adhering to HR SVHM policies, Enterprise Agreements, relevant employment legislation and in line with values of the organization.

Represent SVHM in Victorian Hospitals Industrial Association (VHIA) reference groups and lead SVHM representation to VHIA for all industrial matters including enterprise agreement negotiations, implementation and the ongoing management of iindustrial advice on the enterprise agreements.

Operational and strategic support to the business:

Provides accurate advice and interpretation of employment terms and conditions of employees in accordance with the relevant Enterprise Agreement and work to resolve any issues in a timely manner
Provides a high level of advice and strategy to managers to assist in managing performance of employees and operational issues
Manages conflict, employee relations and industrial relations scenarios in the service area which may require contact with employees and/or Unions
Provide advice or support in relation to disputes and grievances including management of cases externally referred to Fair Work Commission (or other jurisdictions)
Supervise or carry out investigations as required alongside managers to ensure relevant procedures are followed and outcomes are aligned to the organisation’s
Deliver an exemplary level of customer service which displays flexibility, availability and understanding of the needs of the service area
Support key organisational initiatives that develop and grow employees and supports organisational outcomes
Work with senior leaders and Executive Directors to develop succession plans and support the execution of talent management activities
Drives workplace change in conjunction with key managers and develops processes and implementation plans which comply with relevant industrial instruments and legislation
In partnership with key managers and the Executive, participates in strategic planning initiatives, provides sound advice Lead a team of P&C professionals: · Manage portfolio allocation in the team, to align the requirements of the organisation and the resources available within the team
Act as an escalation point for case review, grievance management and resolving operational issues within the assigned portfolio
Manage the performance and conduct of the team to ensure a high level of performance. Includes regular performance reviews, ongoing feedback, development plans and addressing any issues that may arise
Work with P&C colleagues in People Services, Payroll, Talent, Workplace Relations, Occupational Health & Safety to ensure clear processes and responsibilities across the teams to deliver a high-level service to SVHM
Actively participate in the People Partnering leadership team using expert knowledge, flexibility and commitment to ensure the People Partnering team deliver high-level service to SVHM
Maintains HR/IR reporting at the direction of the Head of People Partnering Industrial matters:
Represent SVHM in VHIA reference groups as allocated, ensuring representation of SVHM in sector-wide discussions and decisions, and ensure key sector-wide messages are communicated back to the People Partnering team and operational leaders
With support from People Change Lead, manage and coordinate all enterprise agreement negotiation activities as allocated on behalf of SVHM. This includes issuing notices, developing communication plans during negotiations, assess claims made in bargaining with assistance from finance, regularly briefing senior leaders, manage any protected industrial action if required, manage and coordinate implementation plans to Systems, Payroll and People Services teams, and run Workplace Implementation Committees
Manage the relationship with key employee representative groups to effectively manage any employee concerns, grievances and disputes.
Operational and strategic support to the business: Provides accurate advice and interpretation of employment terms and conditions of employees in accordance with the relevant Enterprise Agreement and work to resolve any issues in a timely manner
Provides a high level of advice and strategy to managers to assist in managing performance of employees and operational issues
Manages conflict, employee relations and industrial relations scenarios in the service area which may require contact with employees and/or Unions · Provide advice or support in relation to disputes and grievances including management of cases externally referred to Fair Work Commission (or other jurisdictions)
Supervise or carry out investigations as required alongside managers to ensure relevant procedures are followed and outcomes are aligned to the organisation’s Code of Conduct
Deliver an exemplary level of customer service which displays flexibility, availability and understanding of the needs of the service area
Support key organisational initiatives that develop and grow employees and supports organisational outcomes
Work with senior leaders and Executive Directors to develop succession plans and support the execution of talent management activities
Drives workplace change in conjunction with key managers and develops processes and implementation plans which comply with relevant industrial instruments and legislation
In partnership with key managers and the Executive, participates in strategic planning initiatives, provides sound advice Lead a team of P&C professionals: Manage portfolio allocation in the team, to align the requirements of the organisation and the resources available within the team
Act as an escalation point for case review, grievance management and resolving operational issues within the assigned portfolio · Manage the performance and conduct of the team to ensure a high level of performance. Includes regular performance reviews, ongoing feedback, development plans and addressing any issues that may arise
Work with P&C colleagues in People Services, Payroll, Talent, Workplace Relations, Occupational Health & Safety to ensure clear processes and responsibilities across the teams to deliver a high-level service to SVHM
Actively participate in the People Partnering leadership team using expert knowledge, flexibility and commitment to ensure the People Partnering team deliver high-level service to SVHM
Maintains HR/IR reporting at the direction of the Head of People Partnering Industrial matters: Represent SVHM in VHIA reference groups as allocated, ensuring representation of SVHM in sector-wide discussions and decisions, and ensure key sector-wide messages are communicated back to the People Partnering team and operational leaders
With support from People Change Lead, manage and coordinate all enterprise agreement negotiation activities as allocated on behalf of SVHM. This includes issuing notices, developing communication plans during negotiations, assess claims made in bargaining with assistance from finance, regularly briefing senior leaders, manage any protected industrial action if required, manage and coordinate implementation plans to Systems, Payroll and People Services teams, and run Workplace Implementation Committees
Manage the relationship with key employee representative groups to effectively manage any employee concerns, grievances and disputes.

Personal

Personal Effectiveness Executes Results – Sets and measures team goals, driving pursuit of higher standards of practice  
Learning Agility Flexibility – Responds to new and complex situations by adjusting behaviour appropriately
Outcomes Patient / Resident-Centred Patient Excellence – Monitors satisfaction levels and proactively addresses issues
Innovation & Improvement / Continuous Improvement – Anticipates problems and continuously improves systems and processes

Strategy

Driving Results Drives For Results – Takes ownership for performance of team results
Organisational Acumen Short-Term Planning – Uses information and organisational knowledge to make decisions and achieve results
People Working With & Managing Others Leads Others – Shares responsibilities, providing support and effective communication
Collaboration Operates Cross Functionally – Develops constructive relationships across the organisation

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

Internal

Executive Directors and Senior Leaders with St Vincent’s Melbourne Public Hospital
People & Culture teams including other People Partnering teams, People Services, Talent, Occupational Health and Safety, Payroll, Systems and Workplace Relations
Employees at St Vincent’s Melbourne Public Hospital External

External

VHIA
Employee representative groups
Fair Work Commission/Ombudsman
WorkSafe (in conjunction with Occupational Health & Safety)
External service providers including legal advisors, consultants

Essential

Extensive experience in providing generalist human resources services in a unionised environment
Employee relations and/or industrial relations experience including contemporary understanding of legislation, hands on experience in enterprise agreement interpretation and implementation, managing Fair Work Commission cases including representation at the Commission
Strong business partnering and internal consulting experience, demonstrating strong relationship management skills across the different levels of an organisation
Strong written and verbal skills, including experience in writing executive-level documents
Demonstrated capacity in leading a team of professionals, with strong organisational skills
Strong computer skills in Microsoft Office applications, with intermediate Excel capability
Experience in using HRIS and Payroll systems, including report building and providing business requirements to systems teams to implement changes and investigate root cause of issues
Demonstrated commitment to professional development, with strong understanding of contemporary P&C practices

Desirable

Experience in a dynamic healthcare setting
Post-graduate qualifications and experience in managing change processes · Post-graduate qualifications and experience in psychosocial risk assessment methodologies

Minimum Education Requirements

· Tertiary qualifications in Human Resources or Industrial Relations

Closing Date:

1 February 2026 11:59pm

Reconciliation Action Plan:

At St Vincent's we acknowledge the importance of creating a work environment that is welcoming, safe, equitable and inclusive for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Employees. As part of our Commitment to Reconciliation and Closing the Gap in employment related outcomes, we encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

For further information, visit https://www.svha.org.au/about-us/reconciliation or get in contact at indigenouscareers@svha.org.au

View Reconciliation Action Plan