Employee Relations & Compliance Manager (12mth parental leave)

• A role in 2 parts – First 6mths will focus on employee relations and compliance management and the second where you will take on more project-based work and lead initiatives focused on optimising our risk controls around workload and wellbeing, ensuring a positive people experience.
• Impactful role in a collaborative environment where you will work closely with various teams across the firm to drive compliance and continuous improvement across the organisation.
• Take this 12mth parental leave opportunity to contribute to a culture of high performance and wellbeing, while enhancing your skills in employee relations and compliance management.

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Who are we?

A firm born in Asia, underpinned by world class capability. 

With over 3700 lawyers in 27 global locations, we help our clients manage their risk and enable their growth. Our full-service offering combines un-matched top tier local capability complemented with an international platform.

We have deep roots in Australia spanning almost 200 years and acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional owners and custodians of these lands and waters.

Role Detail

This role is essential to our commitment to providing a safe and compliant workplace while building a robust risk management framework. Joining the People & Development (P&D) team and working closely with other P&D specialists, legal and risk teams, and external support providers, for the first six months, you will help cover key responsibilities while the current ER & Compliance Manager is on parental leave.

The latter half will provide a unique opportunity to play a central role in managing and enhancing our compliance and employee relations landscape, during a pivotal time.

Flexibility to be based in any centre but a preference for

the Melbourne or Perth office, with a balanced approach to WFH, key responsibilities include:

• P&D compliance and coordination of ER case monitoring including case management and strategic advice for complex employee relations matters
• Maintaining oversight of incident response frameworks, compliance registers and provides a point of escalation for non-compliance
• Ensuring P&D practices meet employment obligations and people-related regulatory standards
• Supporting systemic risk identification and the implementation of proactive mitigation strategies
• Driving continuous improvement in people-related data reporting and insights to effect compliance and decision-making.
• Reviewing firmwide processes and documentation, ensuring they align with our people strategy, employment legislation and industry best practice
• Supports embedding and ongoing maintenance of the risk and hazard controls within the P&D remit and maps controls end to end
• Collaborating with teams such as Inclusion & Wellbeing, Performance & Strategy, and Business Engagement to align initiatives with firm values

About You

With your understanding of employee relations and its intersection with employment law, workplace obligations, and why they matter, you will bring confidence from experience in managing complex cases and exceptional attention to detail when tracking multiple processes at once. With experience ideally in a large professional services or legal environment your ability to spot gaps or risks, and take the initiative to fix or escalate them, will set you up for success.

 You will also bring:

• Strong understanding of Australian employment law frameworks and people compliance requirements, including injury management and psychosocial risks
• Understanding of people centric workload and wellbeing management programs
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive ER issues with discretion and professionalism
• Experience managing complex investigations or workplace matters independently
• Strong analytical mindset and ability to interpret data and recommend actions
• Legal qualifications or HR/IR certifications will be highly regarded
• Ability to embrace complexity and adapt well when working with evolving processes or incomplete information
• Growth mindset and enjoyment working across teams and learning from others

Next Steps

Please click ‘Apply Now’ to apply online with your cover letter summarising why you’re applying and your resume to support your experience.

Applications close 5pm AEST Sunday 27th July 2025.

If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you must hold all visas and other approvals necessary for you to work for the firm in Australia.

Why work with us?

We promote a collaborative culture where people feel respected, valued and supported both personally and professionally, and where diversity and inclusion also play an important role in enhancing our knowledge, driving innovative solutions for our clients and creating positive social impact. 

We live by our Principles, and strive for mastery in all that we do.  We take pride in the high quality work we deliver. Working with colleagues and clients who are leaders in their fields, means the ability to explore new paths to progress with continual learning and development, career and leadership opportunities.

As part of the KWM community you’ll have access to a suite of wellbeing initiatives, benefits, policies and processes, to enable you to achieve your career goals.

At KWM, we’ll provide you with the platform to Learn, Master, Lead.