HR Manager | Westfund Health Insurance (Hybrid)

About the opportunity

After ten years building Westfund's People & Culture function, the current Human Resources Manager is retiring at the end of the year. Civitas Talent has been retained to find their successor.

You'll lead HR operations for around 240 people across 12 locations in New South Wales and Queensland, covering employee relations, industrial relations, contracts, payroll and recruitment. You report to Chief People Officer, and lead a team of five: Payroll Manager, Payroll Officer, Recruitment Lead, People & Culture Coordinator and Human Resources Coordinator.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You'll have a capable team to delegate to, and you'll also own matters yourself from first conversation through to resolution. You'll contribute to People & Culture strategy with the CPO, but most of the job is practical: sound advice, well-run processes and being there for leaders and employees when it counts.

About Westfund

Westfund is a member-owned, not-for-profit health fund. It began with Lithgow coal miners pooling their wages so their families could see a doctor. More than 140 years later it looks after over 140,000 members across Australia, runs its own dental, eye care and skin screening centres, and keeps member retention above 92%.

Head office is a modern building in Lithgow. There are also offices in Penrith and Sydney CBD, and sites stretching from Wollongong to Dubbo and from Townsville to Maroochydore. Westfund's values are Care, Connect and Respect, and they shape how the fund treats its own people as much as its members. Engagement scores are consistently strong, and many staff have built long careers there.

People & Culture is a team of around 11. It's known across the business as approachable, independent and trusted, and it works closely with external employment law advisers on complex matters.

What you'll do

Employee relations and leader support

• Be the go-to adviser for leaders on conduct, performance, attendance and wellbeing
• Lead workplace investigations and disciplinary processes that are fair, timely and defensible
• Coach leaders through difficult conversations, often in the room alongside them
• Step in early when something isn't right, leading with care before any formal process

Industrial relations and compliance

• Interpret and apply the Enterprise Agreement, employment contracts and legislation
• Support Enterprise Agreement consultation, bargaining and implementation
• Keep policies, contracts and templates current as legislation changes

Payroll, contracts and records

• Lead the payroll team and make sure contracts, conditions and pay line up
• Own employment contracts, variations and employee records
• Support remuneration, workers compensation and audit activity

Recruitment and workforce

• Oversee recruitment, onboarding and probation through the Recruitment Lead
• Advise on restructures, consultation and organisational change
• Lead a refresh of flexible and home-based working arrangements across the business

Improvement

• Find better ways to run HR processes, reporting and data
• Explore practical uses of technology and AI in the function

What you'll bring

• Significant experience in a senior generalist HR role, including leading a team
• Strong working knowledge of Enterprise Agreements, modern awards, contracts and employment legislation
• A track record of personally running employee relations matters, investigations and disciplinary processes
• An understanding of payroll and HRIS, and how they connect to contracts and conditions
• Experience writing and applying HR policies and procedures
• A tertiary qualification in HR, industrial relations, business or a related field
• The confidence to challenge respectfully, including senior leaders, and to stand behind the right outcome
• A humble, service-minded approach to HR, and a healthy life outside work

Westfund is open on sector background. Candidates from regulated, regional, member-owned or operational environments will all be considered.

Nice to have

• Experience supporting Enterprise Agreement bargaining or consultation
• Background in health, insurance, financial services or another regulated sector
• Curiosity about how data, dashboards and AI can improve HR

What's on offer

• Permanent, full-time, 35-hour week
• Based at the Lithgow head office, with hybrid working of up to two days a week from home
• Regular travel to regional sites across NSW and Queensland, typically two to three days at a time
• A senior seat in a respected People & Culture team, reporting to the Chief People Officer
• A planned handover with the outgoing HR Manager