People & Culture Manager

Part-time, 0.6 FTE (3 days per week) | Reporting to the CEO, Senior Leadership Team | Up to 17% super

HR roles talk about being "people focused". This one was deliberately designed for it. With modern systems in place and a capable Senior People & Culture Advisor who owns day-to-day people operations, this role is free to do the work that actually changes how people experience their job: being present with teams across our hospitality venues, fitness, events, retail and student programs, coaching managers, supporting staff and shaping one of Sydney’s most varied workplaces.

About ActivateUTS

ActivateUTS brings the UTS experience to life beyond the classroom. We are a not-for-profit of around 60 permanent staff and 100+ casuals, spanning hospitality, fitness, events, retail and student engagement, all in one organisation at the heart of the UTS campus. Our commercial venues include Aerial Function Centre, The Underground, The Loft on Broadway, The Terrace, ActivateFit.Gym and UTS Store, which receives more than 114,000 visits a year. We also run 190+ student clubs and societies with 39,000+ memberships, support 455 elite athletes across 44 sports, and delivered over 5,800 events last year. Revenue generated by our commercial venues is fully reinvested into student programs and experiences.

About the Role

Reporting to the CEO and sitting on the Senior Leadership Team, the People & Culture Manager leads the People function for ActivateUTS. The role is hands-on by design: its centre of gravity is direct support for staff and managers, psychosocial safety and wellbeing, and the quality of the employee experience, supported by strong systems (Employment Hero) and a Senior People & Culture Advisor who owns day-to-day people operations and reports to you.

You will know our teams by name, from the kitchen at Aerial to the gym floor to the clubs team, and they will know you. You will mentor and develop your direct report, coach managers through difficult conversations, performance matters and periods of change, and give the CEO and Board clear, practical people advice.

This is an on-campus role, designed around being visible and present with people working across our venues, kitchens, gym and student spaces. Your three days each week will therefore be based at our Ultimo campus, a short walk from Central Station and the Haymarket light rail.

Key Responsibilities

Staff Support, Wellbeing & Psychosocial Safety

• Be a visible, trusted and accessible point of support for staff and managers across all sites and work patterns, including casual staff.
• Lead the identification, control and monitoring of psychosocial hazards, including workload, role clarity, change load and workplace behaviours.
• Coordinate wellbeing initiatives and the Employee Assistance Program relationship, promoting early support and following through on themes it surfaces.
• Support staff and managers through periods of organisational change with clear information, genuine consultation support and individual care.

Advice & Employment Relations

• Provide timely, practical advice to the CEO, SLT and managers on people matters, policies and workplace issues.
• Manage complex employee relations matters end to end, including complaints, disputes, performance processes, workers’ compensation and consultation processes.
• Act as the escalation point above the Senior People & Culture Advisor for complex or sensitive matters.

People Practices, Remuneration & Compliance

• Maintain contemporary, legally compliant people policies and practices aligned with ActivateUTS values, including flexible work, inclusion and diversity.
• Run the annual remuneration review cycle and partner with Finance and Payroll on Award compliance across the Hospitality, Fitness and Retail Awards.
• Ensure compliance with Fair Work, privacy and WHS obligations across the employee lifecycle, including psychosocial hazard duties.

Leadership, Mentoring & Reporting

• Lead, mentor and develop the Senior People & Culture Advisor, who owns day-to-day people operations, recruitment coordination and systems administration.
• Contribute as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, bringing a people lens to organisational decisions.
• Provide concise people reporting and insight to the CEO and, through the CEO, to the Board: workforce trends, engagement outcomes, WHS and case activity.
• Partner with the CEO on workforce planning and the people implications of organisational strategy and budget.

About You

• You are a warm, credible and genuinely personable HR professional who gets out from behind the desk. You understand the rhythm of an operational workforce: frontline teams, casual employment, changing rosters and busy service periods, and your advice works on the floor as well as on paper. You build trust quickly, from frontline casual staff to Board level, and you would rather have the conversation than send the policy. You are equally comfortable coaching a manager through a difficult discussion, mentoring a developing HR professional, and running a complex matter end to end with sound judgement and discretion.