Company Description
Established in 1911, Dutton Automotive is the largest retailer and wholesaler of pre-owned luxury, exotic, prestige, family and commercial vehicles in Australia, focused on reliable and customer-centric automotive services.
Dutton Automotive was recently acquired by Japanese conglomerate Sojitz Corporation. Sojitz employs over 20,000 people and operates in 87 countries across the globe. Dutton Automotive is a Co-Major Partner of Essendon Football Club.
A.O. Dutton opened his first garage on Burnley Street, Richmond. Driven by an obsessive focus on customer experience, today, Dutton Automotive operates from 24 dealerships throughout Australia. We currently have over 300+ staff nationally.
Job Description
The Automotive industry is fast-paced, ever-evolving, and not for the faint-hearted. It demands resilience, adaptability, and a hands-on approach to People & Culture. If you thrive in a dynamic, high-energy environment and are passionate about driving people strategies, this is the role for you!
We’re searching for a Senior People & Culture Business Partner who brings not only strategic HR capability but also deep expertise in recruitment. You’ll play a vital role in building high-performing teams by partnering with leaders to attract, hire and retain top talent, while coaching and supporting them across the full employee lifecycle.
This is more than just a job – it’s a chance to shape culture, lift leadership, and build workforce excellence across an exciting and fast-paced business.

Key Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the Head of People & Culture to implement strategic HR initiatives aligned with business goals.
• Lead recruitment end-to-end – from workforce planning, talent attraction, interviewing and selection, to onboarding – ensuring a high-quality candidate and leader experience.
• Act as a trusted advisor to leaders, providing guidance across performance, development, succession planning and employee relations.
• Manage and support complex people matters including investigations, IR/ER issues and coaching leaders through challenging conversations.
• Drive WH&S compliance and audit readiness across business units.
• Deliver initiatives that boost employee engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.
• Ensure HR policies, processes and documentation are compliant, consistent and user-friendly.
• Partner with Payroll and the broader P&C team to deliver seamless operations and shared success.
• Contribute to HR transformation and culture-building projects.

Qualifications
-

Tertiary qualifications in Human Resources or a related discipline.

• Proven experience as an HR generalist or business partner, with advanced knowledge and success in recruitment strategy and delivery.
• A track record in operational industries such as Automotive, Retail, or Manufacturing.
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills – you build credibility and trust fast.
• Practical, hands-on and solutions-focused – you’re not afraid to roll up your sleeves.
• Resilience, adaptability and energy to thrive in a high-performance culture.
• Confident using HR systems and tools, with strong attention to detail and time management.

Additional Information
You’ll be part of a passionate and committed team, helping to shape the future of the business through great people practices. Your recruitment expertise will set the foundation for success, while your business partnering skills will drive it forward.

• Work closely with the Head of People & Culture to implement strategic HR initiatives aligned with business goals.
• Lead recruitment end-to-end – from workforce planning, talent attraction, interviewing and selection, to onboarding – ensuring a high-quality candidate and leader experience.
• Act as a trusted advisor to leaders, providing guidance across performance, development, succession planning and employee relations.
• Manage and support complex people matters including investigations, IR/ER issues and coaching leaders through challenging conversations.
• Drive WH&S compliance and audit readiness across business units.
• Deliver initiatives that boost employee engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.
• Ensure HR policies, processes and documentation are compliant, consistent and user-friendly.
• Partner with Payroll and the broader P&C team to deliver seamless operations and shared success.
• Contribute to HR transformation and culture-building projects