People Specialist - Employee Relations

Goodstart Corporate•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

At Goodstart, our People Specialist team partners with leaders to translate our People strategy into meaningful local action that strengthens culture and delivers business outcomes. As a People Specialist – Employee Relations, you’ll play a critical role in balancing risk mitigation with employee experience and fairness. You will apply your deep expertise in employment and industrial relations to drive best practice ER and HR compliance strategies, ensuring alignment with Goodstart’s values, culture and strategic priorities. Your Impact: In this role, you will: Provide expert employee and industrial relations advice to senior leaders, People Partners and Legal stakeholders, ensuring balanced, fair and compliant outcomes. Lead and manage complex, high-risk ER matters, including grievances, investigations and conciliation representation. Contribute as a specialist member of our Enterprise Agreement negotiation team and support our Joint Consultative Committee processes. Coach and uplift People Team capability through case escalations, continuous learning and reinforcement of best practice ER models. Monitor employment legislation updates and proactively provide insights that protect the organisation and strengthen compliance. Analyse employee data, trends and risk indicators to inform policy improvements and challenge assumptions. Partner with Risk and Compliance to support HR audits and implement remediation strategies. Support State Managers and senior leaders to build trusted partnerships that enhance leadership capability and employee experience. Champion wellbeing initiatives and uphold Goodstart’s Health & Safety and Child Safe commitments. Drive continuous improvement initiatives and contribute a strong people lens across organisational projects.

Requirements

Tertiary qualifications in Human Resources, Employee Relations, Law or equivalent experience.
Deep expertise in national and state employment legislation (including Fair Work Act, discrimination, bullying, privacy and WHS legislation).
Proven experience managing complex ER casework, investigations and conciliation matters.
Strong business acumen with the ability to balance commercial outcomes with risk mitigation and employee experience.
Demonstrated experience influencing senior stakeholders and coaching leaders through complex people matters.
Change management capability and a continuous improvement mindset.
Exceptional communication, negotiation and stakeholder engagement skills.
The ability to remain calm, respectful and persuasive in challenging or confrontational situations.
High levels of integrity, discretion and confidentiality.
Current QLD Working with Children Check

Responsibilities

Provide expert employee and industrial relations advice to senior leaders, People Partners and Legal stakeholders, ensuring balanced, fair and compliant outcomes.
Lead and manage complex, high-risk ER matters, including grievances, investigations and conciliation representation.
Contribute as a specialist member of our Enterprise Agreement negotiation team and support our Joint Consultative Committee processes.
Coach and uplift People Team capability through case escalations, continuous learning and reinforcement of best practice ER models.
Monitor employment legislation updates and proactively provide insights that protect the organisation and strengthen compliance.
Analyse employee data, trends and risk indicators to inform policy improvements and challenge assumptions.
Partner with Risk and Compliance to support HR audits and implement remediation strategies.
Support State Managers and senior leaders to build trusted partnerships that enhance leadership capability and employee experience.
Champion wellbeing initiatives and uphold Goodstart’s Health & Safety and Child Safe commitments.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives and contribute a strong people lens across organisational projects.

Benefits

Flexible work arrangements giving you choice about when and how work will be done in order to better manage your work and non-work needs
Not-For-Profit Salary Packaging benefits which reduce your taxable income to increase take home pay
Access to discounted childcare (up to 15%)
Fitness Passport - access to gyms and pools for you and your family at a heavily discounted price
Discounted health care and access to employee wellbeing program with BUPA
Exclusive discounts on travel, gym memberships, Apple and Dell products, and more.
Free annual flu shot (optional)
Option to purchase extra leave for even greater work life balance
First Nations Support and Cultural Leave
Work for a company that has an aspiration to be globally recognised for early years practice and learning outcomes
Gain significant investment in your growth and development with support, tools, training and experiences that will truly enhance the progress and outcomes for children in their earliest years.