People And Culture Senior Manager, PLMSP

People and Culture Senior Manager, PLMSP

• Preferred Location: Brisbane, Australia
• Duration: Full-time through to September 2028, with the possibility of extension subject to project requirements and funding
• Work rights: This opportunity is open to suitably qualified applicants with valid work rights in Australia

The Opportunity
The People and Culture Senior Manager will be responsible for providing expert advice to ensure the delivery of a range of people focused HR strategies and initiatives partnering with the PLMSP Senior Leadership Team (SLT).  Managing a regional team the, Senior Manager will oversee a recruitment and talent acquisition function, a business partner function, learning and development capabilities.  The Project HR Manager provides a valuable and trusted link to staff and managers for the successful alignment of people and strategy.  

About the Program 
The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme is a signature initiative for the Australian Government that enables workers from 9 Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and Timor- Leste to work in priority sectors in Australia. The Pacific Labour Mobility Support Program (PLMSP) builds on the successes of the Pacific Labour Facility (PLF) program, with a renewed focus on the provision of tailored support to worker sending countries to address their specific needs and priorities. Palladium is contracted to deliver PLMSP on behalf of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

PLMSP’s role is to provide DFAT and governments in 9 PICs and Timor-Leste with support to enable workers to access PALM scheme in inclusive ways that maximise the benefits for the workers and national economies while minimising risks from labour mobility participation. PLMSP’s primary functions include capacity building for PALM scheme labour sending units; skills development and training for PALM workers; support for returning PALM workers and their families; information system management; monitoring, evaluation, research and learning; and communications.

What you will do:

• Manage the recruitment and business partnering function to provide a high performing, timely, people focused HR experience that attracts people aligned with PLMSP’s values and supports consistent workplace cultural across the program.
• Provide strategic HR advice, propose innovative and modern HR practices that support culture, including PLMSP’s cultural values, development, and staff retention, using data and evidence base.
• Implement and roll out HR cyclical activities (including but not limited to annual performance review, annual salary review, regular schedule of wellbeing activities, annual compliance review and audit of systems) in line with Palladium and DFAT guidelines and policies, and best practice. Use these activities to reinforce PLMSP’s values, monitor employee experience and identify opportunities to strengthen workplace culture.
• Support managers and HR team to manage performance including the effective implementation of a capability and performance framework that translates PLMSP’s values into clear behavioural expectations, and provide coaching and guidance for managers and leads.
• Lead sensitive cases, complex workplace issues, risks and investigations where necessary. Provide advice on employee relations matters, in line with Palladium policies.
• Manage an L&D function to set up a development and succession planning framework for the program, including standardised development that equips people leaders to model PLMSP’s values and build an inclusive, respectful and high performing culture.
• Develop innovative and value for money retention strategies that strengthen employee engagement, wellbeing, inclusion and connection to PLMSP’s purpose and values.
• Align HR practices, strategies and policies with the future direction of the program, this may involve rapid scale up of program activities, as well as scale down.
• Manage overall HR and personnel budget in line with Head Contract requirements, reporting to the Operations and People Lead.
• Lead HR risk reporting and mitigation and develop an awareness of local legal compliance. Support the Operations and People Lead to manage DFAT policies; Fraud and Corruption, and safeguarding.
• Ensure HR systems are inclusive and accessible and culturally responsive, proactively identifying and removing barriers and supporting a workplace in which diverse perspectives are respected and valued.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with Palladium corporate HR function ensuring company policies and procedures are managed appropriately at the project level. Actively participate in and contribute to process and system improvement, roll out of corporate initiatives and providing project level feedback.
• Understand how innovation and technology shape the way we work and introduce new ways of working through AI, data and technology.
• Manage the full employee life cycle; recruitment, onboarding, project/task allocation, mentoring and capability building, performance management, creating opportunities and supporting career progression and leaver activities.
• Seek opportunities to embrace transparency, build diverse teams, value diversity of thought and encourage innovation; and role model the right behaviours in order to go beyond what is expected to ensure team success.

What you will bring

Please apply if you can show evidence of:

Essential Experience and Qualifications

• Tertiary qualification in Human Resources or Business or AHRI level qualifications /certification.
• Minimum 10 years' work experience in leading a HR function.
• Experience or knowledge of employment in an overseas context (preferably Pacific countries and Timor-Leste).
• Ability and willingness to work at a senior level and have operational responsibilities needed for working within a project environment ‘all hands-on deck’ approach.
• Demonstrated experience working within an agile, adaptable business and managing HR activities in an adaptive and responsive manner.
• Demonstrated experience as a project HR leader with project HR set up experience.
• Strong generalist HR experience including some employee relations, best practice recruitment, team management, coaching and mentoring and managing a complex business environment.
• Ability to provide coaching and guidance to SLT level.
• A high level of drive and self-motivation.

We will support the right candidate to build knowledge of PLMSP systems, governance and ways of working.

How we work here
At PLMSP, our PROUD ways of working guide how we work with each other, our partners and the communities we support. We value Positivity, Respect, Openness, Unwavering Integrity, and Diversity and Inclusion. We look for people who work collaboratively, communicate respectfully across cultures, follow through on commitments, act with integrity, and contribute to an environment where everyone feels safe, valued and able to contribute.

How to apply and what happens next
Please apply online through the Palladium careers website with:

• your CV; and 
• a Cover Letter outlining responses to the application questions below, with each response no more than 300 words. Applications that do not meet this requirement will not be considered.

Application questions: (Please limit each response to a maximum of 300 words)

• Please describe your leadership style and provide an example of how you have led a team through change or uncertainty while remaining agile, approachable and people-focused
•  Please provide an example of how you have developed or implemented a people and culture strategy or initiative that improved organisational culture, employee experience or performance.
•  Tell us about your experience leading a complex HR function in an agile and changing environment. How have you balanced strategic priorities with hands-on operational responsibilities?

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to complete a short work sample, scenario, technical exercise or structured interview. We will explain the process and available adjustments before each stage.

We are committed to building a diverse, geographically dispersed workforce to maximise our support. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including First Nations peoples, people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and people with disabilities - disclosure will not affect your application, and we will work with you to provide appropriate adjustments.

To be considered for this position, you must have valid work rights in Australia. Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

While this role does not involve direct work with children, the successful candidate will still be required to complete a police check and relevant due diligence checks as part of Palladium’s commitment to being a child-safe organisation

How to Apply
Click the "Apply Now" button

Closing date: Sunday 18th October 2026 11:59 pm AEST
  
If this opportunity interests you, we encourage you to apply promptly. Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

About Palladium
Palladium is a global development and consulting firm, part of the GISI Consulting Group, working alongside some of the world’s leading project management and engineering organisations. We partner with governments, businesses, investors and communities to design and deliver complex programs that create lasting impact. With a presence across more than 90 countries, Palladium offers the opportunity to work on meaningful challenges, alongside talented colleagues, in environments where your work can truly make a difference.
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability, or you are a neurodivergent individual, or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss.

Safeguarding
We define Safeguarding as all the actions taken by Palladium to protect our people, communities where we work and our clients from harm, including Sexual Exploitation, Abuse or Sexual Harassment; Child Abuse in any form; Trafficking for sexual exploitation of adults or children and any form of Trafficking of children. We have zero tolerance for all forms of child abuse as well as sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment and zero-tolerance for inaction to prevent, protect against, respond to and report harm. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process. Our Code of Conduct and Child Safeguarding and Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Guidelines have additional details.