Industrial Relations Manager

Acknowledgement of Country 

CSIRO acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land, sea and waters, of the area that we live and work on across Australia. We acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture and pay our respects to their Elders past and present. View our vision towards reconciliation. 

Role highlights

• Lead CSIRO’s strategic industrial relations agenda and enterprise bargaining activities
• Deliver expert advice on complex workplace and industrial relations matters
• Partner with senior leaders to influence strategic workforce and organisational outcomes
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About CSIRO

As Australia's national science agency, CSIRO is solving the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. Many of our iconic innovations were once considered impossible until someone, just like you, joined us and took on the challenge.

Visit CSIRO.au for more information.

The opportunity

CSIRO is seeking an experienced Industrial Relations Manager to lead and support our Industrial Relations team and provide expert, practical advice across the organisation.

In this leadership role, you will be a trusted advisor to executives, leaders and People professionals, helping navigate complex workplace relations issues, leading enterprise bargaining activities and representing CSIRO in external forums. You will build strong relationships with internal stakeholders, unions, employee representatives and external agencies, while leading a team of industrial relations specialists to deliver high-quality outcomes.

If you are a strategic industrial relations leader looking to influence organisation-wide outcomes in a purpose-driven environment, we'd love to hear from you.

Your high-level duties will include: 

• Investigating, interpreting and providing expert advice on complex employee, legislative and industrial agreement matters.
• Leading and supporting CSIRO’s bargaining team during negotiations for new enterprise agreements.
• Representing and advocating for CSIRO in industrial tribunals, commissions, sector groups and negotiations.
• Advising CSIRO leaders and People teams on a broad range of employment and industrial relations matters.
• Managing industrial disputes through effective advocacy, negotiation and stakeholder engagement.
• Leading the development and implementation of CSIRO and Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex enterprise agreement strategies.
• Providing strategic advice on emerging organisational initiatives and CSIRO’s future industrial landscape

Role particulars

Location: Melbourne (Clayton), Canberra, Brisbane or Hobart preferred

Salary: AU$135k - AU$158k pa + 15.4% superannuation

Tenure: Indefinite, Full-time

Flexible work arrangements available

Reference: 104018

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

• Tertiary qualifications in Law, Human Resource Management, Industrial/Employee Relations, Employment Law or related discipline from a recognised university.
• Relevant experience as a leader, providing advice and managing complex workplace, industrial and employee relations matters.
• Comprehensive and specialist knowledge and understanding of Fair Work Commission cases and the legislative, regulatory, and industrial instruments in relation to employment and industrial relations.
• Strong problem-solving skills to resolve matters where policy, guidelines, and precedents are not available and the exercise of advanced professional skills to resolve emerging or complex problems as required.
• Superior interpersonal skills exemplified by experience influencing, establishing, and maintaining strong, collaborative working relations with internal and external stakeholders, including key regulatory bodies.
• Demonstrated professional and respectful behaviours and attitudes in a collaborative environment.

• Desirable
• Master’s qualifications in Law, Human Resource Management, Industrial/Employee Relations, Employment Law or related discipline from a recognised university.
• Comprehensive and specialist IR knowledge within a commonwealth government environment.

For full details about this role, and other criteria, please review the Position Description. 

Support and workplace adjustments

We offer a range of reasonable supports and workplace adjustments. Please reach out to the contact person in the Position Description if we can help you to equitably participate in our recruitment process or the role itself.

Not sure if you meet all the criteria?

While it is CSIRO policy that the successful candidate must meet all the essential criteria, there are many ways to demonstrate this. Don’t let the list discourage you. If you are unsure about applying, please reach out to the contact person in the Position Description.

Setting you up for success

We are committed to providing a recruitment process that is fair, equitable and accessible to everyone. We recognise that it may be helpful for us to adjust our process to make it equitable for your individual situation. Please reach out to the contact on page 1 of the position description, to let us know how we can support you.  

Life at CSIRO and flexible work arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. We can discuss flexible work arrangements with you during the recruitment process. CSIRO also offers a range of leave entitlements, benefits and career development opportunities. To find out more, visit Careers at CSIRO.

Inclusion and belonging

Solving Australia's greatest challenges takes a diversity of minds and lived experiences. We know diverse teams are more effective and deliver more innovative outcomes. As an equal employment opportunity organisation, we are committed to creating diverse and inclusive teams where people feel they belong. We recognise true diversity encompasses all ages, abilities, cultures, faiths, levels of education, genders, sexualities, diversity of thought and much more. We focus on hiring people who share our values of People First, Further Together, Making it Real and Trusted.

CSIRO holds Platinum Status for the Australian Workplace Equality Index for LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and a Science in Australia Gender Equity Bronze Award.

Eligibility 

Applications for this position are open to Australian Citizens, New Zealand Citizens and Australian Permanent Residents.

Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements. 

Child safety 

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs. View our Child Safe Policy. 

How to apply 

Please apply online and submit a cover letter (maximum 2 pages) and CV that demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the essential requirements of this role.

Applications close 

16th September 2026, 11pm (AEST)