HR & Employee Relations Business Partner

At Mars, we believe our associates are at the heart of our success. We’re excited to introduce a newly created role for an HR & Employee Relations Business Partner to support our people, partner with leaders, and delivering impactful people initiatives. 

Reporting to the ANZ Employee Relations Lead, you will be an integral member of the Mars Food Australia Supply leadership team, playing a pivotal role in shaping and driving the people strategy at our Wyong site.

This role blends employee relations expertise with strategic HR partnership, ensuring fair and consistent workplace practices while driving business success. You will provide expert guidance to leaders, build leadership capability, and oversee key HR programs, from talent and capability development to organisational design and culture transformation. 

This new role combines two key functions: offering P&O support at our Wyong site and managing Employee Relations for both the Asquith and Wyong sites; hence there will a requirement for regular travel between both sites.

What will be your key responsibilities?  

• Partner with Supply, R&D, Quality, and Commercial leaders to implement the talent and capability strategy. 

• Lead Enterprise Agreement negotiations, ensuring fair and sustainable outcomes. 

• Manage complex performance management cases, including coaching leaders and advising on improvement plans. 

• Conduct workplace investigations, providing fair and compliant recommendations. 

• Drive culture and engagement initiatives, including wellbeing and I&D programs. 

• Lead organizational design and workforce planning to enhance site performance. 

• Provide strategic P&O insights to influence business decisions and workforce strategies. 

• Partner with legal counsel to manage risk and represent the business in legal and government proceedings. 

• Support pay negotiations, policy development, and change management initiatives. 

• Act as a key voice for associates, ensuring that our Mars Five Principles are embedded in our ways of working. 

What are we looking for?  

• Minimum of five years’ experience in HR, Employee Relations, or Industrial Relations, ideally in a manufacturing or supply chain environment. 

• Strong knowledge of employment laws, labor relations, and enterprise agreement negotiations. 

• Excellent coaching, influencing, and stakeholder management skills. 

• A passion for building leadership capability and driving cultural change. 

• The ability to navigate complex employee relations matters with confidence and discretion. 

• A degree in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Business, or Law (or equivalent experience). 

• Flexibility to travel as required. 

What can you expect from Mars?  

• Genuine career progression with a focus on you and your career goals. Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University. 

• Global health and wellbeing program to support flexibility and work-life balance 

• Opportunity to make a difference with our volunteer and ambassador programs. 

• Be part of a company that is contributing to making the world a better place today and every day through on our sustainable generation plan. 

• A culture that offers collaboration, leadership and rewards you for the role you play within Mars 

• At Mars Global Services, be a part of new opportunities and innovations to deliver more ‘best of Mars’ services and solutions globally 

Internal applicants: This role is known as an Associate Relations Manager. This role has been graded as a T2 opportunity. Please ensure you discuss your application with your line manager prior to applying including obtaining their endorsement.

Applications close: Wednesday 9th of April, 2025

What we stand for: 

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalised as a result of such a request.