Competitive remuneration including 17% superannuation
Ongoing, Full-time, Joondalup Campus
Open to candidates with relevant working rights
People and Culture
Joondalup campus
Competitive remuneration including 17% superannuation
Ongoing, Full-time
Edith Cowan University
Are you ready to belong to a dynamic community where courage, creativity, and optimism are essential elements of our DNA? At ECU we’re inspired by the incredible achievements of Edith Cowan, the first woman elected to an Australian parliament and a lifelong champion of education. Empowered by her legacy, we’re united in our vision to lead the sector in educational experience and expand our impact through world-class research.
Embrace an opportunity to become part of something extraordinary.
People and Culture
People and Culture is the service centre dedicated to empowering the talent and potential of our people. We champion the experience of every employee and work to maintain our thriving work culture and excellent reputation in the higher education sector.
About the Opportunity
We have an exciting new leadership opportunity within our People and Culture Business Partnering team. This pivotal opportunity has been established to strengthen People Partnering practice across the University and reflects ECU’s commitment to delivering contemporary, high?quality people partnering services.
As the Lead, People Partnering, you will provide strategic and operational leadership to a team of People Partners delivering high-quality HR support across diverse portfolios within the University. You will drive a cohesive and consistent people partnering approach, ensuring alignment with ECU’s strategic priorities, organisational values, and business partnering model.
In this role, you will build capability across the People Partnering team through coaching, mentoring, and setting clear practice standards. You will play a critical role in fostering a proactive, insight-driven approach that enables effective workforce planning, organisational development, and people-related decision-making.
Working closely with senior leaders and key stakeholders, you will ensure that people partnering services are strategic, integrated, and responsive, supporting organisational performance and cultural alignment. You will also champion continuous improvement, embedding best practice frameworks, tools, and governance that enhance consistency and impact across the function.
Working closely with the Associate Director, People Partnering & Employee Relations, you will also contribute to key people?related projects and continuous improvement initiatives that enhance the effectiveness and impact of People & Culture service delivery. You will partner directly with a defined business portfolio to maintain strong operational insight and credibility in practice.
This role is suited to an experienced people partnering leader who enjoys shaping practice, supporting leaders, and making a meaningful impact in a complex and evolving environment.
Key Responsibilities
Provide practice leadership, coaching and development to a team of People Partners to deliver consistent, high?quality people partnering services
Drive continuous improvement across people partnering systems, tools, processes and ways of working
Guide People Partners in complex workforce matters, ensuring advice is compliant, risk?aware and values?aligned
Support strategic workforce planning, organisational change and culture initiatives across the University
Monitor emerging workforce trends and regulatory changes, integrating insights into people partnering practice
Deliver end – to – end people partnering support to a defined business portfolio
About you
You are a senior People & Culture professional with experience leading or guiding people partnering teams within complex organisations. You bring sound professional judgement, strong influencing capability and a commitment to continuous improvement. You thrive in environments undergoing change and are motivated by opportunities to uplift capability, strengthen practice and improve the employee experience.
You will also bring:
A relevant degree with extensive professional experience, or an equivalent combination of experience, training and professional accreditation
Demonstrated experience delivering contemporary People & Culture or people partnering advisory services in a complex environment
Strong working knowledge of employment legislation and frameworks, including Fair Work and WHS, as they apply to people partnering practice
Proven experience leading teams and driving consistency, quality and improvement in service delivery
Highly developed communication, influencing and stakeholder?management skills
Alignment with ECU’s values and a commitment to fostering a positive and inclusive employee experience
Benefits of working at ECU
At ECU we’re committed to fostering a positive employment experience and believe this is fundamental to the success and satisfaction of our employees. Growth and development matter here, because we recognise people are at the centre of everything we do. Our thriving work culture is guided by the ECU values and complemented by a range of employee benefits; visit our website to read about flexible working arrangements, generous leave entitlements, our commitment to Wellbeing, exclusive corporate discounts and industry-leading superannuation.
Contact
Adaptive Resourcing are proudly partnering with Edith Cowan University (ECU) on this appointment. For a confidential discussion, please contact Graham Nutt at Adaptive Resourcing on 0405 355 905.
Application Process
Please apply directly to Adaptive Resourcing here: Lead, People Partnering.
Advert Closure
Applications close Wednesday 17 June 2026 at 11:30pm AWST.
ECU reserves the right to close the advertisement before the stated closing date, and encourage applicants to submit their applications early.
PLEASE NOTE: APPLICATIONS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED FROM CANDIDATES WHO HAVE THE RELEVANT WORKING RIGHTS TO FILL THIS POSITION.
ECU is a diverse and inclusive workplace with specific strategies and initiatives in place to address underrepresentation of specific groups. We strongly encourage applications from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
We are dedicated to attracting, retaining and developing our people regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, age and faith. For more information on our commitment to equity and diversity, please visit our Inclusive Workplace website.
At ECU, we are committed to supporting adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, as well as during employment. We actively encourage people with disability to apply to ECU. To discuss how we can support adjustment requirements, please contact the person listed above.
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Position description
