Senior Manager, People Partnering, Customer Experience and Operations

Shape strategy. Influence executives. Drive organisational performance.

At AFCA were looking for an exceptional People & Culture leader to partner with Executives and senior leaders across our Customer Experience & Operations portfolio.

Reporting to the Head of People Partnering & Operations you will operate at the intersection of strategy people and business performance helping shape organisational direction through workforce strategy executive influence and transformational change.

Youll be a trusted advisor strategic thought partner and workforce leader bringing commercial insight sound judgement and an independent point of view to some of AFCAs most important business decisions. Youll challenge thinking influence outcomes and help leaders navigate complexity while building the workforce capability needed for long-term success.

Success in this role will require equal confidence navigating business strategy workforce transformation organisational risk and leadership effectiveness.

What youll be doing

Strategic Business Partnership

• Partner with Executives and senior leaders to shape business strategy through a people workforce and organisational lens.
• Translate strategic priorities into workforce strategies and organisational plans that enable business performance.
• Influence critical business decisions through commercial insight data-driven recommendations and sound judgement.
• Bring an independent point of view challenge assumptions and drive robust discussion to improve organisational outcomes.
• Use workforce data market insights and business intelligence to identify opportunities mitigate risks and inform decision-making.
• Balance immediate operational priorities with long-term workforce and capability requirements.

Executive Coaching & Leadership Effectiveness

• Act as a trusted adviser and sounding board to Chief Customer Officer and senior leaders.
• Coach leaders to strengthen decision-making accountability leadership effectiveness and organisational impact.
• Support leaders to build high-performing inclusive teams capable of delivering sustainable results.
• Influence leadership behaviours and practices that strengthen culture performance and employee experience.

Organisational Transformation & Enterprise Change

• Lead organisational design transformation and change initiatives that support AFCAs strategic priorities and future operating model.
• Drive sustainable improvements in organisational effectiveness capability culture and ways of working.
• Partner with Centres of Excellence and business leaders to design and deliver impactful people solutions.
• Contribute to leadership forums and strategic discussions that influence organisational priorities and future direction.
• Help shape and drive complex workforce initiatives across a dynamic and evolving business environment.

Commercial Workforce Leadership

• Partner with Finance and business leaders to make commercially informed workforce decisions balancing cost capacity capability and risk.
• Develop workforce strategies that support organisational growth operational performance and future workforce needs.
• Provide strategic advice on workforce planning resource optimisation and contemporary workforce models.
• Support workforce decisions across permanent contingent labour hire specialist and surge workforce arrangements.

Workplace Relations & Risk

• Provide expert advice and leadership on complex employee relations matters investigations and workforce risk.
• Guide leaders through sensitive people matters with fairness pragmatism and sound judgement.
• Deliver commercially balanced and legally compliant outcomes that support both people and business objectives.
• Act as a senior escalation point for high-risk and complex workforce issues.

Leadership & Capability Development

• Lead and develop direct report/s fostering a high-performing and collaborative team culture.
• Build capability across the broader People & Culture team through coaching mentoring and knowledge sharing.
• Encourage curiosity courage and continuous improvement while creating an environment that supports innovation and learning.

What youll bring

Youre a highly credible and commercially minded People & Culture leader who thrives in complex environments and enjoys influencing senior decision-makers.

Qualifications :

What youll bring

Youre a highly credible and commercially minded People & Culture leader who thrives in complex environments and enjoys influencing senior decision-makers.

Youll have:

• Significant experience partnering with executives and senior leaders within large-scale operational customer-facing or service delivery environments.
• A proven track record influencing Executives and senior leaders on complex business organisational and workforce challenges.
• Strong commercial acumen and financial literacy and the ability to connect people decisions to business performance customer outcomes and financial sustainability.
• Demonstrated success leading organisational design transformation and large-scale change initiatives.
• Exceptional executive coaching stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Expertise in employee relations investigations and workforce risk management.
• Strong knowledge of the Fair Work Act National Employment Standards and Modern Awards.
• Demonstrated experience incorporating AI-enabled tools into day-to-day work practices to enhance productivity improve decision-making and create capacity for higher-value strategic work
• Experience developing workforce strategies and leading workforce planning activities in complex environments.
• Tertiary qualifications in Human Resources or a related discipline.
• Experience within financial services or another highly regulated industry will be highly regarded.

Why join AFCA

This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of AFCA.

Youll partner with senior decision-makers influence organisational strategy lead meaningful transformation and help build the workforce and leadership capability required to deliver better outcomes for customers our people and the organisation.

Additional Information :

• Gold AWEI Accreditation 2025 Recognised for LGBTQ workplace inclusion.
• Accredited Family Friendly Workplace Supporting work-life balance and inclusivity.
• Hybrid working Flexible arrangements with two days a week in our modern offices designed for collaboration and wellbeing.
• Additional and inclusive leave options Flexible public holidays gender affirmation leave womens health leave and bonus paid time off over the end of year holiday period.

To apply

If youre passionate about fairness and believe your skills align with this role we encourage you to apply even if you dont meet every single criterion.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds cultures abilities sexual orientations and gender identities. If you require any accessibility support during the recruitment process please reach out to our team at

We believe fairness starts with people. Thats why we dont use AI or automated tools to screen candidates. As a result our processes may take a little longer and we thank you for your patience.

About AFCA

The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) was established in 2018 as a private not-for-profit ombudsman service providing free fair and independent help with financial disputes. The original team has grown to over 1600 dedicated professionals. Since 2018 AFCA has received more than 634000 complaints helping to secure $2.1 billion in compensation for consumers. 

AFCA is a 2026 Circle Back Initiative Employer - we are committed to responding to every applicant.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time