Senior Employee Relations Specialist

C.H. Robinson is seeking a Senior Employee Relations Specialist to join the onsite team in Port Melbourne, AU. The role blends HR know-how with employment law to guide managers and staff through complex ER matters, coordinate processes, and help the business stay compliant with local rules. It’s a good fit for someone who can turn policy into practical steps and build solid relationships across teams.

The employer emphasizes equal opportunity and offers flexible work options to support balance, along with opportunities for career development. In this Oceania-based position, you’d help align local practices with global standards while keeping culture and local expectations in view.

If you enjoy partnering with leaders, shaping policy interpretation, and handling investigations and terminations in a compliant, business-friendly way, this could be the right place for you.

A day in the life of a senior ER partner

You’ll provide guidance to managers and staff by translating complex employment laws and company policies into practical advice, helping people stay compliant while reaching business goals. You’ll counsel on policy and performance issues and collaborate on coaching, discipline, investigations and potential terminations when needed.

You’ll coordinate on performance-management and end-of-employment processes to ensure steps comply with local regulations and internal policies, including severance decisions when appropriate, and you’ll help draft, review, and maintain employment documents in line with policy, benefits, and local law.

Beyond day-to-day support, you’ll look for opportunities to improve processes and drive compliant improvements, leading projects that bolster regional compliance and efficiency. You’ll stay current on local and federal regulations, and help implement updates when required. You’ll investigate issues thoroughly, document findings, and influence leaders toward outcomes in line with company practice and regulatory requirements. You’ll use your functional expertise to shape proactive strategies that enhance the work environment and regularly examine case-management data for trends, collaborating with stakeholders to address issues. In a regional capacity you’ll contribute to cross-regional projects, partner with internal and external legal counsel as needed to manage costs and vendor relationships, and respond to government inquiries and information requests. You’ll coordinate conciliation hearings and labor claims with legal partners, and you’ll drive locally regulated reporting and assessments, making recommendations based on the outcomes. Finally, you’ll help keep employee-relations practices globally aligned while respecting local laws and cultural expectations.

Must-have credentials

• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Ability to read, write, and speak the language used in the region
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Minimum of four years working in employee relations
• Willingness to travel up to 5 percent, domestically and internationally, including trips to the United States

Nice-to-have capabilities

• Ability to build strong working relationships with managers, executives and other HR teams
• Proven conflict-resolution skills
• Informed influencing skills and business savvy
• High level of confidentiality
• Analytical mindset with a knack for using data to guide decisions
• Capability to create new processes or update existing ones
• Capacity to make recommendations at multiple levels of the organisation
• Understanding of employment law and how it applies to policy
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation communication
• Strong problem solving and critical thinking abilities
• Project management experience
• Good judgment with the ability to make timely, sound decisions
• Ability to prioritise and manage several responsibilities
• Commitment to a diverse and inclusive work environment

Benefits and work details

The role is based onsite in Port Melbourne and is full-time. C.H. Robinson Oceania presents itself as an equal-opportunity employer and supports flexibility to help you balance work and life. The company highlights career development opportunities, a well-regarded confidential Employee Assistance Program, and the Robinson Cares program that enables staff to contribute back to the community.

Tips for success in this ER role

Lead your resume with a concise summary that foregrounds more than four years of employee-relations work, your ability to handle investigations and policy changes, and your readiness to travel up to 5 percent.

Back up must-have skills with concrete examples, such as leading investigations, guiding terminations, or implementing policy updates, and note any regional language proficiency and travel experience.

Prepare for interviews by outlining situational responses that show how you balance regulatory requirements with business needs, including scenarios on investigations, performance management, and collaboration with internal and external legal partners; be ready to discuss how you use data to drive decisions.

Ask a targeted question to close, such as how the regional ER team collaborates with internal and external counsel to manage claims while controlling costs, or what metrics they track for trend analysis in case management and policy updates.