Wagga Wagga City Council is seeking a dynamic and strategic people leader to join our Executive Leadership Team as Manager People & Culture. This is a unique opportunity to influence organisational culture, workforce capability, leadership development and employee wellbeing across one of regional Australia's largest inland cities.

Reporting to the Director Economy, Business & Workforce, you will provide strategic leadership across the full spectrum of People & Culture functions, including workforce planning, organisational development, recruitment, industrial relations, learning and development, and work health and safety. You will lead a high-performing team and partner with executives and leaders across the organisation to deliver contemporary people strategies that support Council's long-term objectives.

What we offer to the right candidate is a role where you can demonstrate the ability to lead a multidisciplinary workforce, to inspire and motivate community service delivery, to design and deliver new models for a sophisticated workforce in one of Australia’s key regions for Industry, Agriculture, Health, Defence and Education.

What we will offer you:

• An attractive remuneration in accordance with skills and experience.
• Flexible working conditions.
• Ongoing training and development opportunities.
• Opportunity to lead a team of highly skilled professionals.

What you’ll be responsible for:

• Leading Council's People & Culture strategy and workforce initiatives.
• Driving workforce planning, talent attraction and organisational capability development.
• Providing expert advice on industrial relations, employee relations and legislative compliance.
• Championing a positive, safe and high-performing organisational culture.
• Leading change management and organisational development programs.
• Building leadership capability across the organisation.
• Overseeing Work Health & Safety, recruitment, learning and development, and organisational development functions.
• Representing Council in negotiations with unions and external stakeholders.

What you will need to succeed:

We are looking for someone with:

• Tertiary qualifications in Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations, Business Management, Work Health & Safety, Organisational Development, or a related discipline.
• Extensive senior leadership experience in strategic human resource management.
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams and driving organisational change.
• Strong industrial relations and employee relations expertise.
• Experience leading workplace health and safety initiatives in complex and diverse environments.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement, negotiation and communication skills.
• A passion for developing people, building culture and delivering organisational outcomes.

If you are interested in this role and would like more information, please contact Fiona Piltz, Director Economy, Business & Workforce on 02 6926 9216.

What is next?
Applications close at 11.59pm on Sunday, 12 July 2026 with interviews to be held in the week commencing Monday, 20 July 2026.

What you need to do now:

To apply for this role, please send an email to gmrecruitment@wagga.nsw.gov.au including the following three (3) documents:

• Covering letter,
• Current Resume, and
• Statement Addressing the Position Criteria contained within the Position Description.

For more information, please visit: https://wagga.pulsesoftware.com/Pulse/jobs

As part of the recruitment process, pre-employment checks will be conducted in line with requirements of the position.

Candidates who are progressed in the recruitment process for this position will be asked to consent to a police check. Please note that people with a criminal record are not discouraged from applying for the position. Each application will be considered on its merit.

Council is an inclusive employer. We strive to reflect the community in which we work, as a result we welcome and encourage applications from skilled people from all walks of life. This includes women, men, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with a disability, veterans, sexually and gender diverse people, people with lived experience and people of all ages.