At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the people strategy, coach leaders, manage recruitment, and build a vibrant culture.
- Company: O&M is a fast-growing Australian haircare brand with a global presence.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, dynamic work environment, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Join a team that values Clean, Kind, Original principles in everything we do.
- Why this job: Shape the culture of a founder-led brand and make a real impact on people's lives.
- Qualifications: Senior HR experience, strong employee relations skills, and a passion for coaching leaders.
The predicted salary is between 90000 - 110000 $ per year.
You'll set the people strategy with the Managing Director and leadership team, then deliver it yourself: coaching our leaders, running recruitment and employee relations, and building a culture that keeps pace with a fast-growing, founder-led brand.
About O&M
O&M is an Australian-born professional haircare brand. For almost 20 years we've made Clean Colour and kind haircare for hairdressers and their clients, without compromising on colour performance or on how the brand looks and feels. We're in salons across Australia and more than 20 other countries, including the US, the UK and all across Europe, and we're growing quickly in all of them. It all runs from our global HQ in Sydney: the brand, the product, the strategy and the people building it. Still founder-led. Still moving fast.
The role
O&M doesn't have a People & Culture team. This role is the function. You'll report to the Managing Director, sit on the Executive Team and work closely with our Founder & CEO, including direct access on confidential people matters. Most of your week will be hands-on: coaching leaders, running recruitment, handling employee relations and building culture across our teams in Australia and the US. Specialist work like legal compliance, WHS advice and structured training programs is outsourced, and you'll choose those partners and hold them to account.
What you'll be accountable for:
- The People & Culture plan: building it, owning the budget and reporting to the Managing Director and Board on people data, trends and risk.
- Employee relations: performance, disciplinary, grievance and investigation matters handled end to end, with external legal advice only where it's needed.
- Recruitment: run in-house from role brief to signed contract, with agencies only for senior or specialist roles.
- The employee lifecycle: onboarding, probation, contract changes, parental leave, flexible work and exits, plus our policies, contracts and employee handbook.
- Performance and reward: the performance review cycle, remuneration review and benchmarking, with the Managing Director and CFO.
- Leadership coaching: coaching the leadership team and people leaders one on one and as a group, with a development plan for every leader.
- Learning and development: a business-wide L&D plan, development plans and career conversations for every employee, and succession plans for critical roles.
- Culture and engagement: bringing Clean, Kind, Original to life in how we hire, review and recognise people, and running the team calendar, engagement pulse checks and internal communications.
- Our US team: the full P&C service for employees of O&M's US entity, and keeping Australia and the US connected as one O&M.
- Outsourced partners: employment lawyers, IR and WHS advisers, training providers and EAP, each with a clear scope and budget, and their value reviewed regularly.
- Employment Hero: our HRIS, employee records and people reporting.
What the first 12 months look like:
- A People & Culture plan agreed with the Managing Director, Founder and leadership team.
- Compliance, IR and WHS partners in place with clear scopes and costs.
- Every leadership team member in a regular coaching rhythm with a personal development plan.
- A business-wide L&D plan, and every employee with a development plan.
- Contracts, policies and the handbook up to date for everyone.
- A full performance review and remuneration cycle completed.
- A team calendar of cultural events running, with engagement measured and improving.
- Time to hire and agency spend down because recruitment is done in-house.
What we're looking for:
- Senior HR generalist experience, including time as a sole P&C lead or 'P&C of one' in a business of similar size, and you enjoy doing the work yourself.
- A track record of setting people strategy and personally delivering it.
- Strong, practical employee relations and investigation experience.
- End-to-end recruitment experience without leaning on agencies.
- Experience coaching senior leaders and building L&D plans; a coaching accreditation is highly regarded.
- Experience choosing and managing outsourced HR, legal, WHS and L&D providers.
- Working knowledge of the Fair Work Act, Modern Awards and office WHS obligations for office and field-based staff.
- Exposure to US employment practices, or the confidence to manage US advisers and learn quickly.
- Comfortable moving between strategy and detail in a fast-paced, founder-led business.
- High levels of confidentiality, organization and judgement.
- FMCG, beauty or consumer brand experience is highly regarded, as is Employment Hero.
- Relevant tertiary qualifications.
Head of People & Culture in Sydney employer: O M
O&M is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and supportive work culture, where innovation and collaboration thrive. As a State Manager in New South Wales, you'll benefit from structured leadership development opportunities and the chance to influence our growing international markets directly from our Sydney HQ. With a commitment to employee growth and a focus on meaningful relationships within the salon community, O&M offers a rewarding environment for those looking to make a significant impact in the professional haircare industry.
