Head of People and Culture in Sydney

Location: Sydney, NSW

Role Highlights: An inaugural appointment with genuine ownership of delivery. Bring the firm’s people strategy to life across recruitment, onboarding, performance and culture, work closely with the founders, and progress with the firm as the function matures.

Role Overview: As the firm’s inaugural People & Culture Manager, you will execute the firm’s established people strategy, working closely with the founders to translate priorities into delivery. You will own talent and growth, from recruitment and employer brand through to onboarding, probation and exits, and implement the performance framework, supporting managers with reviews, coaching and calibration. You will support reward and performance alignment alongside the CFO, deliver the firm’s culture program of rituals, recognition, engagement surveys and wellbeing, and coordinate capability development, including leadership pathways for emerging managers. You will provide the founders with clear, actionable insights on headcount, turnover and engagement.

Responsibilities:

• Execute the firm’s people strategy and annual roadmap, and provide the founders with regular insights on headcount, turnover and engagement.
• Deliver talent and growth, including recruitment, employer brand, onboarding, probation and exits.
• Implement the performance framework, including role scorecards, KPIs, check-ins and reviews, and support managers through calibration and fair improvement processes.
• Support reward and performance alignment with the CFO, including salary bands, progression and recognition.
• Deliver the culture program, including rituals, recognition, wellbeing, events and engagement surveys, and translate results into action.
• Coordinate capability development, including learning programs, leadership pathways for emerging managers and career pathway documentation.

Candidate Profile: You are an experienced people and culture professional with approximately 6 to 10 years’ experience, including end-to-end people operations in a small or mid-sized business. You have run a performance cycle and can implement a framework from a clear brief. You are a strong executor who is comfortable operating the function hands-on, without a dedicated team, and who delivers culture initiatives that lead to visible action. You are warm, discreet and dependable, credible with lawyers, and able to take direction from the founders while raising concerns on compliance and process with confidence. You are motivated by the opportunity to progress as the firm and the function expand. Law firm or professional services experience is highly regarded.

Culture & Benefits: This senior-led Sydney law firm combines big-firm capability with the approachability of a boutique. Growth is deliberate, and the founders are investing in their people and in a candid, down-to-earth, high-performing culture. The firm is moving into new Sydney CBD premises designed for a larger team. Own delivery – inaugural appointment with real autonomy and visibility. Work with the founders – direct access to the firm’s leadership. Progress with the firm – career opportunities as the function and the firm expand.