Job Description

People & Culture Officer (Operations & Wellbeing)

Location: Hawthorn East

Employment type: 0.8 -Full-time

Reports to: Executive General Manager

Support our people, strengthen our systems, and help us create a safe, healthy and well-supported workplace.

About The Cairnmillar Institute

The Cairnmillar Institute is a not-for-profit provider of psychological services and higher education, with a 65+ year history of supporting mental health and training the next generation of practitioners. We offer clinics, short courses, vocational training and accredited postgraduate programs in psychology, counselling and psychotherapy.

We're growing, modernising our systems, and investing in our people, culture and workplace wellbeing. We're looking for a capable People & Culture Officer (Operations & Wellbeing) to support our people systems, workplace wellbeing, safety and compliance activities.

Key responsibilities

In this role you will:

• Provide practical People & Culture operations support across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, offboarding, contract variations, employee records and routine employment administration.
• Maintain accurate employee data in Employment Hero and related systems, supporting data quality, confidentiality, reporting and employee file compliance.
• Manage routine People & Culture inbox enquiries, staff queries and job-share handovers, ensuring clear communication, referral and continuity of service.
• Support initiatives that strengthen employee experience, engagement, wellbeing and workplace culture.
• Coordinate OHS/WHS administration, including incident and hazard reporting, corrective action follow-up, safety checklists, consultation records and safety documentation.
• Support psychosocial risk administration, including hazard reporting, trend tracking, manager follow-up actions and documentation of controls and reviews.
• Coordinate workplace wellbeing and EAP activities, including wellbeing communications, EAP usage reporting and practical resources for managers and staff.
• Support return to work and injury management processes, including RTW plans, suitable duties, workplace adjustments, confidential records and liaison with relevant parties.
• Maintain compliance registers and audit evidence, including mandatory training records, policy acknowledgements, pre-employment checks, probation reminders, performance cycle reminders and safety documentation, ensuring timely follow-up and completion.
• Support policy implementation, workforce reporting, recruitment coordination overflow and continuous improvement activities.

About you

This role would suit someone with experience in HR operations, workplace wellbeing, OHS, return to work, compliance coordination or a related people-focused role. You enjoy bringing structure, accountability and care to day-to-day operations, while helping managers and employees navigate processes with confidence.

You will bring:

• Tertiary qualifications or equivalent experience in Human Resources, Workplace Health and Safety, Business Administration or a related field.
• Experience in HR operations, workplace wellbeing, OHS, RTW, injury management, compliance coordination or a comparable people-focused role.
• Knowledge of, or willingness to develop capability in, OHS/WHS obligations, psychosocial risk management, incident reporting and safe return to work practices.
• Experience maintaining confidential records, registers, HRIS data, compliance documentation and process tracking systems with strong attention to detail.
• Practical understanding of employment, workplace health and safety, privacy and workers compensation concepts, with sound judgement to seek advice or escalate matters.
• Strong written communication and digital skills, including Microsoft Office, online systems and HRIS platforms such as Employment Hero or similar.
• Well-developed interpersonal skills, discretion and sound judgement when handling confidential or sensitive matters.
• A proactive, improvement-focused mindset and alignment with Cairnmillar’s values and purpose in mental health and education.
• Experience working within a regulated environment such as higher education, health, community services or a not-for-profit organisation will be highly regarded

Application closing date: 3rd August 2026

To apply: Attach your CV and a brief statement outlining your interest, relevant skills, and experience to your application. Please refer to the full Position Description on our website www.cairnmillar.org.au/about/careers at CMI, for detailed responsibilities and requirements.

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Why join Cairnmillar:

• Hybrid work options and supportive environment
• Inclusive and collaborative team culture
• Opportunities for learning and development
• Purpose-driven work in a values-aligned organisation
• Salary packaging options available

Our organisation is committed to child safety. We have zero tolerance for child abuse. Applicants should be aware that we require working with children, police and reference checks.

Cairnmillar is an equal opportunity employer committed to attracting and developing a diverse workforce that reflects the community it serves.