About Us

The Sunrise Project is a global network of independent organisations united by a common mission: scaling social movements to drive the global transition beyond fossil fuels. We've developed a unique model that combines strategic grant-making with campaigning, supporting interconnected organisations to create powerful change aligned with our mission.

Sunrise Australia is a proud member of The Sunrise Project network. Our organisational culture is dynamic and adaptable. We're committed to supporting our team members to thrive as we tackle the urgent challenge of climate change. We believe that a diversity of experiences and perspectives strengthens our strategies, teams, and movements.

Sunrise Australia takes the broadest possible view of diversity and encourages First Nations people, people of colour, people living outside of cities, people living with disabilities, neurodiverse, and LGBTQIA+ people to apply. We are continually working on becoming a better workplace for everyone.  Find out more here.

About The Role

The role has a broad scope and immense impact on Sunrise’s people and culture. The People and Culture Lead will work to establish trusted partnerships with managers, leaders, and colleagues, as well as work closely with specific teams and countries to coach, advise, and support managers on employee relations, performance, and organisational development matters.  In addition, a key part of the role is to share knowledge and expertise and work with other People and Culture leads to ensure a positive end-to-end employee experience across all people interactions, especially onboarding/offboarding, talent management, wellbeing, and culture. 

About You  

You bring a wide range of skills developed through managing complex issues in the people, culture and HR space at a senior level. You have a demonstrable ability to collaborate effectively with unions and navigate employment relations in Australia. You're a true people person, passionate about making connections and helping others grow and develop. You can design and implement people solutions that improve our people-related processes and systems across the organisation (such as HRIS, performance, remuneration and progression).

You're a skilled communicator with an eye for detail and the ability to see things from many perspectives. You have honest, direct conversations with stakeholders at all levels while maintaining positive relationships. You love collaboration, accept feedback readily, and effectively facilitate productive conversations. You have a passion for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion and implement policies through that lens. You thrive in autonomous environments, are proactive, and happy to roll up your sleeves to make an impact.  You flourish as a senior member of our network People and Culture team and demonstrate commitment to growing the team's capability and expertise. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Enabling performance: Advise teams and act as a thought partner on performance management, workforce planning, succession planning and coaching leaders and managers to develop their people management skills.

• Engagement and data: Show passion for and understanding of people data, analysing trends for people-related matters including engagement, learning and complex employee relations issues. Work with managers and colleagues to influence and drive responses and action plans that support the employee experience, manage risk and demonstrate a culture of care.

• People strategy: Along with metrics and OKRs for your areas of responsibility, drive improvements across our People priorities, including how we bring people in, develop their skills, manage performance, structure our teams, keep everyone engaged, and plan for future needs. You'll set clear goals and track progress in these areas. You'll partner with the TSP Inc. People Team to ensure our approach aligns across the network (where appropriate, to ensure streamlined and consistent processes) while collaborating with the Australia Coordination Team (ACT) to address specific local needs. 

• Hiring: Work with hiring managers and the hiring team on local recruitment, ensuring roles are appropriately designed, leading on job evaluations supporting salary decisions and coaching on the hiring and onboarding process, particularly for new managers. 

• Employee communications: Ensure key messages and updates are delivered locally and colleagues in your team areas have a forum to provide feedback on key issues to inform our guidance, policies and processes. 

• Remuneration and benefits: Advise and support managers and colleagues with local decision-making around remuneration for their teams, ensuring equity, fairness and consistency in the application of our methodology, approach and decision-making.

• Organisational development: Support local design and change projects, in collaboration with the ACT, and in partnership with the TSP Inc People Team (where appropriate, to ensure streamlined and consistent approaches). 

• Compliance: Partner with TSP Inc People Team, ACT and Network Operations Team to ensure oversight of required policy and compliance for relevant locations. 

• Union relations: Build and maintain collaborative relationships with union representatives. Support our Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) process in Australia by providing expertise during negotiations. Ensure ongoing compliance with the EBA once agreement is in place.

• HRIS implementation and management: Lead the design and delivery of our HRIS roadmap, ensuring systems support organisational needs and improve data-driven decision making.

• Learning and Facilitation: Design, deliver and facilitate effective workshops, meetings, and learning sessions to support team capability development and organisational initiatives.

• Team management: Management of colleagues in the People team.

• General HR advice and support:  Provide expert guidance as queries arise, ensuring options are based on Sunrise's current policies and approach. 

Skills, knowledge and experience 

• Significant experience working as a People Partner/in an HR advisory role, working with teams in a fast growth/scaling environment (5 years or more). 

• A proactive style of communication that builds trusted, personal relationships so that you can understand what’s important to the people of Sunrise.

• Broad range of expertise, skills and experience so that no matter the challenge (coaching, skills gaps, employee relations, salary benchmarking), you can bring thought leadership and take ownership of your areas. 

• High level of emotional intelligence with excellent relationship building and interpersonal skills, including the ability to give and receive feedback skillfully.

• Strong experience of being a trusted and inclusive advisor and coach supported by knowledge and experience in performance management, talent, staff engagement, workforce planning, culture and change management.  You drive actions with tested restorative justice/mediation skills and can guide managers in supporting conflict resolution.

• Possess the ability to contextualise and embed Equity, Diversity and Inclusion into all people-related work and cultural contexts. 

• Possess a creative and growth mindset to your work and are excited by trying new approaches. 

• Proven ability to diagnose, recommend and deliver appropriate strategies and innovative solutions to people-related areas.  

• Experience in collaborating and engagement with unions and managing employee relations matters in a unionised environment. 

• Demonstrated experience in HRIS implementation, management, or optimisation projects. 

• Strong facilitation skills with experience leading workshops, meetings, or learning sessions. 

• Ability to have direct and honest conversations with senior stakeholders while maintaining positive relationships. 

• Experience working in or knowledge of the Asia Pacific region would be advantageous. 

• Experience with or knowledge of self-managing organisational structures such as holacratic or Teal organisations would be valuable.

• Passionate about climate change and a commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. 

Job Requirements

• You must have full working rights in Australia.  The Sunrise Project Australia is unable to sponsor applicants for employment visas.

• Employment background checks are required.

• Intermittent travel with advanced notice may be required.

• Relevant qualifications in human resources management (CIPD, SHRM, AHRI and/or relevant experience including a detailed understanding of employment law.

How Sunrise supports its staff

The Sunrise Project is committed to creating a workplace that supports our staff to do their best work and develop professionally. We have the following in place to help us achieve that, noting pro rata will apply for part time staff and/or temporarily appointed staff:

• Superannuation 12.5% & Salary Sacrifice for Superannuation

• Sunrise Time Off:

  • Additional Annual Leave 5 days p.a.

  • Long Service Leave available after 5 years of service

  • Birthday Leave 1 day p.a.

  • Solidarity and Community Leave 1 week p.a

  • Cultural Leave 4 days p.a (+ floating public holidays)

  • Gifted Leave (over Christmas and New Year)

  • Paid Parental Leave of 7.5 mths (inclusive of GPPL) - gender-neutral & inclusive of all family types, incl. Parental Return To Work & Keeping In Touch Program

  • Life Leave up to 40 days p.a. for significant personal reasons

• Flexible Working Policy

• Employee Assistance Program

• VIDA - An AI tool to support you working safely remotely

• Generous allowances for:

• Workspace Benefits incl: Macbook & accessories, initial $2,000 for home workspace and IT equipment + $800 every 2 years + up to $75/mth phone/data/internet.

• Shared office support

• Regular all-org and team meetings & retreats

• Learning & Development Program incl. a professional development budget for you

• Coaching & manager support with regular 1:1 meetings

• Annual performance & development reviews with 360 feedback

• A co-developed work plan to ensure clarity on your role & key responsibilities

• We provide our staff with a voice on issues that concern them via consultation, e.g. caucuses, working groups, slack channels, surveys and meetings.

NOTE: If you have any questions about the role, please reach out to our recruiting partner, Stacey Aubry, at Kin Limited. Email address is stacey.aubry@kin.co.nz