Role Type 

Within Australia (Sydney preferred) • Permanent • Full-time • Executive Leadership

Description

 About OzHarvest: OzHarvest is Australia’s favourite food rescue organisation, on a mission to Nourish our Country by stopping good food from going to waste and getting it to people who need it. We rescue food, run education programs, and campaign hard to help Australia halve food waste by 2030 — and we have a lot of fun doing it.

About the Role: We’re looking for an experienced, values driven Chief People Officer who leads with both head and heart. You’ll join OzHarvest’s Executive Leadership Team, reporting directly to our CEO, with ultimate accountability for the people, culture, safety and volunteering strategy behind everything we do nationally. That means our People Experience, People Operations, Safety & Wellness, Volunteering and Learning & Development teams all come together under you, as one connected P&C crew.

We’re a magnet for magnificent people — nearly 400 staff and 3,000 volunteers, all connected by a cause bigger than any one of us. Your job is to make sure every one of them feels supported, safe, engaged and set up to do their best work, while keeping our people practices sharp, compliant and unmistakably OzHarvest. If you believe culture is a competitive advantage, not a compliance line item, and you want to shape how one of Australia’s most loved charities looks after its people for years to come, we want to hear from you.

Your Key Responsibilities:

• Sit on the Executive Leadership Team, shaping organisation-wide strategy and decisions — and bringing the people lens to every conversation
• Partner with the CEO and Board on workforce planning, organisational design and culture strategy, and own our multi-year People & Culture strategy
• Lead, coach and champion a P&C team spanning People Operations, Safety & Wellness, Volunteering and People Experience
• Oversee best-practice recruitment, onboarding, performance management, employee relations and offboarding nationally
• Be the calm, trusted head in the room for the complex matters
• Own our WHS strategy and culture nationally, so every OzHarvest employee and volunteer goes home safe
• Provide strategic oversight of our ~3,000-strong national volunteer program — the beating heart of how we get food to where it’s needed
• Champion a genuine learning culture, growing the capability, confidence and careers of our people
• Bring the CEO and Board clear, honest reporting on people, culture, safety and volunteering
• Lead executive remuneration, calibration and succession planning
• Represent OzHarvest externally as a voice for great people practice in the for-purpose sector

Personal Specifications

 Qualifications and Experience:

• Extensive senior HR/P&C leadership experience, ideally at executive or Head-of-function level, with relevant tertiary qualifications (Human Resources, Business, Organisational Psychology or similar)
• Demonstrated experience operating at, and reporting into, Board and Executive level
• A track record leading a multi-disciplinary P&C function (people experience, operations, WHS, volunteering, learning & development) at national scale
• Deep knowledge of Australian employment law, WHS legislation, and what makes the not-for-profit/charity sector tick
• Comfortable presenting to, and partnering with, Boards and Executive teams
• Experience leading organisational change, workforce planning and enterprise risk management
• Experience with volunteer workforce management highly regarded
• Willingness to obtain a valid Police Check

Personal Abilities and Aptitudes:

• Genuinely fired up by OzHarvest’s purpose — this isn’t just another CPO role!
• Calm, resilient and steady under pressure, in a fast-paced, resource-conscious environment
• A trusted, values-driven advisor to the CEO and Board who tells it straight
• Energetic, positive and motivational — someone people want to follow, not just report to
• A strategic thinker who’s just as happy in the detail
• Genuine, authentic, and doesn’t take themselves too seriously
• Adaptable, flexible and unfazed by a curveball
• Commercially sharp, but mission-led to the core
• A natural at building relationships and bringing people with you

To apply:

 Please follow through the online application process and attach your CV, a cover letter, and tell us: “Why does OzHarvest’s purpose speak to you, and why is this the role where you want to make your mark?” (creativity encouraged — we’d love to see some personality!). Please note that only applications with a cover letter addressing the question above will be shortlisted.

OzHarvest is proud to be an equal opportunity employer that supports diversity, inclusion and belonging. Please note: If you have a Language or Cultural special consideration, a disability or impairment or use assistive technology, please let us know in your Cover Letter when applying. You can ask a support person to help you through the application and interview process.

Company Overview

 Founded by Ronni Kahn AO in 2004 after noticing the huge volume of food going to waste, OzHarvest quickly grew to become Australia’s leading food rescue organisation. Food is at our core, saving surplus food from ending up in landfill and delivering it to charities that help feed people in need. We are committed to halving food waste by 2030, inspiring and influencing others to do the same, and transforming lives through education.