Chief People Officer

Have a seat at the Executive table with Australia's largest legal partnershipPartner with an inspiring COO, CEO and outstanding leaders to shape the future of our people strategyLead a national, high performing People & Development function supporting more than 2,000 people across Australia

About usHWL Ebsworth is not your typical law firm. Our rapid rise to become the largest legal partnership in Australia shows that in our case, the differences are real. We deliver first class legal advice to our government and commercial clients in every State and Territory across Australia, made up of 1900 people including over 280 Partners. Our growth story has been one of ambition, innovation and doing things differently.
While we've grown to become a national market leader, we've remained grounded in a culture that values collaboration, authenticity and practical outcomes. We are proud of the talented people who make our firm what it is today and are committed to continuing to build an environment where our people can thrive. Our values of Respect, Excellence and Merit are central to who we are, and our Chief People Officer will serve as both a visible role model and champion of these values, ensuring they are embedded in our leadership, culture and people practices across the firm.

The opportunityAs Chief People Officer, you will play a critical role in shaping the future of our firm. Reporting directly to our Chief Operating Officer, Anu Villarosa (recently elevated from CPO) and working as a key member of the leadership team, you will lead the national People & Development function and drive a people strategy that supports our continued growth and success.
This is a highly visible executive leadership role with responsibility for leading and inspiring a national team across Employee Experience, Risk & Compliance, People Advisory and Talent Acquisition. Partnering closely with our Partners and leaders across Australia, you will ensure our people strategy enables the firm to attract, develop and retain exceptional talent while fostering a high-performing culture.
Joining at a time of significant growth and transformation, you will shape and deliver a broad people agenda encompassing workforce capability, culture, inclusion, technology and organisational effectiveness, while leading strategic initiatives including our Workday implementation, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strategy, EVP activation and people governance framework.
You'll be busy with:Acting as a trusted advisor to the Board, Executive and Partnership on complex people matters and insights that influence firm strategy, growth and performanceLeading the development and execution of the firm's People & Development strategyProviding leadership and direction across Talent Acquisition, Employee Experience, Risk & Compliance and People AdvisoryDriving leadership capability, workforce planning and succession planning initiativesOverseeing the successful implementation and embedding of Workday across the firmChampioning and activating the firm's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strategy and associated initiativesLeverage workforce analytics and commercial insights to optimise organisational performance and decisions.Driving the activation of our newly launched EVP and build a Talent Strategy to align with our new EVPEnsuring people frameworks, governance, policies and practices remain aligned with business objectives and embedded across the team and firmBuilding capability and engagement within the People & Development team to support exceptional service delivery across the firm as a trusted business partner
Our offeringLocation: Our cutting-edge office is conveniently located in the heart of the Melbourne (447 Collins Street in the Collins Arch building) plus our national integration located in every state and territory of Australia.Great culture and a huge networking platform: Be part of a firm renowned for its down-to-earth culture. Join our latte link up program, sports and social clubs and monthly firmwide drinks.Impact: Join a firm consistently ranked at the forefront of the Australian legal market, where your work is recognised nationally.
How to applyTo apply, please submit your CV via the 'Apply' function or reach out to our Head of Talent, Gabrielle Saunders (gmsaunders@hwle.com.au) for a confidential conversation. Applicants must have full working rights in Australia to apply. HWLE also strongly encourages applications from the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community.
HWL Ebsworth strives to create an inclusive environment where our people want and feel comfortable to bring their entire selves to work. Varied perspectives contribute to our collective success so whatever your background, we'd love to hear from you and encourage you to apply. If you have reasonable accessibility requirements that will enable you to participate equitably in our recruitment process, please reach out to Gabrielle for a discussion.