People and Development Manager (14-month contract)

The role

We are looking for a passionate and dedicated HR professional to join Piper Alderman as a People & Development (P&D) Manager, based in our Adelaide office, on a 12-to-14 month contract to provide fixed term parental leave cover (commencing no later than 29 October 2026), with the opportunity for up to 2 weeks’ handover.

This is a dynamic, hands on role where you will act as the primary P&D contact partnering with Partners, leaders and employees across both legal and business services groups and primarily servicing our large and busy Adelaide office, within a national P&D Team. You will be trusted to manage the full employee lifecycle while providing strategic guidance on people and culture initiatives.

You will work with our national P&D team to implement firm wide strategies in areas such as talent management, leadership development, employee engagement and organisational change. Additionally, you will play a key role in supporting early careers activities such as clerkship recruitment, graduate onboarding and engagement events.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the trusted advisor, managing all aspects of the employee lifecycle including recruitment, onboarding, performance, employee relations and offboarding.
• Partner closely with senior leaders and Partners to support firm people strategies.
• Manage P&D delivery and engagement across both legal and business services groups.
• Support the planning and delivery of early careers activities including clerkship and graduate programs, university engagement, and onboarding.
• Contribute to and lead national P&D projects aligned with the firm’s strategic priorities.
• Coach and influence leaders across the business to embed a high-performance and inclusive culture.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement in P&D processes, policies and systems.
• Drive local initiatives to support employee engagement, wellbeing and professional development.
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation and internal policies.

About You

• A tertiary qualification in Human Resources or a related field.
• Minimum 4+ years’ experience in a HR generalist or business partner role, ideally in a professional services (legal) environment.
• A strong understanding of employment legislation and award interpretation.
• Proven experience working with senior stakeholders and managing diverse client groups.
• Commercial acumen with the ability to make informed and strategic people decisions.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the confidence to influence and build trust.
• A collaborative, proactive, and adaptable approach, with a focus on outcomes.
• Passion for people and a drive to continuously improve the employee experience.

About Us

Piper Alderman is a premier commercial law firm with offices in Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin, Perth and Melbourne. We work with clients across Australia and internationally to achieve practical commercial outcomes, innovation in service delivery and deep engagement across multiple industries.

Piper Alderman prides itself on being a collaborative law firm where high achieving ambitious team members can succeed in achieving their career goals whilst performing challenging and rewarding tasks.

At Piper Alderman we promote a culture of excellence, collaboration and teamwork. We recognise and support individuals and invest in their continued professional development.

Our perks

We have a variety of employee benefits aimed at supporting our people including, but not limited to:

• A variety of health and wellbeing initiatives including our Thrive@PiperAlderman Wellbeing Program.
• Learning and development opportunities to support career growth including generous study support options.
• Automatic acceptance into the group Salary Continuance insurance plan
• Purchased annual leave options.
• A range of fun office and team events all year round so we make sure we are connecting socially as often as possible!
• A range of corporate discounts.
• Employee-led Diversity & Inclusion and Reconciliation Committees and the opportunity to participate in pro-bono work.

Apply today

Piper Alderman is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We aim to attract and retain the best people and provide an environment where those people can be their authentic selves.  We value diversity of thought and experience and aim to ensure all our people are valued and respected.  People from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Please submit an application by clicking the relevant link in this job advertisement. Please note, no applications will be accepted directly via email.

If you have questions or would like further information about this opportunity, please contact Olivia Zille, People & Development Manager at ozille@piperalderman.com.au