Head of People in Sydney, Australia

Big Red Group is the leader in the experiences industry, connecting people with a diverse range of experiences worldwide. As we expand our footprint through partnership and products, we are building a state-of-the-art platform to empower our experience partners with technology. 

This platform powers iconic marketplaces like RedBalloon, Adrenaline, Experience Oz, and Everything NZ and provides a comprehensive suite of software products and services designed to help experience operators grow their businesses. We are committed to inspiring people to choose ‘stories over stuff’ and are on track to deliver an experience every second by 2030.

We are The Experience Network.

The Role

Big Red Group is looking for a Head of People & Culture to join our team on a parental leave cover basis for 15 months. This role offers a unique opportunity to lead through an exciting period of transformation and growth, making a lasting impact on our business.

About the Role

As the Head of People & Culture, you’ll be at the heart of our approach to people & performance, driving capability, engagement, and growth. Working into the Chief People Officer, you will be working closely with Senior stakeholders and people leaders across the company, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the next chapter of our People & Culture function. This includes redesigning and refreshing our offering to ensure our leaders are equipped for the challenges ahead and our people are inspired and engaged.

You’ll be responsible for delivering a comprehensive People & Culture plan that aligns with our commercial objectives, ensuring we continue to thrive as we scale. You’ll also lead and develop a small, high-performing team with a clear growth path as we enter 2025.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Own and deliver the People & Culture strategy, driving alignment with business goals and supporting commercial outcomes.

• Value Add: Lead through change, redefining the People & Culture function to enhance leadership capability, engagement, and retention across the business.

• Full People & Culture Remit: Oversee everything from employee relations, legal compliance, total rewards, and team engagement to leadership development, offsites, and workshops, and enjoy the SME challenge of being a generalist.

• Talent Development: Design and implement leadership programs that challenge and inspire teams to embody our values and grow within the organisation.

• Trusted Partner: Collaborate with senior leaders to support scaling initiatives, offering expert guidance across the entire employee lifecycle—from talent acquisition to culture development.

• Employer Brand: Support the refresh of our EVP as we transition to a product and platform business.

• Team Leadership: Manage and grow the People & Culture team, building a collaborative, high-performance culture.

• Performance First: Drive the group wide programs including biannual performance reviews, quarterly goal setting, talent calibration, salary review, employee engagement surveys, remuneration reviews and bonus and sales incentive schemes.

• Great HR Foundations: Act as the escalation point for complex Employee Relations issues. Ownership of all policies and compliance with an understanding of the modern and retail award, comfortable with board governance and HR reporting.

About You

We’re looking for a proven leader who brings a blend of strategic vision, hands-on experience, and a passion for driving positive change. You thrive in dynamic, fast-paced environments, and your experience spans a variety of business stages—from SME to large tech organizations scaling locally and globally.

Key Qualifications

• Leadership Experience: Proven success leading People & Culture teams, ideally at a Head of HR or equivalent level in an SME and experience in a global business.

• Commercial Acumen: Strong ability to connect business goals with People & Culture strategy, delivering impactful solutions and driving commercial outcomes

• Change Management: Expertise in successfully leading people change, with a focus on employee engagement, capability building, and fostering a performance culture.

• SaaS & Technology Experience: Experience in fast-paced SaaS or tech environments, supporting both Sales, Marketing and Technology teams.

• Cultural Visionary: A passion for cultivating an inclusive, collaborative culture, with a talent for scaling culture as the business grows while keeping something special.

• People Developer: A natural mentor and coach, you inspire others and help build a high-performance environment where people thrive.

Why Join Us?

At Big Red Group, we are committed to empowering people to experience more. If you’re ready to lead with purpose, make a tangible impact, and help shape the future of BRG, we’d love to hear from you!

What you need to know;

• A Real Community:  Our main focus is our BRG community, expect team days, experiences, co-design, learning and innovation as part of your experience with us. We have a strong ESG focus and this exists from the merchandise we source to the energy our office uses. Our Sydney office is based in the iconic Circular Quay and overlooks the Opera House. Our teams work from our offices 50% of their working week. 

• True Connection:  Enjoy experiences at work that go beyond the everyday, with quarterly roadshows, employee resource groups, book club, offsites, lunches and a variety of social and sports events to foster genuine connections. 

• We Invest in You:  With 30 days to work from anywhere in the world, leadership development programs, Talent Academies, mentorship opportunities, paid parental leave, and wellness support, your growth and well-being are our priority.