Principal Advisor, HR Total Rewards

Principal Advisor, HR Total Rewards

Are you looking for an opportunity to lead strategic Total Rewards initiatives, influence meaningful change, and shape how people experience work at one of Australia's leading universities?

The University of Queensland is seeking a forward-thinking and motivated HR professional to take on the pivotal role of Principal Advisor, HR Total Rewards.

In this influential role, you'll help deliver initiatives that enhance the employee experience, such as a values-driven remuneration strategy, job profile reform, and the rollout of our rewards and recognition framework. You'll provide expert guidance on compensation and benefits, lead benchmarking activities, and ensure the consistent and data-informed application of reward practices across the University.

If you're ready to lead, innovate, and contribute, this is your chance to help attract, retain, and recognise the exceptional people who make UQ extraordinary!

Key responsibilities will include:

• Lead the implementation of UQ's remuneration and rewards strategy, ensuring alignment with organisational values, internal equity, and talent attraction and retention goals.
• Provide expert, high-level advice on compensation and benefits matters, including enterprise bargaining, executive remuneration, and salary benchmarking.
• Oversee and coordinate the job profile review project, including audit activities, profile updates, and training delivery to HR stakeholders.
• Collaborate with HR specialist teams and stakeholders to support the delivery of performance bonus processes, policy development, and strategic workforce reporting.

About UQ

As part of the UQ community, you will have the opportunity to work alongside the brightest minds, who have joined us from all over the world. Everyone here has a role to play. As a member of our professional staff cohort, you will be actively involved in working towards our vision of a better world. By supporting the academic endeavour across teaching, research, and the student life, you will have the opportunity to contribute to activities that have a lasting impact on our community.

Join a community where excellence is at the core of our culture, contributions are valued and a range of benefits and rewards are available, such as:

• Up to 26 weeks paid parental leave or 14 weeks paid primary caregiver leave
• 17% superannuation contributions
• 17.5% annual leave loading
• Access to flexible working arrangements including hybrid working options, flexible start/finish times, purchased leave, and a condensed fortnight
• Health and wellness discounts – fitness passport access, free yearly flu vaccinations, discounted health insurance, and access to our Employee Assistance Program for staff and their immediate family
• UQ Study for Staff
• On campus childcare options
• Affordable parking (from just $6.15 a day)
• Salary packaging options

About You

• Degree qualifications in Human Resources, Business, or a related field, with at least four years of relevant experience in HR, management, or equivalent professional practice.
• Proven experience in rewards management, including the design and implementation of compensation and benefits programs within complex organisations.
• Experience in job evaluations in complex organizations and preferably Hay/Mercer certified.
• Strong leadership skills with experience supervising, mentoring, and developing HR team members.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical abilities, with sound judgment in managing sensitive remuneration and benefits matters.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence and build trusted relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success working in advisory or service delivery roles within complex policy and stakeholder environments, ideally in the higher education or public sector.

The successful candidate may be required to complete a number of pre-employment checks, including right to work in Australia and a criminal check. You must maintain unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this appointment to apply. Employer sponsored work rights are not available for this appointment.

Applications close Friday 22 August 2025 at 11.00pm AEST (R-54983). Applications will be reviewed as received. Candidates may be interviewed prior to the job closing date. We encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible. The University of Queensland reserves the right to close this application process early.