People & Programs Partner (9 month contract)

About this role

9-month parental leave cover contract · Mid February 2027 start · Sydney

Hey there! Thanks for stopping by. We’re Airtasker, the tech company that connects people who need to get things done with those who have the skills to do it.

Our mission is to empower people to realise the full value of their skills. This doesn’t just apply to those who use our product. It’s also for our whole team of go-getters who bring the product to life and deliver impact to our community on a daily basis. Because we believe work (and life) is always better when you truly know and appreciate your strengths and skills.

THE ROLE

We're looking for an experienced People & Programs Partner who knows how to connect the dots between people, performance and business results, for a 9 month maternity leave contract.

This is a dual-impact role, with roughly 50% focused on partnering with leaders and 50% leading our core People programs. You'll work closely with leaders across Finance, Product & Design, Marketing and Customer Experience, leading initiatives that strengthen performance, capability and employee experience.

You'll also own the design and delivery of key People initiatives, from performance and development to employee listening, engagement and reward. You'll take ideas from concept to execution, making sure what we introduce actually works and delivers value.

We're looking for someone commercially minded, proactive and comfortable challenging the status quo. Someone who can zoom out to think strategically, roll up their sleeves to get things done and bring fresh thinking to how we do People.

Reporting to our Head of People and based in our Sydney CBD office, this role blends flexible remote work with team connection in the office every Tuesday and Thursday

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Be a trusted partner to the business

- Build strong relationships with leaders, understanding their teams, priorities and challenges so you can anticipate what's coming and bring practical solutions.

- Coach and challenge leaders to make better people decisions, strengthen their teams and lift performance.

- Bring your expertise across the employee lifecycle, including workforce planning, organisational design, talent management, employee relations, remuneration and retention.

- Help embed a high-performance culture through clear expectations, meaningful feedback, accountability and effective performance conversations.

- Use people data and business insights to spot trends, identify risks and opportunities, and influence decisions.

- Partner with leaders to identify opportunities for AI to improve how their teams work, helping embed new ways of working responsibly.

Make our People programs count

- Own the end-to-end delivery of key People programs, including compensation reviews, employee listening, WGEA and 360 performance programs.

- Lead initiatives across performance and development, leadership capability, employee engagement, organisational effectiveness, talent and reward.

- Turn business priorities into practical, scalable programs with clear plans, milestones and measures of success.

- Keep challenging how we do things. Evaluate what's working, simplify what isn't and find better ways to deliver meaningful outcomes.

- Manage our People systems, vendors and external partners, making sure they're fit for purpose, cost-effective and delivering value.

- Partner with the Head of People on People budgets, planning and commercial decisions.

- Jump into broader People projects as priorities evolve, and play an active role in creating a connected, inclusive and fun culture.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

- A strong People Partner: You've got solid experience partnering with senior leaders and managers, understanding their commercial priorities and translating them into practical people strategies.

- Broad People expertise: You're confident across performance management, employee relations, organisational design, workforce planning, talent, remuneration and engagement. You also know your way around Australian employment legislation and compliance.

- A program driver: You can independently take complex People initiatives from idea through to delivery, adoption and measurement. You're organised, pragmatic and know how to get things over the line.

- Commercially switched on: You understand the connection between people, productivity and business performance. You use data and sound judgement to make decisions that stack up.

- Confident influencing skills: You're comfortable coaching senior leaders, having the tough conversations and constructively challenging decisions when needed. You know how to influence without relying on authority.

- Proactive ownership: You don't wait to be told there's a problem. You connect the dots, spot opportunities and take the initiative to make things better.

- AI curious and capable: You actively use AI tools to improve your own work and understand how they can help teams work smarter. You can also recognise the importance of accuracy, privacy, data security and responsible use.

- Comfortable with change: You can move between strategic conversations and hands-on execution, manage competing priorities and stay focused when things get ambiguous.

Above all, you're someone who brings fresh thinking, takes ownership and isn't afraid to challenge the way things have always been done. You care about people, but you're equally focused on outcomes. You know when to roll up your sleeves, when to push back and how to get things moving.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE WORKING HERE

We empower everyone at Airtasker to realise the full value of their skills, and we’re lucky that the mission behind our marketplace is one we get to live inside the business too.

We see everyone as an individual, and we’re proud of the collaborative, diverse and high performing culture we’ve built together. From growth and learning to connection, reward and wellbeing, we keep…