Legal Counsel - Workplace Relations

We are Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP). We have 42,000 people serving 4 million customers in 31 markets. We combine the strength and scale of a large, multi-national business with expert local knowledge of the customers we serve and communities we support. We invest, employ, manufacture and distribute locally.   In Australia, our portfolio includes the Coca-Cola family of products and well-loved brands such as Sprite, Fanta, Monster and Mother Energy, Mount Franklin, Powerade, Billson’s, Bacardi and Grinders Coffee.

We are seeking a commercially minded and pragmatic Legal Counsel – Workplace Relations to join our Australian Legal team based in North Sydney .   This is an opportunity to work at the heart of one of Australia’s leading FMCG businesses, partnering closely with our People & Culture, Safety and business leaders to navigate a broad range of workplace relations matters.   You’ll play a key role in providing practical and commercially focused advice across employment and industrial relations, helping the business manage complex workplace issues while balancing legal, operational, employee and reputational considerations.   This role is ideal for someone who enjoys being embedded in the business rather than sitting on the sidelines, is comfortable taking ownership of their matters, and enjoys solving complex problems alongside a collaborative and supportive team.

Provide practical and commercially focused advice across a broad range of employment and industrial relations matters Advise on workplace issues including performance, misconduct, disciplinary matters, employee disputes, termination and industrial relations matters Provide advice on the interpretation and application of modern awards, enterprise agreements and workplace legislation Support complex payroll compliance, wage review and underpayment matters, including remediation and regulator engagement Conduct and support investigations into complex and escalated workplace matters Partner closely with People & Culture, Safety and business leaders to provide clear and pragmatic legal advice Prepare, review and negotiate employment-related documents, policies, agreements and regulatory submissions Support interactions with external law firms, regulatory bodies and tribunals, including the Fair Work Commission and Fair Work Ombudsman Identify opportunities to improve legal processes, policies and ways of working Contribute to broader Legal, Ethics & Compliance and cross-functional initiatives across CCEP   About You   You are a practical and commercially minded Workplace Relations lawyer who enjoys getting close to the business and helping stakeholders solve real problems.   You’ll be confident managing your own matters, forming a view and making recommendations, while recognising that the best solutions are not always purely legal. You can translate complex legal concepts into clear, practical advice and enjoy building strong relationships with stakeholders.   In addition, you will have:   3–6 years’ post-qualification experience in Workplace Relations, Employment or Industrial Relations law Strong experience dealing with practical workplace issues, including enterprise agreements, modern awards, misconduct, performance and employee relations matters Experience in employment and industrial relations compliance, with exposure to payroll compliance, underpayments, wage reviews or remediation highly regarded Strong drafting, negotiation and problem-solving skills The ability to manage matters autonomously and take ownership from beginning to end Excellent communication skills and the confidence to engage directly with a broad range of stakeholders A pragmatic, solutions-focused approach rather than a purely academic or black-letter approach to legal advice In-house experience, a secondment or strong client-facing experience is preferred but not essential Exposure to Safety or WHS matters