INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS MANAGER SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, AND JOB REQUIREMENTS

Published: Sep 03, 2025 - The Industrial Relations Manager drives strategic industrial and employee relations in the oil and gas or resources sector, ensuring alignment with HR policies and talent processes. This role requires proven experience in leading IR strategies, resolving complex issues, and managing stakeholder communications. The manager also excels in project management, mentoring, and advanced MS Office use, while remaining adaptable in a dynamic industrial environment.

Essential Hard and Soft Skills for a Standout Industrial Relations Manager Resume
  • Industrial Relations
  • Union Negotiation
  • Employment Law
  • Collective Bargaining
  • Risk Assessment
  • Legal Compliance
  • Labor Strategy
  • Data Analysis
  • Policy Development
  • Contract Interpretation
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Strategic Communication
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Trust Building
  • Employee Relations
  • Dispute Resolution
  • Leadership Support
  • Mentoring Coaching
  • Issue Resolution
  • Change Management

Summary of Industrial Relations Manager Knowledge and Qualifications on Resume

1. BA in Industrial Relations with 11 years of Experience

  • Extensive labour relations management experience of large industrial construction projects such as refineries, mining, and offshore petroleum facilities.
  • Knowledge of contingency planning, proactive employee relations programs, supervisory training, and employee complaint solutions.
  • Strong understanding of provincial labour legislation and construction/labour arbitration case law.
  • Advanced computer and software skills to include the use of word processing, presentations, reports, and email, as well as the advanced use of spreadsheets and electronic presentations.
  • Strong discretion and independence.
  • High critical thinking/reasoning ability.
  • Fluent in English with above-average writing skills.
  • Ability to attend to detail and work in a time-conscious and time-effective manner.

2. BS in Human Resource Management with 9 years of Experience

  • Successful negotiation experience with unions and employee representative groups.
  • Working knowledge and application of all regulatory and local legal requirements and laws relating to industrial relations.
  • Demonstrable experience in successful relationship building.
  • Experience in interacting with legal counsel and effectively managing such supplier relationships.
  • Strong compliance mindset with high attention to detail.
  • Strategic thinker with the ability to positively drive improvements.
  • Demonstrable ability to positively influence.
  • IT literate and fully conversant in the use of Microsoft applications, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Internet Explorer.
  • Consistently communicates clearly, honestly, with diplomacy and discretion.

3. BA in Labor Studies with 14 years of Experience

  • Extensive, proven experience as a senior strategic business partner able to build fast and trusted relationships with the business from a base of strong industrial relations acumen.
  • Proven negotiation experience.
  • Experience with complex EA negotiations, advocacy, and detailed knowledge of industrial frameworks, including applicable legislation, awards, agreements, and the role of FWC and FWO.
  • Significant experience in providing sound, practical, and accurate advice and solutions to the business across all IR/ER aspects, such as strategy, enterprise bargaining, and dispute management.
  • IR drafting skills, including experience with drafting EBA clauses, policy documentation, submissions, internal advice, and correspondence to relevant external bodies.
  • Strong ability in developing solid working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, including operational line leadership, union representatives, and employees.
  • Strong ability to influence decisions relating to IR.
  • Be able to develop, negotiate, and implement enterprise agreements, related policies, and procedures.
  • Sound ability to deal with conflict situations rationally and constructively.
  • Ability to communicate and build relationships across all levels of the organisational.
  • Ability to identify and analyse problems and formulate and implement appropriate courses of action.
  • Ability to be flexible and adaptable in response to organisational and operational change and develop creative solutions to problems.
  • Ability to coach and guide less experienced staff and contribute to their ongoing solutions to problems.

4. BS in Business Administration with 9 years of Experience

  • Supervision/management experience or a combination of experience in a senior labour relations role.
  • Experience as a lead spokesperson and expertise in conducting grievance/arbitration investigations.
  • Experience in CLAC or a progressive alternative union experience.
  • Construction and stationary labour experience.
  • Proficiency in labour board interface experience.
  • Knowledge of employment conditions and policies.
  • Solid negotiations and mediation skills, along with excellent managerial and delegation skills, strong customer focus, organisational agility, work ethic, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.
  • Exceptional research, written, and oral communication skills in a multitasking environment.
  • Ability to remain tactful, calm, and persuasive in critical and/or confrontational situations.

5. BA in Political Science with 13 years of Experience

  • Experience operating at a senior level in an industrial/employee relations capacity within the oil and gas or resources industry.
  • Previous experience in leading industrial relations strategy and implementing supporting industrial relations management plans.
  • Knowledge and understanding of HR policies and processes, including performance management, employee relations, remuneration, and talent management processes.
  • Knowledge of anticipating problems and coming up with creative solutions, and prioritizing and completing tasks in a skillful and timely fashion.
  • Strong interpersonal skillset to allow for effective communication with a variety of people in a variety of industrial relations roles.
  • Strong project-management skills, including being detail-oriented and managing toward aggressive timelines.
  • Strong written communication skills.
  • Excellent overall computer skills, proficient in MS Office, with advanced knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint.
  • Ability to partner and build relationships that contribute to leading business results.
  • Ability to build the capability of others, including mentoring of HR professionals.
  • Flexible to changing priorities and able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
  • Ability to keep abreast of industry trends, share information with all staff.

6. BS in Employment Law with 11 years of Experience

  • Working experience in a manufacturing company.
  • Experience working effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
  • Experience in exposure in the IR/labor court and liaison with the IR lawyer.
  • Experience in industrial relations or business law.
  • Project construction industry experience.
  • Industrial advocacy experience in the Fair Work Commission.
  • Experience to provide written and verbal advice on a day-to-day basis and offer sound, practical, and accurate advice and solutions for the business across all IR/ER aspects, such as strategy, enterprise bargaining, and dispute management.
  • Strong knowledge of the Employment Act, Industrial Relations Act, and other related employment laws.
  • Strong interpersonal, customer-focused skills and communication skills.
  • Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated ability to multitask and prioritize.
  • Ability to develop strong working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders with site-based management, union representatives, employees, and client IR personnel, and the capacity to influence decisions relating to IR/ER matters.
Relevant Information
Employee Relations Manager Skills, Experience, and Job Requirements