Chief People & Compliance Officer

Job title : Chief People & Compliance Officer
Location : Queensland
Job type : Permanent or Full Time
Contact name : Kerry L Pitout
Contact email : kpitout@sharpandcarter.com.au
Job reference : 1660989

Australian Country Choice (ACC) is a proud industry leader in producing and supplying the highest quality beef products to both local and export markets. Employing over 1,500 team members, this diverse operation runs 300,000 head of cattle across 4.5 million acres of large-scale breeding, backgrounding, farming, and feed lotting, through to a modern food processing, value-add packing, and cold storage facility located at Cannon Hill near Brisbane’s CBD.
  
ACC is the largest Australian-owned and privately operated, fully integrated beef supply chain. This structure provides the best of both worlds — the opportunity and security of a progressive corporate pastoral operation that continues to grow, develop, and innovate, along with the support and personal touch that comes from being part of a family-owned business.
  
ACC = Aim. Culture. Capability
ACC strives to earn its stripes as a master of its craft, with a commitment to “being right” in everything it does — and how it does it — by delivering the highest standards in safety, customer service, operational excellence, and people. The organisation lives by its “Be Right” values of Belief, Energy, Responsibility, Integrity, Grit, Humility, and Team.
  
  
The Opportunity
The Chief People & Compliance Officer plays a pivotal role in developing and executing strategies that support ACC’s business objectives across People, Culture, Safety, and Compliance.
  
As a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, the incumbent partners closely with the CEO and business leaders across ACC’s agribusiness and processing divisions to deliver initiatives that drive engagement, compliance, and performance.
  
  
Key Responsibilities
  • Lead the strategic direction and delivery of the People, Safety & Compliance agenda across the Group.
  • Oversee and embed frameworks in Work Health & Safety, Payroll, Industrial Relations, and Talent & Capability.
  • Drive initiatives to strengthen attraction, retention, learning and development, and engagement.
  • Ensure full legislative compliance and manage risk registers, policies, and audits.
  • Guide and mentor P&C and WHS teams across diverse operations.
  • Partner with the Executive and site leadership teams to deliver practical, compliant, and commercially sound people outcomes.
  • Build ACC’s employer brand and community engagement profile as an employer of choice.
About the Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a seasoned HR leader with proven success operating in complex, unionised, and multi-site environments such as agribusiness, food processing, manufacturing, or logistics. They combine strategic acumen with strong operational discipline and a pragmatic approach to people and compliance management.
They will bring:
  • Extensive HR generalist and compliance leadership capability with strategic application of best practice, such as;
    • Employee relations / Industrial relations
    • Employer branding, talent management, recruitment & selection strategy & execution
    • Organisational Development & Organisational Capability
    • Leadership development
    • Performance management
    • Employee engagement & organisational culture
    • Salary Benchmarking, Remuneration & benefits
    • Policy & procedure development & implementation
  • Experience within complex workplace & unionised environments, ideally within relevant industry, eg: FMCG, food processing, Agribusiness, manufacturing or similar
  • Practical understanding of employment and industrial relations legislation, frameworks, and enterprise agreements.
  • Proven ability to lead and develop multi-disciplinary teams across HR, Safety, and Payroll.
  • Understanding & ability to utilise cloud based HRIS technology and systems
  • Excellent stakeholder engagement, influencing, and leadership capability.
  • Tertiary qualifications in Business, HR, or a related discipline (postgraduate desirable).
Next Steps
  • This is a pivotal executive appointment, and we’re committed to ensuring the right fit for both the individual and the organisation.
  • Candidates can expect a multi-stage process, including engagements with key members of the Executive Team.
  • In proud partnership with ACC, please submit your application including resume and cover letter addressing the role, to Kerry Pitout at Sharp & Carter - kpitout@sharpandcarter.com.au or for a confidential discussion please call on Kerry direct on 0420 381 481