AddressAs a Human Resources Manager (Personnel Capability Officer (PCO)) you could be employed in a range of roles within the Air Force and the wider Australian Defence Force (ADF). Human Resources Managers support their Commanders through delivering: workforce management expertise, timely and necessary information to support decision making and assistance through day to day function support. A few of the roles a Human Resources Manager can enjoy throughout their career are outlined below.
Staff Officer Personnel (SOPERS)
As a Unit SOPERS, you are one of the Unit executives with a wide variety of responsibilities including human resource and complex case management, information and knowledge management, internal and external corporate communication, financial budgeting, reporting and governance tasks. In operational units, you are not only responsible for ensuring Unit personnel are trained and ready for operational deployment but their welfare (as well as their families) is well looked after. You will work closely with support specialists, such as Service chaplains, doctors, psychologists and social workers while providing support to Unit members. You will often work directly to the Unit's Commanding Officer (CO) providing not only specialist advice but you and your staff will have key roles in maintaining the Unit's information and financial accountability.
Personnel Operations
Human Resources Managers have a number of opportunities to be posted to roles that directly support operations. Personnel Operations roles are those jobs primarily concerned with identifying, preparing and supporting personnel from across the Air Force or the wider ADF to deploy on operations. You will ensure the right people are deployed at the right time. There are opportunities to work in the Personnel Operations domain across a number of levels of command and within a tri-service environment. You may also be involved in both long-term and short-notice planning for large-scale military operations or humanitarian crisis situations.
Communication Effects
Human Resources Managers are commonly involved in planning and executing internal and external communication strategies during their posting to an SOPERS position. However, there are a number of jobs which specialise in communication.
You may work in public relations and manage a number of high-level events and community engagement activities not just for your unit or base but also on the national stage. There are growing opportunities in media liaison and public affairs as well as social media and website content management.
Workforce Development and Review
There are some opportunities for Human Resources Managers to undertake workforce development, design and implementation across all levels of command. These roles involve being responsible for workforce planning, effecting organisational change and assisting commanders and their personnel to adapt to change.
You can be involved in the development and delivery of Air Force's current and future workforce, including training roles. You may also be involved in designing and implementing people initiatives' aimed at generating workforce savings to fund future capabilities.
You may like to work with Air Force's workforce structure'. In such roles you would be responsible for balancing workforce capability requirements within resource constraints and plan the future shape of the workforce for emerging capabilities.
Personnel Management
Human Resources Managers are responsible for the raise, train and sustain efforts required to achieve workforce numbers and preparedness levels. A significant role of personnel management is to provide direct support to a commander for the day to day management of their personnel.
You will have the opportunity to be employed in roles at every stage of an individual's career within Defence as well as providing support to all working groups. Human Resources Managers can undertake roles in recruiting, behaviour management, policy development, welfare, administrative investigations and transitions.
Resource and Knowledge Management
The aim of resource management is to optimise the use of available resources to generate and sustain Air Force capability while demonstrating economy, efficiency and sound decision making within associated governance frameworks.
Knowledge Management and Information Management focuses on managing Air Force's information resources, with an emphasis on collection, organising and relaying information to the workforce. The Knowledge Management element involves supporting an organisation that knows how to convert information into knowledge to generate experience, skill, intellect and intuition.
Human Resources Managers can be expected to manage resources in the following forms:
Physical resources - financial management, human resource management
Intellectual resources - intelligence, information and knowledge
Welfare resources - to create an environment supporting morale, cultural competence and engender purpose for Air Force members.
Deployments
Whenever Air Force personnel deploy on operations, a Human Resources Manager is usually one of the first on the ground.
Human Resources Managers maintain Air Force's most valued assets, its people, not just from a capability perspective but from a welfare perspective as well.
Human Resources Managers can also deploy as a Staff Officer to commanders and provide specialist advice as well as undertake a number of unique roles to the deployed environment, including Planning, Host Nation liaison, Key Leader Engagement, Humanitarian Assistance and Public Information activities.
Entry as an Air Force Human Resources Manager is available through the Australian Defence Force Academy, or as a Direct Entry Officer (including Reserve Officer) or commissioned from within the Air Force.
