Head of People & Talent

Leonardo.Ai is looking for an experienced People & Talent leader to guide our HR function while our Chief People Officer is on parental leave. The contract will run for 11 months (January 2026 - November 2026).

You’ll lead a small, high-performing team and partner with the Executive team to support our growth plans, nurture an inclusive culture, and ensure everyone at Leonardo can do their best work.

This role is based in Sydney with a hybrid work setup. We spend time together in our waterfront North Sydney office at least once per week.

What you’ll do

• Lead a team of three across People and Talent Acquisition, giving clear direction, coaching and support.
• Act as a strategic partner and coach to the Executive team and Senior Leadership Team (SLT), offering data‑led insights and trusted advice on people, culture and organisational design.
• Oversee delivery of the headcount plan, ensuring hiring volumes, budgets and delivery timelines stay aligned with our quarterly and annual roadmaps.
• Run our twice-yearly Growth & Impact performance cycle, coordinating calibration, feedback and Exec approvals, resulting in fair and equitable reward outcomes.
• Continually optimise our People tech stack – Hibob (HRIS), Ashby (ATS) and Deel (employer of record) – championing automation and reporting that delivers value to employees and leaders.
• Support compensation, benefits and global mobility for a distributed workforce, partnering with finance on budgeting and forecasting in alignment with Canva’s policies and overall philosophy.
• Measure and iterate on engagement, DEI and retention initiatives, using insights to recommend actionable and results-driven improvements.
• Collaborate with Canva’s People Team as needed to support shared efforts and maintain strong alignment across the two companies.