People & Culture Manager Be an integral part of bringing about a major new development for this iconic, family-owned business.Be part of the Senior Leadership Team reporting to the Managing Director.Use your passion to make a significant impact by shaping the future of this vital function in the business. Established in 1972, Mercato began when Imma, at age 20, convinced her husband Mario to open their first Italian deli in South Australia. Their mission was to bring authentic Italian staples to the community, offering ingredients and foods that were hard to find at the time. Over the years, Imma and Mario became a part of their customers' lives, sharing in the traditions, conversations, and unique needs of Italian families.
In 1999, their son John and his wife Rose took over, introducing a new generational perspective while keeping the family's values at the heart of the business. Today, Mercato is an iconic Italian lifestyle destination, dedicated to sharing Italy's rich culture through quality food, wine, and experiences. Mercato stands for tradition, connection, authenticity, and love, inspiring people to live and eat well — the Italian way.
After more than 50 years, Mercato remains deeply rooted in family, community, and high standards of quality, freshness, and trust. Initially serving as a hub for the Italian community, it has grown to welcome people from all backgrounds, offering an "Italian solution" for everyone. This year marks John and his family's 25th year as proud owners, guiding Mercato through its evolution with a focus on innovation, quality, and community impact.
As part of this growth, Mercato is launching its second location in the new Eighty-Eight O'Connell Street development in North Adelaide. This 850m² store will continue Mercato's legacy and bring its rich Italian heritage to an even wider audience.
The Manager, People & Culture will be instrumental during this exciting phase in the company's life-cycle. This role will involve developing workforce strategies, partnering closely with the Managing Director and Senior Leadership Team, and fostering an environment where Mercato's values and mission are lived every day.
Join us in shaping the future of a beloved South Australian institution with a vision of community, tradition, and innovation.
What do we have on offer? Being part of longstanding family business with a rich and authentic heritage that is now an iconic part of its local and wider community.An attractive remuneration package.A family friendly and flexible work environment.20% staff discount on all items.What you will be responsible for Providing senior leadership across all aspects of Mercato's strategic and day to day people and culture domain.Building an effective People and Culture system that guides all areas of the Campbelltown and North Adelaide sites to follow consistent best practices processes that engage staff, maximise business value, minimise business risk and are fully compliant.Lead the development of workforce planning and a strategy to recruit and onboard new staff to meet the needs of the new North Adelaide store.Partner with other business leaders and team managers in providing them with expert support and assistance in a range of people and culture matters on a day-to-day basis.Drive change management initiatives and support a growing workforce.Ensure that Mercato has a learning and development program in place to address its learning and development priorities in a planned and effective manner.Provide 'hands-on' coaching and mentoring to assist senior and team leaders to manage and resolve difficult and/or complex people related issues in a fair and constructive manner.Operate as an effective and collaborative member of the Senior Leadership Team.What you will bring Tertiary qualifications in Human Resources Management, Business Management, or other relevant discipline.Demonstrated experience in leading the people and culture function across a small to medium enterprise, either as a team leader or sole practitioner.An excellent ability to work with the Managing Director and Senior Leadership Team to build on and foster widespread ownership of a culture driven by Mercato's just cause, vision and values.Passion for people, human resources and continuous improvement.Strategic thinking and planning skills with the ability to proactively execute and deliver major change initiatives and projects to completion.Exemplary interpersonal and self-reflection skills that build trust, cooperation and the ability to influence change.Demonstrated experience in building whole-organizational systems, including the development of policies and procedures, processes and operational frameworks covering a wide range of people management functions.Agility and responsiveness – comfortable adapting quickly to changing priorities and working on a number of priorities at the same time. For any enquiries, please contact Elaine Golding at Momentum Organisational Solutions: Email: [email protected] Phone: ******** To apply, please forward your CV and a brief cover letter to Elaine. A copy of the Position Description can be found https://mercato.com.au/pages/careers Applications close on Sunday 10th November.