HR Consultant for Small and Growing Businesses in Sydney
MTS Talent gives Sydney businesses without an HR manager senior HR support from Ian Lilley FCPHR, a former HR Director. Choose a monthly retainer, a bank of hours or one-off help with compliance, performance, policies and succession.
How you can engage
Ongoing support or a one-off fix
Choose the way of working that suits your business. Whichever you pick, you get the same senior advice from Ian every time.
Senior HR in your corner every month, so issues get caught early, not at crisis point.
Senior HR on tap. No retainer and no full-time hire.
A live issue just landed? Experienced help today, with no monthly commitment.
Find the people risks before they find you. A clear view of where you stand and what to fix first.
Every option is scoped to your business and quoted upfront after a free discovery call.
What we help with
Senior HR support where growing businesses feel the pressure
Practical help with the people issues that land on the owner's desk when there is no HR manager.
Obligations, policies and records
Risk and compliance
Employment and workplace obligations keep changing. Gaps in contracts, policies, processes or record-keeping create unnecessary risk, especially as you grow or face change.
- People-Risk Snapshot: a short written picture of gaps and exposure
- A 90-day priority list and a working session with your leadership team
- Award, classification and payroll practice
- Contracts, onboarding and work-rights records
Coaching and managing performance
Performance management
Performance issues rarely stay contained. We help managers address them early, fairly and with confidence.
- Guidance on holding effective performance conversations
- Support with performance improvement processes
- Coaching for managers on difficult discussions
- Practical frameworks for ongoing performance management
Growth, change and key roles
Succession planning
Key person risk is one of the most common weak spots in a growing business. We help you plan before it becomes urgent.
- Identifying critical roles and key person risks
- Practical succession and contingency planning
- Knowledge transfer and handover support
- Preparing people for step-up opportunities
Documentation that fits how you operate
Policies, contracts and onboarding
Clear contracts, workplace policies and a practical onboarding path reduce risk and help new starters settle in faster.
- Employment contracts and documentation
- Workplace policies that fit how you actually operate
- Practical onboarding design
- Work-rights and record-keeping that stands up to scrutiny
Also need hiring help, or live employee relations or training support? See Recruitment, Employee Relations and Awards or Training and Development, or start on All services.
Industries we work with
Built for award-heavy, multi-site workplaces
Growing businesses with 10 to 200 people, especially where awards, shifts and multiple sites make people issues harder.
Warehousing and distribution
Multi-site teams, shift rosters and award questions that need clear answers.
Manufacturing and production
Shift work, safety-critical roles and supervisors who need practical support.
Trades
Technicians, maintenance teams and apprentices, with the award and WHS questions that come with them.
Logistics and transport
Drivers, depots and dispatch teams spread across sites and shifts.
Hospitality
Rosters, penalty rates and busy frontline teams across venues.
Aged care and disability care
Care teams where rosters, award compliance and psychosocial risk all matter.
How we work
Practical senior HR, not a paperwork factory
The same approach whether you are on a retainer, a bank of hours or a one-off piece of work.
Practical, solution focused
What actually works in real businesses, not idealised theory.
Risk-aware, not risk-obsessed
Compliance and psychosocial risk managed without unnecessary complexity.
Clear and direct
Honest advice and recommendations you can act on straight away.
Support, not just documents
Available when issues come up, not only when policies need writing.
Why a former HR Director
Senior HR advice without hiring a full-time HR manager
Most of our clients have an accidental HR manager: the owner, the operations manager or the finance lead. You get the experience of someone who has run HR in multi-site industrial operations, without the full-time cost.
- One senior point of contact. Ian does the work or reviews it personally, every time.
- Industrial and award-heavy workplaces. Experience across manufacturing, warehousing, logistics and similar environments.
- HR and IR advice, not legal advice. If a matter needs a lawyer, we will tell you early.
Ian has led restructures, investigations, award audits and hard conversations.
No juniors, no call centre, no hand-offs, just plain advice you can act on.
Who you work with
Ian Lilley FCPHR
Founder and Principal Consultant. Former HR Director with 25 years in HR, including 15+ years in senior roles, much of it across multi-site industrial, manufacturing and supply chain operations. Fellow of the Australian HR Institute (AHRI).
Knows the floor
Years running HR on multi-site industrial operations.
Plain advice
Honest recommendations you can act on straight away.
Compliance covered
Awards, contracts, policies and compliance handled properly.
Servicing Sydney
Sydney and NSW employers, on site or online.
Free discovery call
Talk it through on a free 15-minute call
No obligation, just a straight conversation. Ian can help you work through questions like these.
Common questions
Questions about HR consulting
Do I need a monthly retainer?
No. Choose retained HR support, a Small Business Bank of Hours for teams under 15, or ad hoc help with no monthly commitment.
We have no HR manager. Is this for us?
Yes. Most clients are businesses where the owner, operations manager or finance lead has become the accidental HR manager.
Where should we start?
Most clients start with a Business Health Check, which finds the people risks before they find you. If you are not sure, book a free discovery call and Ian will point you in the right direction.
How are fees handled?
Every engagement is scoped to your business and quoted upfront after a free discovery call. We do not publish prices on the website.
Do you give legal advice?
No. We provide HR and IR advice, not legal advice. If a matter needs a lawyer, we will tell you early.
Can HR consulting sit alongside recruitment?
Yes. Many clients combine permanent recruitment with contracts, onboarding and ongoing HR support so the hire sticks.
Related: All services | Recruitment | Employee Relations and Awards | Training and Development | FAQ
Ready to take the people pressure off your plate?
Book a free discovery call with Ian. No obligation, just a straight conversation about what's right for your business.
Book a discovery call