Director of Health and Safety

Director of Health and Safety

Job no: 527725

Work type: full time

Location: Sydney, NSW

Categories: Professional Leadership, Risk & Safety, Management

Employment Type: Full time, continuing

Remuneration: Attractive competitive salary package

Location: Kensington Campus NSW (Hybrid Flexible Working)

About UNSW

UNSW isn’t like other places you’ve worked. Yes, we’re a large organisation with a diverse and talented community; a community doing extraordinary things. Together, we are driven to be thoughtful, practical, and purposeful in all we do. Taking this combined approach is what makes our work matter. It’s the reason we’re one of the top 20 universities in the world and a member of Australia’s prestigious Group of Eight. If you want a career where you can thrive, be challenged and do meaningful work, you’re in the right place.

About this opportunity

The safety, health, and wellbeing of our staff, students and partners is a critical enabler in UNSW’s continued pursuit of societal impact through excellence in education and research. To this end we are looking for a new Director, Health & Safety to lead a proactive, contemporary and embedded approach to health and safety. This approach has the entire “UNSW community” at front of mind, and will focus on continually appraising and enhancing our health and safety landscape, performance and culture. We are proud to say that UNSW has some globally recognised safety experts and leaders, in terms of subject matter expertise to draw from within our peer networks.

The Director, Health & Safety is the driving force responsible for providing strategic, consultative and operational leadership to UNSW, in order to optimise and embed a best practice safety culture. This includes continual review of our safety management system, and ultimately ensuring that UNSW Health & Safety Strategy is implemented to best achieve and be responsive to our current and emerging objectives.

At UNSW we have both a broad and diverse safety imprint and landscape, and we are looking for a visionary collaborative and consultative leader to join our team of safety professionals on our continuing journey to embed intuitive and continually emerging safety frameworks and methodologies.

With the diversity of our organizational safety profile/imprint in mind, both from a geographical and sheer diversity of portfolio perspective, we are looking for a safety executive who has demonstrable experience from concept and consultation, to embedding robust responsive safety frameworks and methodologies into our organizational culture. In addition, we find ourselves with unique ever emerging health and safety considerations, that also require intuitive and inventive approaches with our stakeholders.

The Director, Health & Safety leads a team of experienced safety professionals and subject matter experts to help shape the design and the implementation of the UNSW safety strategy including the effective management of workers compensation.

This role reports to the Chief Assurance & Legal Officer, has 4 direct reports and approximately 20 indirect reports.

Skills & Experience summary

We are looking for a strategic and innovative leader, with a proven track record in stakeholder management in the Health and Safety sphere. This is an excellent opportunity for someone to shape, refine and drive through consultation and collaboration intuitive, responsive ‘best in class’ cutting edge technologies, frameworks and policies in our diverse changing and emerging health and safety profile.

Key thematic areas of responsibility for this role are:

• Culture: Demonstrate dynamic leadership to continue the transformation of the UNSW safety culture to achieve ‘Safety as a Core Value’ in partnership with the University Leadership team.


• Strategy and business planning: In collaboration with the Level 1 Safety Committee, lead the efficient implementation of the Health & Safety Strategy, ensuring the adoption of practices/behaviours to enhance UNSW’s safety performance and culture.


• Systems: Refresh and maintain UNSW’s Health and safety management system consistent with ISOs 45001 and 45003.


• Performance: Continually review and enhance the Safety Management system through understanding and leveraging the current safety performance of our community and keeping abreast of the changes to the nature of work/research in which UNSW participates.


• Capability: Coach and effectively build leadership within the team, identifying capability needs and providing development and career opportunities for the broader UNSW safety community.


• Stakeholder Engagement: Build collaborative relationships and maintain a high level of stakeholder engagement and understanding across the university, ensuring alignment and support for achieving the strategic and operational activities.

For further information on the role & responsibilities, please refer to the position description.

UNSW Benefits and Culture

People are at the core of everything we do. We recognise it is the contributions of our staff who make UNSW one of the best universities in Australia and the world. Our benefits include:

• Flexible Working Options (work from home, flexible hours etc)


• Additional 3 days leave during December festive period.


• Career development opportunities


• Up to 50% discount on UNSW courses


• Flexible 17% Superannuation contributions, additional leave-loading payments and salary sacrifice.


• Discounts and entitlements (retail, education, fitness passport)

How to Apply

Make each day matter with a meaningful career at UNSW – please upload your CV & cover letter (up to 3 pages) detailing your interest and suitability for the job (as per the skills & experience bullet points in the job description) and submit your application before Midday on 10th October Sydney time.

Please note: Sponsorship is not available for this role; valid Australian working rights are required on application.

Get in touch

For any queries please contact:

Ian Hoyles, Interim Head of Talent

E: i.hoyles@unsw.edu.au NB: This email is for contact purposes for enquiries only please ensure any applications are made via our online application process.

UNSW is committed to equity diversity and inclusion. Applications from women, people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those living with disabilities, members of the LGBTIQ+ community; and people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, are encouraged. UNSW provides workplace adjustments for people with disability, and access to flexible work options for eligible staff. The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.

Position Description

Advertised: 26 Sep 2024 AUS Eastern Standard Time

Applications close: 10 Oct 2024 AUS Eastern Daylight Time