• Provide expert leadership and authoritative operational safety advice and guidance.
• Fixed, Full-Time Opportunity for two years.
• STS Grade 7: $188,297 - $256,088 plus superannuation.

The Department of Justice and Community Safety is seeking a Principal Lead, Safety to provide a critical role within Safety, Wellbeing and Compliance.

About the Business Unit

People, Safety, Culture and Communications' (PSCCs) core functions span the breadth of workplace cultural and people matters, including human resource policy and strategy; organisational culture and change; recruitment, redeployment, and retention; performance and development; pay, benefits and workforce reporting; occupational health and safety management; and employment regulations.

The Principal Lead Safety sits within Safety, Wellbeing and Compliance (SWC), a branch of the PSCC in the Department of Justice and Community Safety (the department). The SWC branch provides process, systems and services to support the department to meet its responsibilities under health and safety laws (Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, Dangerous Goods Act 1985 and Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013).

About the Role

Step into a career defining role where your safety expertise won't just be valued, it will shape the future! This is more than a job, it could be your next big move.

The Principal Lead Safety will report to the Senior Director of Safety, Wellbeing and Compliance and is solely accountable for leading the Safety function across the department. This role is dedicated exclusively to safety, with a clear mandate to guide the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the department's safety strategy.

You will provide high-level strategic advice to ensure that safety is embedded as a core value and fully aligned with departmental objectives. As both a strategic and hands-on leader, you will proactively coach and mentor leaders and employees to strengthen their understanding, ownership, and engagement in all aspects of safety—physical and psychosocial. Your focus will be on identifying and controlling workplace risks through a preventative and informed safety culture.

This position calls for a seasoned safety leader with deep expertise in health and safety regulations, particularly within complex and high-risk environments. With a sole focus on safety, this role will drive meaningful cultural change, elevate psychological and physical safety standards, and foster continuous improvement to embed a safety-first mindset throughout the department.

Some of your duties will include:

• Lead high level discussions with internal and external stakeholders to improve safety performance outcomes through proactive risk management, targeted safety initiatives, and the promotion of a strong safety culture which will ultimately contribute to a reduction in workplace incidents and a measurable decrease in workers compensation claims and premium.
• Provide authoritative advice to ensure that Safety operations and programs are guided and informed by best practice standards.
• Pro-actively work collaboratively with the broader Safety, Wellbeing and Compliance team members to operationalise the departments Health, Safety and Wellbeing Strategy.

To learn more about this role before applying, please read the attached position description.

About you

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• Comprehensive expert knowledge, understanding and experience in the application of OHS legislation, codes of practice and regulations and the Dangerous Goods and Hazardous Substances legislation and regulations.
• Extensive industry experience in occupational health and safety management systems.
• Demonstrated experience in the identification OHS risks and developing, implementing and evaluating preventative strategies.
• Demonstrated experience in consulting with managers and staff to provide key outcomes in health and safety, change management and related workplace improvement initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience in contributing to cultural change in health, safety, and wellbeing.
• Highly developed communication skills with the ability to influence and lead.
• Significant people management experience in strategic safety leadership roles.
• Demonstrated success operationalising safety strategies in large, complex, high risk businesses.
• Composure, resilience, sound judgement and the ability to navigate organisational complexity.

Qualifications/requirements

• A suitably qualified person, with a degree in occupational/workplace health and safety is highly desirable.
• A full and current driver's license is required due to the need to work across different locations.

Applications close 11:59 Wednesday 30th July

How to Apply

Please click the Apply button on this advertisement. Applications should include a resume and covering letter. Attachments can be uploaded in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt or .rtf formats.

The successful candidate will be required to undergo pre-employment checks which may include a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) and misconduct screening.

If you require adjustments to the recruitment and selection process, or require an alternative format to any of the application material, please don't hesitate to get in touch with the contact person listed on this ad.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

CHILD SAFE STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT:

The Department of Justice and Community Safety is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. We seek to prevent harm of any kind impacting children and young people and have zero tolerance for racism, child abuse and inequality. Children and young people's rights, relationships, identity, and culture must be recognised and respected, their voices heard, and their concerns acted upon. We aim to foster a culturally safe, child safe and child friendly environment for all children and young people we have contact with, deliver services to, or are impacted by our work.