Head of Safety & Risk | Digital Infrastructure

HRG - Executive Search & Recruitment; Sydney; On-site; AUD 210,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

HRG - Executive Search & Recruitment is seeking a Head of Safety & Risk to lead enterprise risk management and national WHS across a distributed Australian digital infrastructure portfolio in Sydney or Brisbane.

The role emphasizes executive reporting, board-level influence, and strengthening ISO-aligned systems and safety practices with autonomy to drive improvements across projects and operations.

Qualifications

• Experience leading enterprise risk management programs (ISO 31000 aligned).
• Senior WHS/HSE leadership across large-scale infrastructure projects.

Responsibilities

• Own ISO 31000-aligned risk framework and risk appetite.
• Lead National WHS across distributed infrastructure portfolio.
• Deliver quarterly risk dashboards and Board materials.
• Drive contractor assurance and incident management across sites.

Skills

Enterprise risk management

Safety leadership

WHS management

ISO 45001/14001/9001

Executive reporting

Tools

ISO frameworks

Job description

Head of Safety & Risk | Digital Infrastructure

Head of Safety & Risk | Digital Infrastructure

Sydney or Brisbane

Experienced safety and risk leader ready for greater ownership and influence?

Take ownership of enterprise risk and national safety across an established digital infrastructure portfolio, with the autonomy to strengthen systems and influence decisions at executive and Board level.

You’ll have the scope to make a real difference, from embedding enterprise risk management across the business to shaping WHS systems, improving operational practices and strengthening ISO aligned management processes.

The focus is on someone who brings sound judgement to risk, knows how to make safety work in practice and drives action through to completion.

What’s on Offer

• National Ownership - Lead enterprise risk and WHS across a geographically distributed Australian infrastructure portfolio.
• Executive & Board Influence - Provide clear advice and reporting that help senior leaders understand risks, set priorities and make informed decisions.
• Shape Safety & Risk - Build on existing foundations, identify gaps and improve frameworks, systems and operational practices.
• Real Operational Impact - Strengthen contractor assurance, incident management and safety controls across projects, maintenance and operations.
• Autonomy to Lead - Set priorities, challenge constructively and see improvements through.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead Enterprise Risk Management - Own the ISO 31000-aligned framework, support a clear risk appetite, maintain the enterprise risk register and work with accountable business owners on mitigation plans.
• Lead National WHS - Operate and improve safety management systems, policies and procedures, applying a strong understanding of WHS legislation.
• Deliver Board & Risk Reporting -Prepare quarterly enterprise risk dashboards and Board and Audit & Risk Committee materials, providing visibility of emerging risks, control effectiveness and outstanding actions.
• Strengthen ISO Aligned Systems - Drive performance across ISO 45001, ISO 14001 and ISO 9001, and apply ISO 45003 guidance on psychosocial risk.
• Drive Incident Follow Through - Oversee reporting, investigations and corrective actions, ensuring actions are verified before closure and lessons are shared.
• Lead Contractor Assurance - Strengthen onboarding, audits and compliance within the safety remit, coordinating site inspections with state and regional representatives.
• Improve Operational Visibility - Strengthen central tracking of incidents, audits and actions, and support practical incident-response and crisis-management exercises.

What Will Make You Successful

You’ll bring demonstrated capability in enterprise risk management and operational safety, with the confidence to work across both senior leadership and field operations.

Your experience will include:

• Managing enterprise risk frameworks, ideally aligned with ISO 31000, including risk registers, mitigation plans and executive or Board reporting.
• Senior WHS/HSE leadership across telecommunications projects, network rollout, infrastructure construction or maintenance, or comparable utilities, energy or infrastructure environments.
• Operating and improving ISO 45001-aligned security management systems, with relevant experience across ISO 14001 and ISO 9001, and an understanding of ISO 45003 psychosocial risk guidance.
• Managing contractor safety, incident investigations, audits and corrective actions across multiple sites or a distributed workforce.
• Applying sound WHS legislative knowledge and communicating complex safety and risk matters clearly.

You may be a Head of Safety and Risk, a National WHS/HSEQ Manager with enterprise risk responsibility, or a GM with broader risk and compliance experience and strong operational WHS credentials. What matters is what you have owned, improved and delivered.

Why Apply?

This role offers the opportunity to influence how a national business understands risk, makes decisions and keeps people safe.

You’ll have the independence to strengthen the function, the access to influence senior leaders and the operational involvement to see your work make a difference.