Manager, Advisory Operations (Health & Safety)

University of New South Wales; Sydney; On-site; AUD 153,000 - 163,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working options

Career development

17% superannuation

Annual leave loading

Job summary

UNSW is seeking a seasoned operational leader to head the Health & Safety advisory function. Based in Sydney, Kensington on-site with hybrid options, you will oversee 13 Advisors, embedding a new operating model and ensuring resources align to risk, workload and stakeholder needs.

You will partner with senior leaders to set strategy, manage demand, and drive continuous improvement in service delivery. You bring a track record of leading complex teams, strong governance, and data-informed

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading operational, advisory, project delivery or professional services teams.
• Proven capability in service provision across complex risk assessment, incident management and investigations.
• Experience establishing or improving service delivery frameworks, governance structures and processes.
• Strong people leadership, coaching and performance management.

Responsibilities

• Manage and develop a team of Health & Safety Advisors, driving capability uplift and performance.
• Oversee change initiatives across Faculties and Divisions.
• Lead workforce planning, resource allocation and workload management.
• Partner with senior leaders to align resources with priorities and risk.
• Monitor service demand and performance metrics to drive improvement.
• Ensure governance, workflow management and reporting through systems.
• Build relationships across academic, operational and professional services environments.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and outcomes.

Skills

People leadership

Operations management

Service delivery

Stakeholder engagement

Data analysis

Risk management

Education

Tertiary qualification in Health & Safety or related field

Tools

Job description

Manager, Advisory Operations (Health & Safety)

Job no: 543924
Work type: Full Time
Location: Sydney, NSW
Categories: Risk & Safety, Management

Employment Type: Full-time, Continuing
Remuneration: $153k-$163k + 17% superannuation & leave loading
Location: Kensington (on-site role, hybrid working available)
Level: Senior Manager

Why your role matters

At UNSW, we're reimagining how services are delivered to support a complex, dynamic and world-leading university environment. We're looking for an experienced operational manager to help shape the future of our advisory services model. Specialist understanding of health & safety would be beneficial but not required.

The opportunity

Reporting to the Head of Health & Safety Operations, this role oversees 13 Health & Safety Advisors who support our faculties, divisions and operational areas across the University.

As the operational leader of the advisory function, you will initially play a critical role in embedding a new operating model and supporting ongoing organisational change. Day‑ to‑ day, this role ensures the advisory services are effectively resourced and allocated to specialised Health & Safety Partners that ensure their Faculty and Divisional stakeholders receive responsive, high-quality support aligned to their needs and risk profile.

Key responsibilities

• Manage and develop a team of Health & Safey Advisors, driving capability uplift, engagement and performance.
• Support the implementation of agreed change plans across Faculties and Divisions.
• Oversee workforce planning, resource allocation and workload management across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Partner with senior leaders to understand priorities, risks and service requirements, ensuring resources are aligned to business needs.
• Monitor service demand, utilisation, performance metrics and stakeholder feedback to drive continuous improvement.
• Ensure effective governance, workflow management and reporting through systems and processes.
• Build collaborative relationships across academic, operational and professional services environments.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, service quality and organisational outcomes.

The role reports to Head of Health & Safety Operations, managing a team of Advisors who hold dotted reporting lines to our eight embedded Health & Safety Partners to deliver frontline health and safety support across all Faculties, Divisions, campuses and regional operations

Who you are

A highly capable people leader, operations manager and service delivery professional who thrives in complex organisations, enjoys solving resource and service delivery challenges, and can build strong relationships across diverse stakeholder groups. You bring:

• Significant experience leading operational, advisory, project delivery or professional services teams.
• Proven capability in service provision across complex risk assessment methodology, incident management and investigation, assurance activities, consultation, and the design and implementation of risk mitigation solutions.
• Experience establishing or improving service delivery frameworks, governance structures and operational processes.
• Strong people leadership skills, including coaching, capability development and performance management.
• Experience managing competing priorities, resources and service demand in a complex environment.
• Experience working within matrixed organisations and managing stakeholder engagement, with the ability to build credibility across varied stakeholder groups.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability, with an ability to use data and insights to inform decisions.
• A continuous improvement mindset and a passion for building high-performing teams.
• Leadership experience within complex risk environments, preferably across multiple industries (with relevant tertiary qualification preferred).
• Working knowledge to oversee of workers compensation and injury management to enable front‑line triage and response for potential psychological injury.
• Knowledge of psychosocial risk and integration of Health & Wellbeing considerations into operational practice.

The above offers a summary of role and skills & experience, refer to the position description for further details

Job Queries: Katherine Molloy, Talent Acquisition Partner, for any recruitment-related enquiries
[e-mail]

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. If you want a career where you can thrive, be challenged and do meaningful work, you’re in the right place.

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
• Career development and leadership opportunities
• 17% flexible superannuation contributions and additional leave loading payments
• Additional leave over the Christmas period
• Discounts and entitlements across retail, education, and fitness providers

Pre-Employment Checks: As part of our recruitment process, candidates may be required to undergo pre-employment screening, including qualification verification, reference checks, right-to-work verification, and criminal history screening where relevant to the role.

UNSW is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. Applications from women, people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those living with disability, 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.

Advertised: 02 Nov 2026 AUS Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: 15 Nov 2026 AUS Eastern Daylight Time