Senior HSE Advisor

hitachi; Brisbane; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Hitachi Rail in Brisbane is seeking a senior HSE Advisor who thrives in a fast-paced environment. You will balance administrative tasks with strategic initiatives and support project safety leadership across multiple sites.

The role requires strong knowledge of Queensland safety regulations, incident investigations, risk management, audits, and ability to influence senior stakeholders and contractor teams to improve safety outcomes.

Qualifications

• A sound knowledge of the Queensland legal framework.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven leadership in HSE and risk management on major turnkey projects.
• Extensive experience overseeing contractor safety and risk.
• Proficient in applying HOP and HRO principles in complex environments.
• Skilled in risk assessment, investigations and compliance.
• Strong communicator with influence across senior and contractor levels.
• Background in high-risk sectors like rail and construction.
• Committed to integrity, ethics and a strong safety culture.

Responsibilities

• Project Safety Leadership, Expertise and Contractor Oversight, advising on safety leadership, risk management, HSE systems, incident investigations, audits and training.
• Drive continuous improvement of HSE and implement best practices, engaging the workforce and promoting positive behaviours.
• Champion a proactive safety culture across all project phases from design to delivery; facilitate leadership safety walks, forums and workshops.
• Lead development and implementation of risk management and assurance frameworks; conduct inspections and audits with reports.
• Lead learning teams, post-event reviews and coordinate safety training to drive continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with engineering, procurement, legal and contractor teams to integrate safety into project delivery; influence senior leadership.

Skills

HSE leadership

Risk management

Contractor oversight

Incident investigation

Auditing

ISO 45001

Stakeholder engagement

Safety coaching

Compliance

Rail experience

Job description

About Us

A career at Hitachi Rail will help create a legacy. With operations in every corner of the world, our work goes to the cutting-edge of digital transformation and technology. From the multi-cultural strength of our global organisation to the sustainable and innovative ways we work to bring people together, there's something for everyone to get stuck into. And that's where you come in.

Job Description:

Hitachi Rail is looking for an enthusiastic self-motivated Senior HSE Advisor who thrives in a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate is comfortable performing a wide range of tasks from administrative to strategic. The position is based in Brisbane, Australia.

Key responsibilities:

• Project Safety Leadership, Expertise and Contractor Oversight
  Providing technical advice and coaching including safety leadership, risk management, HSE systems, incident investigation, audits and training
  Drive continuous improvement of HSE, contributing to implementation of best practice, improved safety leadership, engagement with the workforce and influencing of positive behaviours
• Safety Culture Promotion
  Champion a proactive safety culture across all project phases-design to delivery.
  Facilitate leadership safety walks and interactions, forums, and workshops to embed safety, risk awareness and capability development as core project values.
  Promote open communication and feedback loops between contractors, project teams, and frontline workers.
• Risk Management and Assurance
  Lead the development and implementation of comprehensive risk management and assurance frameworks.
  Conduct HSE Performance Measure Reviews (Workplace Inspections, Observations and Internal Audits) and prepare reports outlining potential risks and areas of improvement
  Facilitate risk identification workshops with internal teams and contractors to assess and prioritise project risks.
• Human and Organisational Performance
  Implement HOP-aligned systems to enhance learning from work-as-done and build operational resilience.
  Lead learning teams and post-event reviews to drive continuous improvement and reduce harm potential.
  Collaborate with functions and coordinate learning team meetings whilst fostering ownership and accountability.
• Stakeholder Influence and Collaboration
  Partner with internal and external stakeholders including engineering, procurement, legal, and contractor teams to integrate safety and risk management into project delivery.
  Influence senior leadership to embed safety and risk considerations into strategic project decisions and contractor performance reviews.
• Compliance and Accreditation
  Ensure project compliance with local, regional, and national safety regulations.
  Lead ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 accreditation efforts across project sites and contractor operations.
  Conduct regular audits and assurance reviews of contractor HSE systems and performance.
• Management Systems and Continuous Improvement
  Support implementation and improvement of HSE management systems aligned with ISO standards.
  Development and implementation of management plans
  Ensure systems support projects and contractor operations.
  Build capability in using HSE systems through training and coaching.
• Workplace Health, Safety, Environment and Quality Statistics & Reporting
  Manage the collection, maintenance and analysis of relevant HSE performance measures including resource consumption data and metrics.

Required skills and experience:

• A sound knowledge of the Queensland legal framework is essential.
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated leadership in HSE and risk management on major turnkey projects.
• Extensive experience overseeing contractor safety and risk.
• Proficient in applying HOP and HRO principles in complex environments.
• Skilled in risk assessment, investigations, and compliance.
• Strong communicator with influence across senior and contractor levels.
• Background in high-risk sectors like rail and construction.
• Effective at building relationships and fostering continuous improvement.
• Committed to integrity, ethics, and a strong saf