Senior Work Health and Safety Advisor

NSW Health; St Leonards; Hybrid; AUD 133,000 - 147,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

Ministry of Health is seeking a Senior Advisor, WHS to join the People & Culture team. You will provide specialist advice on work health and safety, drive strategic WHS initiatives and support a safe, healthy and thriving workplace across the organisation.

The role involves partnering with senior leaders, managers and employees to foster a safety-first culture, lead governance of WHS processes, and deliver practical, risk-based solutions in a complex environment.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience providing specialist advise on work health and safety matters within a complex organisational environment.
• Strong knowledge of WHS legislation, policy frameworks, standards and best practice.

Responsibilities

• Partner with leaders to create safe, healthy workplaces and foster psychological safety.
• Act as a trusted WHS advisor, guiding managers on complex safety matters and providing practical solutions.
• Lead the governance of WHS framework, identifying risks, trends and issues proactively.
• Use data and insights to identify improvement opportunities and drive safety initiatives.
• Facilitate consultation with leaders, employees and Health and Safety committees to support safety outcomes.
• Support leaders during incidents, ensuring investigations are effective and lessons translated into improvements.
• Co-design WHS education and improvement initiatives to build capability and shared accountability.
• Contribute to strategic projects enhancing the Ministry's safety and wellbeing approach.

Skills

WHS specialist advice

WHS legislation knowledge

Stakeholder engagement

Project leadership

Risk management

Education

Tertiary qualifications in WHS

Job description

Employment Type: Full Time Ongoing
Position Classification: Crown Clerk grade 9/10
Remuneration: $133,348 - $146,945 plus Superannuation and Leave Loading
Location: 1 Reserve Road, St Leonards NSW
Hours Per Week: 35 hours
Requisition ID: REQ693090
Closing Date: Monday 5 October 2026

Are you a passionate WHS professional who thrives on influencing culture, building strong partnerships, and driving meaningful change? If so, come join the People & Culture team at Ministry of Health for an exciting ongoing opportunity and be part of the team enriching health in millions of ways every day.

We are looking for a Senior Advisor, WHS to join our high-performing People & Culture team and play a pivotal role in creating a safe, healthy, and thriving workplace. It's an opportunity to work alongside leaders and teams to foster a genuine safety-first culture where people feel supported, risks are proactively managed, and wellbeing is embedded into everything we do.

About us

• Our core values of collaboration, openness, respect, and empowerment are more than just words – they are the guiding principles that shape every aspect of our work.
• While regular office presence is essential, we offer flexible work arrangements to support your needs.
• Committed to fostering diverse and inclusive workplace for all.
• The People & Culture team is a high-performing team that combines professionalism with genuine care for one another. We value people who bring a positive attitude, work collaboratively and contribute to our collective success.

To learn more about the Ministry and what benefits we offer, access our Employee Benefits Handbook.

About the role

With your skills and experience, you can contribute to the millions of ways we are enhancing health and wellness while developing your career as part of the largest health organisation in Australia.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a high performing People and Culture team and play a key role in strengthening a positive safety culture that supports the health, safety and wellbeing of our people. Working closely with senior leaders, People and Culture Business Partners, employees and external stakeholders, you will provide specialist advice on work health and safety matters, drive strategic WHS initiatives and contribute to building safe and healthy workplaces across the organisation.

This is an excellent opportunity for a WHS professional who enjoys working in a complex environment, influencing stakeholders and delivering meaningful workplace safety outcomes.

For more information, please read the full Role Description.

What you will be doing

• Partner with leaders across the Ministry to create safe, healthy and psychologically safe workplaces where people can perform at their best.
• Act as a trusted WHS advisor, helping managers navigate complex workplace safety matters and providing practical, risk-based solutions.
• Lead the coordination of the Ministry's WHS governance framework, ensuring safety risks, trends and emerging issues are identified and addressed proactively.
• Use data and insights to identify opportunities for improvement and drive initiatives that strengthen workplace safety, wellbeing and organisational capability.
• Facilitate meaningful consultation and collaboration with leaders, employees, Health and Safety committee members and other stakeholders to support positive safety outcomes.
• Support leaders through workplace incidents and critical events, ensuring investigations are conducted effectively and lessons learned translate into sustainable improvements.
• Co-design and deliver engaging WHS education, awareness and improvement initiatives that build capability and encourage shared accountability for safety.
• Contribute to strategic projects and organisational initiatives that enhance the Ministry's approach to work health, safety and wellbeing.

About you

We are seeking motivated and committed individuals who can support the work of NSW Health with:

• Demonstrated experience providing specialist advice on work health and safety matters within a complex organisational environment.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of WHS legislation, policy frameworks, standards and contemporary best practice.
• Experience managing WHS investigations, audits, risk management activities and preventative initiatives.
• Proven ability to analyse information, identify emerging risks and develop practical solutions that improve organisational outcomes.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships across all levels of an organisation.
• Experience leading projects, coordinating competing priorities and delivering high-quality outcomes within agreed timeframes.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications in Work Health and Safety, Occupational Health and Safety, Risk Management or a related discipline, or significant relevant experience in a related field

Closing Date: Monday 5 October 2026

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion

At the Ministry of Health, we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and flexible environment which reflects the community and customers we serve. We actively promote the employment of women, people with a disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, LGBTIQ+ community and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. For more information, please visit Diversity Inclusion Belonging

If you identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and would like assistance with your application or to obtain more information on how to apply, please visit The Stepping Up Initiative.

To be eligible for employment in these roles you must be an Australian citizen, or a permanent resident, or a New Zealand citizen, or hold a valid visa with permission to work in Australia.

Applications Close: 11:59pm, Monday 5 October 2026

Additional information

1. 1.This recruitment may be used to create a Talent Pool for similar future roles (ongoing or temporary) that may arise over the next 18 months.
2. 2.For more information on applying visit the our career portal
3. 3.Please note that the selection process will include a range of comparative assessment techniques to assist in determining your suitability for the role.