H&S Senior Advisor

Marketplace; Bay of Plenty; Remote; NZD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is seeking a Health and Safety Senior Advisor to provide expert advice and guidance across district-level health and safety services. You will drive compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, ISO 45001 and incident investigations, while building capability and supporting continuous improvement.

You will coach and mentor health and safety practitioners, collaborate with district teams and external partners, and occasional travel to Whakatāne, Rotorua

Qualifications

• 5 to 10 years' health and safety delivery experience.
• In-depth knowledge and practical experience applying the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, associated regulations, the ACC Accredited Employer Programme and ISO 45001.
• Experience undertaking serious or significant incident investigations and applying lessons learned to improve health and safety outcomes.
• Strong risk management capability, including identifying risks and developing, implementing and monitoring effective controls.
• Experience coaching, training and mentoring health and safety practitioners and building capability within teams.
• An understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 and equity commitments.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert health and safety advice to support district-level delivery.
• Help ensure local practices meet Health New Zealand requirements and comply with legislation and standards.
• Contribute to district health and safety plans and national programmes; support ICAM investigations, risk monitoring and escalation of incidents.
• Coach and mentor practitioners to raise capability and consistent application of standards.
• Travel to other locations as required (Whakatāne, Rotorua weekly; Taupō fortnightly; Gisborne potentially).

Skills

Health & Safety delivery

Incident investigations

Risk management

Coaching & mentoring

Stakeholder engagement

Communication skills

Education

Health and Safety qualification

Job description

# H&S Senior Advisor at Te Whatu Ora, Bay of Plenty## Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role**District-based | Full-time****Bring your health and safety expertise to a senior advisory role supporting safer workplaces across Health New Zealand** **Influence best practice, strengthen capability and support the delivery of district and national health and safety priorities**Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is committed to providing high-quality healthcare for all New Zealanders. We are focused on improving access to care, delivering better health outcomes, achieving national health targets, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of our health system.We know that great healthcare starts with great people. That's why we are committed to building a high-performing, inclusive workplace where our people are supported to grow, contribute and make a real difference for patients, whānau and communities across Aotearoa.**About the Role**As **Health and Safety Senior Advisor**, you will provide expert advice, guidance and subject matter expertise to support the delivery of effective health and safety services at a district level. Reporting to the District Health and Safety Delivery Manager, you will help ensure local practices meet Health New Zealand requirements and comply with relevant legislation, regulations and industry standards.You will contribute to district health and safety plans and the local implementation of national programmes, while providing specialist support across incident investigation, risk management, monitoring and compliance. You will participate in high-level ICAM investigations, identify and monitor critical risks and controls, and support the appropriate escalation of significant incidents and potential WorkSafe New Zealand notifications.A key part of the position is building health and safety capability across the district. You will coach, train and mentor less experienced health and safety practitioners, helping ensure consistent application of Health New Zealand standards and supporting continuous improvement across the service. This will include travel to other locations as required, this might include travelling to Whakatāne and Rotorua weekly, Taupō fortnightly, and potentially Gisborne.**About the Team/Service/Location**You will be part of **People and Culture, Occupational Health, Safety and Organisational Resilience**, working closely with Health and Safety Business Partners, District Occupational Health teams, operational managers and other Health and Safety Delivery team members. The position will be based at a main health and safety service location within the relevant district.You will also build relationships across the wider organisation and with external stakeholders including WorkSafe New Zealand, ACC, professional bodies, union partners, contractors and other government agencies.**About You**You are an experienced health and safety professional who can provide trusted technical advice while working effectively in complex and changing operational environments. You bring strong judgement, an inclusive and collaborative approach, and the confidence to positively influence stakeholders at all levels.You will bring:* **5 to 10 years' health and safety delivery experience**, ideally within healthcare or a similarly complex industry.* In-depth knowledge and practical experience applying the **Health and Safety at Work Act 2015**, associated regulations, the ACC Accredited Employer Programme and **ISO 45001**.* Experience undertaking serious or significant incident investigations and applying lessons learned to improve health and safety outcomes.* Strong risk management capability, including identifying risks and developing, implementing and monitoring effective controls.* Experience coaching, training and mentoring health and safety practitioners and building capability within teams.* A Health and Safety qualification, or equivalent demonstrated experience, along with strong communication, stakeholder engagement and problem-solving skills.You will also demonstrate an understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the **Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022**, equity commitments and the importance of culturally safe ways of working.**Working for Health New Zealand**Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a workforce that is diverse and inclusive so that we are better positioned to understand and serve our communities. We welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled and rainbow communities.**How to Apply**To apply, please click**“apply now.”** All applications must be submitted through our online careers portal by **Sunday 22 November 2026**If you have any questions about the role, please contact: **Cherushka Pillay@****[e-mail]****The full position description is available on the Health New Zealand Careers site.**## Ngā taipitopito tūranga mahi | Job details| | || --- | --- || Employer: | Te Whatu Ora || Location: | Bay of Plenty || Position type: | Permanent Full time || Category: | || Date listed: | 06-Nov-2026 || Salary range: | N/A || Closing date: | 22-Nov-2026 || Reference: | HNZ/1954742 || Attachment: | HNZ PD Health and Safety Senior Advisor .pdf (PDF, 375KB)Job Description || File links: | || Website: | |Note: You may be redirected to the employer's careers website.