Health, Safety & Wellbeing Manager

Dempsey Wood; Auckland; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Dempsey Wood is seeking an experienced Health, Safety & Wellbeing Manager to lead our approach to critical risk management, worker engagement and continuous improvement across projects in Auckland and beyond.

Reporting to the Commercial Director and supported by a HSW Coordinator, you will influence behaviours, provide practical advice and drive continual improvement in health, safety and wellbeing systems and culture.

Qualifications

• Proven health and safety experience within civil construction or similar high-risk industry.
• Strong knowledge of New Zealand health and safety legislation.
• Experience implementing practical health and safety systems, assurance processes and risk management frameworks.
• Ability to influence, challenge and coach people at all levels of the organisation.
• Relevant health and safety qualifications and a commitment to CPD.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of the Health, Safety & Wellbeing strategy across projects.
• Partner with project teams and leaders to improve safety performance and risk management.
• Conduct site visits, investigations, audits and critical risk reviews across projects.
• Monitor performance, identify trends and implement practical improvements.
• Champion wellbeing initiatives and foster a culture of ownership and continuous learning.
• Engage with subcontractors, suppliers and industry to lift HSW performance.

Skills

Health & safety

Leadership

Coaching

Stakeholder engagement

Audits/inspections

Education

H&S qualification

Job description

A hands-on role for someone who enjoys building relationships, influencing behaviours and helping operational teams succeed.

The best health and safety outcomes come from strong relationships, practical solutions and visible leadership. As New Zealand's health and safety landscape continues to evolve, we're seeking an experienced Health, Safety & Wellbeing Manager to lead our approach to critical risk management, worker engagement and continuous improvement. Reporting to the Commercial Director and supported by a Health, Safety & Wellbeing Coordinator, this is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys building relationships, influencing behaviours and helping operational teams succeed. Working closely with our leaders and project teams, you'll provide practical advice, coaching and support while driving continual improvement across our health, safety and wellbeing systems and culture.

What you'll be doing

• Leading the delivery of Dempsey Wood's Health, Safety & Wellbeing strategy.
• Partnering with project teams and operational leaders to strengthen safety performance and risk management.
• Undertaking site visits, investigations, audits and critical risk reviews across our projects.
• Monitoring performance, identifying trends and implementing practical improvements that make a real difference.
• Championing wellbeing initiatives and fostering a culture of ownership, accountability and continuous learning.
• Engaging proactively with subcontractors, suppliers, and industry to drive a positive safety culture, share best practice, and continuously lift health, safety and wellbeing performance across our projects

About you

You're an experienced health and safety professional who is equally comfortable on a construction site, in a project meeting or presenting to senior leaders. You understand that effective health and safety is built on leadership, engagement, and a focus on critical risks, not paperwork for paperwork's sake.

You'll also have:

• Proven health and safety experience within civil construction, infrastructure or another high-risk industry.
• Strong knowledge of New Zealand health and safety legislation.
• Experience implementing practical health and safety systems, assurance processes and risk management frameworks.
• The ability to influence, challenge and coach people at all levels of the organisation.
• Relevant health and safety qualifications and a commitment to continuous professional development.

Why Dempsey Wood?

Dempsey Wood is a respected, family-owned civil construction business with a proud history, strong values and a reputation for delivering quality outcomes. We operate across Auckland, Waikato and Northland. This is an opportunity to shape how health, safety and wellbeing is embedded across our business while working alongside a supportive leadership team that genuinely values the contribution of HSW.

If you're looking for a role where you can roll up your sleeves, build trusted relationships and make a meaningful impact, we'd love to hear from you.