Qhs Advisor (Public Safety)

Orion; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Five extra leave days per year

Wellbeing allowance & holiday house

Job summary

Orion is seeking a QHS Advisor (Public Safety) to safeguard the community around our electricity network. You’ll work in the field with contractors, developers and the public, delivering practical safety guidance and solving real-world problems to keep people safe.

This is more than a desk role—it's a visible, community-facing position that requires clear communication and decisive action. You will educate others, manage network access and consents, investigate incidents, and contribute to

Qualifications

• Electrical knowledge and judgement to engage with diverse stakeholders
• Electrical trade qualification (EWRB) with broad experience
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills for engaging with groups and people

Responsibilities

• Be the trusted advisor on public safety around Orion's electricity network with contractors, developers and the public
• Lead difficult conversations, challenge unsafe practices, and explain why changes are needed
• Educate and influence others through practical safety guidance, site visits and community engagement
• Support safe delivery of work by managing network access, consents and mapping requests
• Investigate incidents and identify improvements to prevent recurrence
• Contribute to audits, compliance initiatives and continuous safety improvements
• Help foster a culture where safety is everyone's responsibility within Orion and with partners

Skills

Electrical experience

Communication skills

Relationship building

Technical explanation

Education

Electrical trade qualification (EWRB)

Job description

Some roles keep the business running, this one helps keep an entire community safe. As our QHS Advisor (Public Safety), you'll be out where it matters most. Working alongside contractors, developers, councils and the public to ensure work around our electricity network is carried out safely. Whether you're delivering advice, providing guidance on network access, supporting consents or helping prevent incidents before they happen, your work will make a genuine difference every day to all of our communities. This isn't just a desk-bound health and safety role. It's a highly visible position where you'll be out in the field, building relationships, solving practical problems and helping people understand what safe work around our network really looks like. At times, that means having difficult conversations, challenging the way something is being done or telling someone something they may not want to hear. You'll need the confidence to hold your ground when it matters, while still keeping the conversation constructive and the relationship intact.

About us Passionate, curious, and innovative are a few words that describe our people. We are powering the future, connecting communities, and igniting innovation. Orion owns and operates the electricity distribution network that provides power to central Canterbury. As the third largest electricity distribution network in New Zealand, we cover remote rural areas, regional towns, and the city of Christchurch. We are an essential service and take our responsibilities seriously. We are community owned and working here means a career with meaning and purpose that makes a difference in your very own neighbourhood.

• Become our trusted advisor on public safety around our electricity network working alongside contractors, developers and the public to keep people safe around electrical infrastructure
• Have the conversations that aren't always easy, confidently challenging unsafe practices, explaining why something can't continue and working with people to find a practical way forward
• Educate and influence others through practical safety guidance, site visits and community engagement
• Support the safe delivery of work by managing network access, consents and mapping requests
• Investigate incidents, identify improvements and help prevent them from happening again
• Investigate incident and play a role in audits, compliance and initiatives that continuously improve outcomes
• Help shape a culture where safety is everyone's responsibility, both within Orion and across our partners

About you You'll bring broad electrical experience and the confidence to deal with all sorts of people and situations. You don't need to come from a health and safety background, what matters is your electrical knowledge, judgement and ability to speak up when something isn't right. Your experience will ideally span a mix of electrical environments, giving you a well-rounded understanding of electrical work and the risks that come with it.

• An electrical trade qualification (EWRB) and a depth of broad electrical experience
• Ability to explain technical information in a practical, easy-to-understand way with confidence having difficult conversations and challenging unsafe practices
• The judgement to know when to educate, influence or hold the line
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills with the confidence presenting to various groups
• Ability to make technical information practical and easy to understand
• A proactive approach and genuine commitment and passion to keeping people safe

We offer You'll find at Orion, you can come as you are and just be you. You will be joining a workplace that values who you are, the work you do, and the way you think. Importantly, we offer:

• Flexible working arrangements, and flexible locations with our head office in Burnside and satellite offices in Rolleston and Ferrymead
• Five extra days of leave a year - three days of “My Days” leave and two “Orion Days” between Christmas and New Year
• A broad range of workplace benefits from a wellbeing allowance to access to our holiday house in Hanmer!

You might be surprised to find out that the company that brings the power to your home is innovative, inclusive, progressive, and quite good fun.

You must have the right to live and work in New Zealand to apply for this job. Pre-employment checks are part of our recruitment process.