• People and Culture | UniSC Sunshine Coast Campus, Sippy Downs
• Attractive remuneration commensurate with skills and experience, plus 17% superannuation
• Full-time, ongoing opportunity with relocation assistance available for interstate candidates

The Opportunity

UniSC is seeking an accomplished and influential Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing to provide enterprise leadership across health, safety, wellbeing and injury management. Reporting to the Chief People Officer and as a key member of the P&C leadership team, you will lead a specialist function with significant reach across UniSC’s diverse, multi-site environment.

With responsibility for UniSC’s HSW strategy and operating framework, you will work closely with University Executive and senior leaders to shape strategy, strengthen governance and manage complex and emerging risk. You will bring together strategic leadership and operational expertise, ensuring health, safety and wellbeing are embedded in organisational decision-making, planning and everyday practice.

This is a significant leadership opportunity to shape the next evolution of HSW at UniSC. You will influence across academic, professional and operational environments, build organisational capability and lead a specialist team to deliver meaningful and sustainable improvements in safety, wellbeing and organisational performance.

You will

• Lead enterprise HSW strategy and direction, strengthening a proactive and mature safety culture across a complex, multi-site University.
• Lead and develop a specialist HSW team, building capability, accountability and high performance across health, safety, wellbeing and injury management.
• Advise and influence Executive and senior leaders, bringing sound judgement and expertise to complex health, safety, risk and organisational matters.
• Strengthen governance, systems and assurance, ensuring contemporary frameworks and practices effectively manage risk and regulatory obligations.
• Drive organisational capability and performance, using evidence, insight and meaningful measures to identify priorities and improve outcomes.
• Build shared ownership for HSW, creating trusted partnerships and embedding health, safety and wellbeing across how UniSC leads and operates.

About you

You are an accomplished Health, Safety and Wellbeing leader with the experience, credibility and strategic capability to lead HSW at enterprise scale. You have led a significant HSW function within a large, multi-site or similarly complex organisation, bringing depth across strategy, governance, operational risk, compliance, wellbeing and culture.

You are comfortable operating at every level, advising executives and governance groups on complex and emerging risks while remaining connected to operational realities. You bring sound judgement, contemporary HSW expertise and the ability to turn strategy and leading practice into practical, sustainable outcomes.

An authentic and influential people leader, you build high-performing specialist teams and trusted partnerships across diverse environments. You know that great HSW leadership goes beyond compliance, building capability, influencing culture and creating shared ownership for a safe, healthy and thriving workplace.

You will possess:

• Relevant qualifications, or equivalent combination of qualifications and extensive senior experience, in Workplace Health and Safety, Occupational Health, Organisational Psychology, Human Resources or a related discipline.
• Substantial senior leadership experience in Health, Safety and Wellbeing within a large, complex and multi-site organisation, with the breadth and depth to lead an enterprise-wide function.
• A strong track record of shaping and delivering contemporary HSW strategies, frameworks and systems that strengthen organisational performance, culture and capability.
• Deep expertise across safety leadership, risk, governance, compliance and assurance, with the judgement to navigate complex and emerging issues.
• Demonstrated success in shifting safety culture and building organisational ownership, translating strategy and evidence into practical and sustainable change.
• Proven experience leading and developing high-performing specialist teams, building capability, accountability and performance.
• The credibility, presence and influencing capability to operate effectively with senior executives, governance bodies and diverse stakeholders across a complex organisation.
• Capacity to work primarily from UniSC’s Sippy Downs campus on the Sunshine Coast, four days per week. Relocation assistance is available for successful interstate candidates.

This is an opportunity to make a meaningful, University-wide impact while leading the continued evolution of UniSC’s health, safety and wellbeing function.

Don't meet every requirement? At UniSC, we understand that your work and life experiences can be just as valuable. If you're excited about this role but your CV doesn't align perfectly with our position description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or one of our many other opportunities.

UniSC is an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, including those with disabilities, women in STEM, First Nations Peoples, and individuals of diverse cultures, genders, abilities, and experiences. We value achievement relative to opportunity and encourage your commentary on your achievements in this context. For additional support during the application process, please contact us at unisc-careers@usc.edu.au or call +61 7 5430 2830.

How to apply

All applications must be lodged through our website. To apply please visit our website at: Careers at UniSC

Applications for this position will be reviewed as they are received. We encourage you to apply promptly, as the campaign may close early if a suitable candidate is identified.

Position Description:  494799_Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing.pdf

Your completed application must include a resume and a statement of suitability (not to exceed two pages), which will be reviewed in alignment to the specified selection criteria as outlined within the position description.

Further information regarding how to prepare your application is available on our website: Join our team

We would love the opportunity to get to know you better, but we know it works both ways. To get to know a little more about us, visit us at: Welcome to UniSC and LinkedIn Life

UniSC values a diverse and talented workforce and invites applications from candidates who already have legal work rights in Australia.

UniSC does not accept unsolicited applications. For agency inquiries, contact unisc-careers@usc.edu.au

Have questions or want to know more? For a confidential discussion, please contact:

Deborah Walker
Director, People and Culture
Email: dwalker3@usc.edu.au

Discover UniSC

We’re all about doing work that matters, connecting with great people, and being part of an incredible journey. While we’re not the largest university, we are one of the fastest growing in Australia, now with over 2,000 staff across five campuses in South East Queensland and an expanding presence in major capital cities, and we’re making a big impact every day through ground-breaking research, a strong commitment to sustainability, high-performance sport, and award-winning alumni.

We are committed to delivering high-quality research and teaching that address major global and regional challenges, with established and emerging strengths in sustainability, environmental systems, biodiversity, aquaculture, preventative health and regional resilience. Our research excellence is internationally recognised through strong performance in global benchmarking, including leading rankings in the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings for “Zero Hunger,” “Climate Action” and “Life on Land.” UniSC is also recognised for its teaching excellence, with a strong emphasis on student success, innovative and engaging learning experiences, and strong graduate outcomes that equip learners to make meaningful contributions in their chosen fields. As the only university operating within three UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, UniSC is uniquely positioned to leverage its natural environment to advance impactful research, teaching and partnerships that support sustainable futures, with sustainability embedded across all aspects of our teaching, research and operations.

We foster a collaborative and supportive environment that encourages continuous professional development and provides the tools and resources to grow your career. We value the contributions of every team member and the role they play in our culture and success. We’re not afraid to do things differently, and we’re looking for people who share our values and want to be part of a team working together to make a meaningful difference to local and global challenges.

Our Culture & Benefits:

• Our collaborative, passionate and welcoming culture is what really sets us apart.
• Modern teaching & research facilities.
• Professional development and career pathway opportunities.
• We are a proud recipient of the prestigious Athena SWAN Bronze Award, granted as part of the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) initiative.
• Flexible work arrangements & generous leave options.
• Salary packing options + 17% Super.
• EAP, fitness passport & discounted private health.