Strategic Work Health & Safety Advisor

• Location – Parramatta
• Employment type – Ongoing
• Grade – Clerk Grade 7/8
• Salary – $113,574 - $125,720 per annum, plus Superannuation and annual leave loading

Your role

As our Strategic Work Health & Safety Advisor, you will provide strategic and specialist advice to support effective Work Health and Safety (WHS) services across all DCJ divisions within a strategic safety team. You will contribute to continuous improvement of the Safety Management System (SMS), strengthen risk management capability, and partner with a broad range of leaders to foster a proactive safety culture and ensure compliance with relevant legislation and polices.

What You Will Do

Your role will provide strategic WHS advice to managers and leaders to strengthen risk-informed decision-making and ensure compliance with legislative, policy, and departmental requirements. In addition, you will deliver WHS-related training sessions, briefings, and materials to build internal capability and drive behavioural change, while representing WHS at relevant forums. You will support the maintenance of divisional risk profiles, facilitate risk assessments, and promote effective implementation of control strategies. You will also monitor, analyse, and interpret WHS data to identify trends, inform strategic planning, and support evidence-based recommendations for improvement. Your role will also contribute to WHS governance and strategic advisory forums representing organisational priorities, influencing safety initiatives, and supporting aligned, evidence-based decision-making.

What We Are Looking For

We are seeking an influential and strategic Safety Advisor who can demonstrate sound knowledge and understanding of WHS legislation, regulations, policy, Codes of Practise and Standards. With a strong due diligence focus, you will demonstrate experience supporting WHS systems implementation, risk assessments, and incident investigations. You will excel at consulting with Executives across a broad range of portfolios, demonstrate advanced communication and presentation skills, both written and verbal and display expertise in stakeholder engagement. Strengths in project management, strategic thinking and adaptability will ensure your success in this varied and challenging opportunity.

Essential Requirements

• Qualifications/equivalent knowledge, skills and experience working in a professional work health and safety environment.
• Effective communication and stakeholder-engagement skills.
• Valid NSW Driver’s Licence and a willingness to drive a motor vehicle as travel may be required.

Download the role description.

To apply directly via the DCJ Careers site click here. Search for the job and click the ‘Apply now’ button.

We focus on hiring people who share our commitment and goals of inclusion, collaboration, adaptability, courage and integrity. If you meet the essential requirements and the role resonates with you, please apply – you do not need to meet every desired requirement for us to want to talk to you.

What We Offer

We offer a variety of benefits, including:

• A challenging and rewarding career
• Flexible, autonomous work environment
• Hybrid working
• Competitive pay and conditions
• Training and development opportunities to build and maintain capabilities
• Health & Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programs.

Want more information? Visit our website to see more information on Working for us.

We do work that really matters

Working for the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) provides lots of opportunities to make a real difference. We collaborate with other agencies and community partners, to improve lives and realise the potential of children, adults, families and communities. We're focused on breaking, rather than managing, disadvantage. It’s work that really matters.

Apply now and join Australia’s top public sector employer where we will support you and provide an exciting and flexible working environment!

Are you ready to join us?

Requirements

Click apply, attach an up-to-date résumé (maximum 4 pages) and a cover letter (maximum 2 pages) addressing how you meet the requirements of the role and up to 1 page for the targeted question below:

Targeted question: Describe a strategic work health and safety (WHS) project you have led or played a significant role in that is reflective or relevant to a large, complex and high-risk operating environment such as the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ).

In Your Response, Outline

• The organisational context: including the key risks and challenges (i.e. frontline service delivery, high-risk environments, community services or geographically dispersed workforce)
• What was the driver for the project: including any relevant legislative, regulatory or organisational changes (such as psychosocial risk management, WHS legislative reforms or increased regulatory scrutiny)
• Your input to designing and implementing the initiative: including how you incorporated contemporary WHS frameworks, data and evidence-based practices
• How you addressed psychosocial risks: (i.e. workload, trauma exposure, bullying, fatigue and/or organisational change), including worker consultation, risk assessments and mitigation controls
• Stakeholder engagement strategies: particularly with executives, managers, workers and unions
• Key outcomes achieved: including measurable improvements in safety performance, compliance or organisational capability
• Lessons learned: how the outcome informed continuous improvement or broader strategic organisational alignment
• Limit: 500 words maximum

Applications close 16 June 2026 at 11:59pm AEST.

Got a question?

For more information about the role or what it is like to work for DCJ, please contact the hiring manager Paul Giovenali on 0459 537953 or at ***email_hidden***

If you have a question regarding your application or would benefit from an adjustment in the recruitment process to help you perform at your best (including an alternate method submission of the application), please contact Lynsey Allison on 0409 193609 or [email protected]

Visit Recruitment adjustments on the DCJ website to learn more.

Inclusion and Diversity lies at the heart of how we recruit

We continue to hire great people with a wide variety of skills, experience and backgrounds. This includes people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people identifying as LGBTIQ+, culturally and linguistically diverse people, carers and other diversity groups.

To find out what DCJ are doing to build an inclusive and diverse workforce, visit Inclusion and diversity on the DCJ website.

Other Information

A talent pool may be created for future ongoing and temporary roles and is valid for a period of up to 18 months.

For more information visit Applying for DCJ jobs on the DCJ website.

Thank you for your interest in this role. We look forward to receiving your application.

To keep up with recruitment opportunities at DCJ, follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CareersatDCJ/

The Welcome Experience

Thinking about moving to regional NSW? Get free, personalised support with housing, schools, jobs, and settling in. Learn more: www.nsw.gov.au/welcomeexperience

The careers site currently promotes this service on the ‘Discover roles with DCJ in regional NSW’ page.