Head of Safety & Wellbeing
Rba · Sydney, Australia · hybrid
- Hybrid work environment
- Play an important part shaping the future of our iconic Australian institution
- Lead the strategic direction and delivery of the Safety & Wellbeing function
About the business/role/team
The Head of, Safety & Wellbeing provides strategic and operational leadership of the Safety & Wellbeing function, establishing the direction, priorities and frameworks required to promote safety and wellbeing and support a workplace that protects and enhances both physical and psychological safety at the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).
You will provide authoritative advice to senior leaders on work health, safety, wellbeing, workers compensation, risk and associated organisational responsibilities. You will lead the development, implementation and continuous improvement of Safety & Wellbeing strategies, policies, systems and programs and ensure that emerging risks, issues and opportunities are identified and appropriately addressed.
You will also lead and develop the capability the Safety & Wellbeing team, build organisational capability and accountability for the function, and work collaboratively with leaders, employees and key stakeholders to integrate safety and wellbeing into organisational decision-making and business practices.
About the role
- Lead the strategic direction and delivery of the Safety & Wellbeing function, ensuring priorities, strategies and programs support organisational objectives and strengthen physical and psychological safety and wellbeing.
- Provide authoritative, pragmatic and risk-based advice to senior and executive leaders on WHS, workplace wellbeing, significant incidents, emerging risks and organisational responsibilities.
- Lead the organisation’s WHS governance and assurance framework, including the development and continuous improvement of policies, systems, controls and reporting, and alignment of the safety management system with ISO 45001.
- Provide strategic oversight of physical and psychosocial risk management and workplace wellbeing, promoting preventative approaches and using incident, hazard, risk and other relevant information to identify systemic issues and opportunities for improvement.
- Build organisational capability and accountability for safety and wellbeing through effective consultation, engagement and collaboration with leaders, employees, employee representatives and other key stakeholders.
- Lead, develop and motivate the Safety & Wellbeing team, establishing clear priorities and accountabilities and fostering a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing team culture.
- Maintain operational accountability for the Safety & Wellbeing function, including people, budget, resources, systems, external providers and deliverables, ensuring resources and priorities remain focused on the organisation’s most significant safety and wellbeing risks and objectives.
About you
Technical Capabilities
- Deep technical expertise in work health and safety, including physical and psychosocial risk management, workplace wellbeing, incident management, governance and assurance.
- Detailed knowledge of WHS legislative and regulatory requirements and the ability to translate these into practical organisational frameworks, systems and advice.
- Demonstrated experience developing and continuously improving WHS management systems, including alignment with ISO 45001.
- Demonstrated ability to identify, analyse and manage complex Safety & Wellbeing risks and issues, using data and evidence to inform priorities and senior-level decision-making.
- Ability to effectively advise and influence senior and executive leaders, communicate complex or sensitive matters and build effective stakeholder relationships.
- Effectively lead a professional Safety & Wellbeing function, translate strategy into operational outcomes as well as build team and organisational capability.
- Deliver meaningful leading and lagging Safety & Wellbeing metrics that demonstrate trends, effectiveness of controls and sustained improvement over time.
Qualifications and Experience
- Relevant tertiary qualifications in work health and safety, risk management or a related discipline, or equivalent significant professional experience.
- Substantial senior-level experience leading Safety & Wellbeing within a large or complex organisation, including experience operating in a self-insurance environment.
- Strong knowledge and practical application of WHS legislation, regulatory requirements and contemporary physical and psychosocial risk management practices.
- Demonstrated experience developing and improving WHS management systems, including alignment with ISO 45001.
- Demonstrated experience leading professional teams and providing authoritative advice to senior and executive leaders on complex Safety & Wellbeing risks, issues and organisational responsibilities.
Be More
Working for an organisation that truly makes a difference to the people of Australia, we can offer development and career opportunities in a collaborative environment that supports your growth, wellbeing and promotes flexibility. Your individual growth and success drives the RBA forward as an organisation. Be more means you can do more, for yourself and for Australia.
Why RBA?
The RBA makes an important contribution to the Australian economy through the pursuit of national economic policy objectives and associated activities in financial markets and banking. We also issue Australia's banknotes and operate infrastructure critical to the payments system, all of which contribute to the welfare of the Australian people.
Made up of specialists across a wide range of fields, our people, values, and culture play a critical role in achieving our objectives. Striving to be Open & Dynamic, we consider and incorporate different perspectives, work across teams and are transparent with each other, whilst delivering quality together effectively and focusing on outcomes by prioritising, testing, learning, and refining as we go.
Our people conduct themselves with a high degree of integrity, while striving for excellence in the work they perform and the outcomes they achieve. We encourage intelligent inquiry and we treat one another with respect while promoting the public interest through our efforts.
We know it is the growth and success of our people that drives the RBA forward. Come and make a bigger contribution while you build and develop your own skills too, because being more means you can do more, for yourself and for Australia.
The Reserve Bank of Australia is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion through key initiatives. We welcome and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse background, those living with a disability and from the LGBTQ+ community. We are committed to making the recruitment process fair and equitable for all our candidates.
Application Close :
November 29, 2026.