*About the Department
The Department of Education plays a central role in shaping the future of Queensland by delivering inclusive, high-quality education from early childhood through to adulthood. With a vision of equity and excellence, the department empowers every learner to reach their potential through responsive services, impactful policy, and community partnerships. Guided by a commitment to human rights and public value, the department supports strong starts for children, lifelong learning, and a capable, future-focused workforce.
About the Role
As Executive Director, Health, Safety and Wellbeing, you will be responsible for shaping the Department's approach to creating psychologically safe, high-trust, and high-performing environments across Queensland's education system. This pivotal leadership role intersects policy, risk and people, and balances transformation with operational delivery, reform with trust-building, and strategy with service excellence.
The role is responsible for leading a contemporary, integrated safety and wellbeing function that spans cultural reform, system design, incident response, workforce development and strategic policy. Across this broad mandate, you will lead major reform programs, build capability across diverse settings, and provide authoritative advice to senior executives and government on issues with organisational, legal and public impact.
You will report to the Assistant Director-General and Chief Human Resources Officer, and lead a multidisciplinary team responsible for influencing practice, shifting culture, and supporting the health and resilience of thousands of employees across Queensland's state schools, corporate offices and early childhood services.
Key Responsibilities
Lead the Department's health, safety and wellbeing strategy, including policy development, cultural uplift, risk governance and system-wide reform
Deliver evidence-informed solutions that support safe, inclusive, high-performing workplaces across schools, regions and central office
Provide authoritative advice to senior executives on health, safety and wellbeing risks, reforms and obligations
Foster trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including unions, to support strategic reform and issue resolution
Drive continuous improvement in safety systems, services and capability uplift, with a strong emphasis on proactive risk management
About You
You are an executive leader with depth and breadth of expertise in workplace health, safety and wellbeing across large, complex systems. You bring a reform mindset and know how to lead change in environments where trust, communication and cultural leadership are as important as compliance and policy. You are as comfortable in the boardroom as you are in the field.
With an ability to cut through complexity, you have under your belt enterprise-wide strategies and know what it takes to support a safe, healthy and resilient workforce. You lead with purpose and are known for building high-performing teams and high-trust partnerships, and operate with care, clarity and conviction.
To succeed in this role, you will demonstrate:
Proven leadership in health, safety and/or wellbeing strategy in large and complex organisations across the public, private and/or not-for-profit sector
Expert knowledge of risk governance, safety systems and organisational wellbeing
Experience working with senior executives and unions in high-trust, reform environments
Deep understanding of public sector accountability, safety culture, and regulatory obligations
A values-led leadership style that inspires others and champions inclusion, learning and growth
Interested? To Apply:
Attach a brief resume including contact details for 2 referees (referees should have an understanding of your relevant work history)
Attach a short (no more than two pages) statement focusing on how you align with the core accountabilities outlined in the position description
We welcome all applicants to share any support needed to ensure our recruitment process is inclusive.
Applications remain current for 12 months from the closing date and may be considered for appointment to identical or similar vacancies within the Department.
Applications from recruitment agencies will not be accepted.This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License.*