Drive proactive safety, empower leaders and deliver insights that strengthen risk management, compliance and safety culture.
* Lead a contemporary WHS function across a diverse, purpose-driven multi-site organisation
* Partner with leaders to embed practical, proactive safety practices – building local WHS knowledge and accountability at every site
* Deliver clear, decision-ready reporting to strengthen executive visibility and guide our safety direction
About the role
Reporting to the Executive Manager Human Resources, this newly created leadership role is responsible for shaping and strengthening Carinity's approach to safety. As the Workplace Health & Safety Manager, as well as managing a team of three, you will lead WHS governance, risk management and assurance, ensuring Carinity meets its obligations as a PCBU under the Queensland Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
At Carinity, we believe it's important for every role to have an element of hands‐on service delivery. As such, you'll help deliver fit‐for‐purpose WHS systems into daily operations and work directly with managers across our 42 locations in Queensland. By taking charge of organisation‐wide safety standards, you and your team will coaching local leaders together, you'll also ensure consistent practices, strong incident and injury management, and a culture of shared safety accountability where safe work is "just how we do things" every day.
Your day‐to‐day will involve:
* WHS Governance & Assurance – Design and embed WHS systems, policies and frameworks that are practical, scalable and consistently applied across all service streams. Lead audits, inspections and other assurance activities to maintain compliance and audit readiness.
* Risk Management – Physical & Psychosocial – Partner with leaders to identify hazards, assess risks and implement effective controls. Strengthen proactive psychosocial risk management and ensure WHS considerations are integrated into everyday decision‐making.
* Incident, Injury & Notifiable Event Management – Oversee end‐to‐end incident and injury management, including leading high‐risk investigations. Ensure timely reporting, thorough root‐cause analysis and implementation of preventative actions to drive continuous improvement.
* Workers' Compensation & Return to Work – Provide oversight of workers' compensation claims and injury trends. Lead the RTW function to deliver safe, timely and sustainable return‐to‐work outcomes, coordinating closely with sites on suitable duties and recovery plans.
* Capability, Culture & Stakeholder Engagement – Build WHS capability through coaching, training and practical tools. Act as a trusted advisor to leaders and collaborate with Health & Safety Representatives and regulators, representing Carinity professionally and fostering a "safety-first" culture across the organisation.
About you
You are a practical, hands‐on WHS leader who thrives in complex, multi‐site environments. You bring both strategic insight and operational depth, and you're confident working alongside others to turn compliance obligations into meaningful, everyday practice.
* Change Leader: You have led significant WHS improvements or cultural change initiatives – perhaps implementing new safety management systems, standardising practices across multiple sites, or rolling out organisation‐wide risk control programs. You excel at transforming inconsistent or reactive safety processes into streamlined, proactive ones, and you get genuine satisfaction from seeing safer practices take root.
* Results & Compliance Focus: You have a strong track record of improving safety outcomes in high‐compliance environments (e.g. healthcare, aged care, community services, or other regulated sectors). Colleagues describe your safety programs as effective, timely, and pragmatic. You know how to maintain rigorous compliance with legislation while delivering solutions that are user‐friendly and operationally sensible.
* People Enabler: You love building capability in others – whether mentoring your own WHS team or coaching frontline managers to become safety champions. You believe the role of WHS is to enable and empower leaders, not to police them. You've shown you can influence and educate stakeholders at all levels, winning hearts and minds to strengthen safety culture. Managers you've supported would say you gave them the knowledge and confidence to proactively manage safety and made them more accountable leaders.
* WHS Expertise: You bring broad and deep knowledge of workplace safety. You're well‐versed in Australian WHS legislation (including QLD's WHS Act, PCBU obligations and officer due diligence) and all facets of safety management – from risk assessment and hazard control to incident investigation, injury management and return‐to‐work programs. You have a knack for translating legal and technical requirements into clear, actionable guidance, helping others understand the "why" behind the rules.
* Credibility & Qualifications: You have substantial experience in WHS (likely around 7+ years), including time spent in senior safety leadership roles in multi‐site organisations. A tertiary qualification in Work Health & Safety, Risk Management or a related field is essential. Experience in the health, aged care, disability or community sectors is highly regarded. You've successfully led and developed specialist WHS and/or RTW teams, and you are respected for your ability to drive improvements while fostering a positive, inclusive safety culture.
The benefits of joining the Carinity team
* Appealing not‐for‐profit (PBI) salary packaging options
* Vehicle and fuel provided as part of your salary package for both personal and work use
* We recognise your ongoing effort with a monthly RDO to support work‐life balance
* Access to an employee assistance program
* At Carinity we acknowledge the need to balance your work and personal life and are genuinely committed to this
* On‐going professional development and training
* Legitimate chance to make a real difference to the community, every day
Click "Apply" and you will be redirected to Carinity's website, which will contain more information on Carinity and this position, including the Position Description. We look forward to receiving your application.
Carinity actively encourages and invites applications from people with disabilities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for all our positions.
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