Senior SH&W Business Partner - Operations

Senior SH&W Business Partner - Operations

• Create connections with customers and community at the heart of all we do
• Belong, learn and grow with a team that has your back
• Join one of the region’s largest employers

We are looking for an experienced Senior Safety, Health & Wellbeing Business Partner - Operations to join our People & Culture Division on a permanent full-time basis.

Our Company

At Hunter Water our Values define who we are as an organisation and how we behave. We strive to live these Values and it is shown in the work we do and the way in which we interact with each other. Please click here to learn more about Hunter Water’s Values.

We fundamentally believe in and commit to diversity and inclusion. We value an individual's unique capabilities, backgrounds, experiences and characteristics. We rely on these diverse perspectives to drive innovation and collaboration, to deliver the best outcome for our customers and communities.

It is this diversity of perspectives that will enable Hunter Water to meet the challenges of the future. We strive to create an inclusive environment where there is genuine equality of opportunity regardless of people's gender, age, cultural background, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and/or family status. We encourage you to apply and welcome all applications.

We have embarked on a new strategic direction to build a more innovative, collaborative and resilient organisation that is a thought leader in developing a sustainable water and wastewater future. Please click here to learn more about Hunter Water's Corporate Strategy.

At Hunter Water we offer a range of employee benefits. For this position, these will include, but are not limited to:

Excellent flexible working and additional leave benefits including:

• Additional Public Holidays
• 5 days additional paid Carers Leave per annum
• Paid Community Service Leave
• 14 weeks paid Parental Leave for both parents
• Access to hybrid work and other flexible options

Health & Wellbeing benefits including:

• Fitness passport
• Access to discounted health fund and health services
• Access to the Employee Assistance program

Remuneration & Hours:

• 35 hour working week
• Reward and Recognition Program
• Base salary up to $147,592 plus Superannuation (Any offer made will be commensurate with the skills and experience of the successful candidate)

The Opportunity

As the Senior SH&W Business Partner - Operations you will lead the SH&W business partners across Hunter Water operations and provides senior-level technical leadership and specialist advice to operational leaders and teams to strengthen SH&W risk ownership, leadership capability and performance.

The role leads key operational SH&W programs and initiatives, supports the effective management of operational and critical risks, and provides expert advice and support for complex incidents, investigations and emerging health and safety risks.

What you'll do:

• Partner with operational leaders and teams to provide trusted, practical and contemporary SH&W advice, coach and constructively challenge to strengthen risk ownership, leadership capability and improve operational performance.
• Lead, coach and mentor a high performing SH&W Operations team, strengthening capability, consistency and the quality of SH&W partnering and support provided to the business.
• Lead visible safety leadership and worker engagement initiatives, including safety interactions and situational awareness programs, to strengthen hazard recognition, risk awareness and effective safety decision-making.
• Lead, promote and facilitate operational SH&W continuous improvement initiatives, projects and share learnings, using risk intelligence, performance data, lessons learned and operational risk insights to identify and implement sustainable improvements.
• Lead complex and high-risk incident investigations and organisational learning activities, through mature cause analysis methodologies, identifying absent and failed controls and systemic improvement. Ensure findings are evidence based, communicated, translated into practical corrective actions and reviewed for effectiveness.
• Provide senior SH&W support during significant incidents and emergencies, including participation in the SH&W on-call arrangements and coordination of regulatory notifications, safety alerts and relevant incident communications.

What you'll need to be successful:

Essential Criteria:

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Work Health and Safety and/or Occupational Health.
• Substantial experience in a SH&W advisory or business partnering role, preferably within a complex operational, infrastructure, utilities or similarly high-risk environment.
• Demonstrated ability to engage, influence, coach and constructively challenge leaders at a range of organisational levels to strengthen SH&W ownership, leadership capability and operational decision-making.
• Comprehensive knowledge and demonstrated practical application of WHS legislation, risk management principles and contemporary innovative SH&W practices.
• Demonstrated capability in operational risk management, including hazard identification, risk assessment, control effectiveness and the application of critical control principles.
• Demonstrated experience in leading or facilitating complex, high-risk or high-potential incident investigations, with the ability to identify systemic causes and translate findings into organisational learning and sustainable improvement.
• Strong capability in consultation, facilitation and stakeholder engagement, including the ability to build effective relationships with leaders, workers, Health and Safety Representatives and other internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience in leading SH&W improvement initiatives or programs, project management skills, with the ability to translate strategy, risk frameworks and management system requirements into practical operational outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to analyse and interpret SH&W data and risk information, identify trends and emerging risks, and use insights to support evidence-based preventative action and continuous improvement.
• Highly developed written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex SH&W information clearly and effectively across frontline, operational, technical and senior leadership audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership, coaching and mentoring to SH&W practitioners and contribute to the development of consistent, contemporary SH&W practice.
• Ability to operate effectively in complex and time-critical situations, including providing senior SH&W support during significant incidents and emergencies.
• Lead Incident Investigator qualification, or equivalent recognised investigation methodology.

Desirable Criteria:

• Formal training or demonstrated competency in occupational hygiene and occupational health exposure assessment principles.
• Formal training or demonstrated competency in chemical risk management.
• Training or recognised professional development in critical control management, psychological safety, psychosocial risk management, health and wellbeing.
• Experience in SH&W project management, lean principles and process improvement.

Application Steps:

To be considered for this position applicants must submit a cover letter addressing the Selection Criteria above and provide a current resume.

Please click to view the Position Description

Application closing date: Thursday 15 October 2026

Contact: Alix Lasance (Group Manager Human Resources) Phone: 0436 367 194

We are proud to be an Inclusive Employer committed to Inclusion, Diversity & Equity. People with disability, women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are encouraged to apply. Applicants can request a reasonable adjustment at any stage during the recruitment process by getting in contact with the recruiter.

Employment with Hunter Water Corporation may be subject to pre-employment checks including but not limited to criminal background checks, functional assessment, drug and alcohol testing and psychometric assessment for preferred external applicants.