Health, Safety and Wellbeing Lead

Join us at New Plymouth District Council!

Tūhono mai ki Te Kaunihera-ā-rohe o Ngāmotu!

Who are we? - Ko wai mātou?

Te Kaunihera-ā-rohe o Ngāmotu - New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) is dedicated to serving our community and enhancing the quality of life for those who live, work, and visit here. We are guided by the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and are committed to fostering partnerships that respect and celebrate our district's rich cultural heritage.

Through innovation, sustainability, and collaboration, we aim to deliver exceptional services and initiatives that support our vision of building a thriving, connected, and future-focused district. At Te Kaunihera-ā-rohe o Ngāmotu, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive and dynamic organisation that values people, creativity, and progress.

The opportunity - Te āheinga

We're looking for a dynamic and strategic Health, Safety and Wellbeing Lead to join our People and Wellbeing team at NPDC. This is a full-time, permanent position with the opportunity to lead a team of five dedicated professionals, driving safe outcomes and fostering a culture of care and hauora across our organisation.

In this pivotal role, you'll provide expert leadership and strategic advice aligned with Council's vision of being the Sustainable Lifestyle Capital as well as five weeks annual leave plus birthday leave.

You'll contribute to our delivery across the four pillars:

• Trusted
• Thriving communities and culture
• Environmental excellence
• Prosperity while supporting organisational priorities and plans

You'll work closely with senior leaders and Council officers to anticipate and address health, safety, wellbeing, risks and controls. Your ability to engage stakeholders, communicate effectively, and develop timely, practical solutions will be key to your success.

You'll champion a progressive approach to safety - moving beyond compliance to build a culture where people thrive. You'll guide our journey of Safety Differently, focusing on learning, trust and collaboration.

If you're passionate about creating safe, supportive environments and want to make a meaningful impact in a forward-thinking organisation, we'd love to hear from you.

Key responsibilities - Ngā haepapa matua

Under Health, Safety and Wellbeing, you will be:

• Responsible for operationalising the health, safety and wellbeing (HSW) strategies, risk and controls in place. This includes facilitating and overseeing the delivery of HSW related activities, initiatives, as well as contributing to the development and enhancement of system, ensuring the alignment with organisational objectives
• Fostering a learning culture that values curiosity, psychological safety and continuous improvement
• Developing, manage and communicate workplans, frameworks, policies and procedures that support the delivery of effective HSW activities and initiatives
• Managing the annual AEP Audit and any programmed or adhoc audit requirements
• Managing occupational health activities to deliver injury management, health monitoring and pre-employment service to the organisation
• Building capability across the organisation through coaching, facilitation and thought leadership
• Working collaboratively with health related third party providers to ensure the delivery of services align with the requirements of the organisation and any legislative obligations.

Under General, you will be:

• Regularly reporting to Finance, Audit and Risk Committee on HSW performance
• Establishing and maintain strong and collaborative working relationships across the organisation
• Providing relevant legislative and best practice advice to all stakeholders
• Leading the team to grow organisational capability to achieve recommended best practice and to deliver on Council's vision
• Actively ensure that good employer obligations and legislative requirements are fulfilled, particularly in relation to all key relevant legislation
• Fostering a culture of growth and development across the team
• Providing relevant legislative and best practice advice to all stakeholders
• Leading the team to grow organisational capability to achieve recommended best.

Essential skills and experience - Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako

• Workplace Health and Safety degree or diploma required or five plus years' experience in a similar position, with demonstrated experience in leading HSW at a senior level
• Courage to challenge the status quo and advocate for people-centred approaches
• Experience in growing engagement and coaching across a diverse organisation
• Strong understanding and application of Human Organisational Performance (HOP) principles, and contemporary safety thinking
• Experience delivering learning teams
• Experience working within a legislative and compliance environment
• Practical, outcome focused with a proven ability to drive change and translate vision into action
• Exceptional communication and relationship building skills
• You will be able to give sound advice to senior leaders, find solutions, embrace conflict and troubleshoot in a fast-paced environment

What we offer - Ngā Ratonga

At New Plymouth District Council, we aim to create and sustain a truly rewarding workplace environment for our staff.

This includes:

• Solid career pathways
• Learning and development opportunities
• Personal and professional growth
• Our Peoples Package spans five key pillars: Wellbeing, Development, Benefits, Culture, and Recognition

You can expect to start in this permanent, full-time role with a salary of between $130,525 - $140,676.

Why join us? - Ngā hua o tō hono mai?

We value the wellbeing of our team and provide an inclusive workplace that recognises and rewards your contributions. Together, we're building a better New Plymouth - one step at a time.

Applications close Sunday, 5 October 2025.

Be part of a council that values people, culture, and opportunity.

Me tūhono mai koe kia tautoko i te Ngāmotu o āpōpō!

Te Kaunihera-ā-rohe o Ngāmotu is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and we are committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application to assist you through the recruitment process.

Apply now