- Canberra
- Applications close 1 September
- The salary range for this role is $81,448 - $87,918
The Department of Industry, Science and Resources and our broader portfolio are integral to the Australian Government’s economic agenda. Our purpose is to help the government build a better future for all Australians through enabling a productive, resilient and sustainable economy, enriched by science and technology. We do this by:
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Growing innovative & competitive businesses, industries and regions
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Investing in science and technology
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Strengthening the resources sector.
The APS and the department offer a clear direction and meaningful work. You will be able to create positive impact in people’s lives whilst contributing to improved outcomes for Australia and our people.
If you would like to feel a strong connection to your work and you are accountable, committed and open to change, join us in shaping Australia’s future.
Please see the APSC’s APS Employee Value Proposition for more information on the benefits and value of employment within the APS.
The Work Health Safety (WHS) and Wellbeing Section supports the Department to meet its work health and safety obligations, strengthen safe systems of work, and promote a workplace culture that supports both physical safety and psychological wellbeing. The team works in partnership with leaders, managers, workers and specialist stakeholders to provide advice, manage WHS systems and programs, support incident and hazard reporting, coordinate consultation arrangements, and deliver practical tools and initiatives that prevent harm and improve workplace health, safety and wellbeing.
We are part of People Branch, which sits within the Chief Operating Officer Division. People Branch leads the department’s strategic and operational human resources functions, including workforce planning, recruitment and employment programs, capability and talent, employee relations, people support, inclusion, work health and safety, and wellbeing. As part of the COO Division, the branch contributes to the department’s enabling services by supporting a safe, capable, inclusive and high-performing workforce, and by helping leaders and employees access practical people-related advice, systems and support.
The APS4 WHS Advisor supports the delivery of practical WHS and wellbeing services, advice and administrative functions that contribute to a safe, healthy and legislatively compliant workplace. The role works under general direction to apply established legislation, policies, procedures and systems to routine and moderately complex WHS matters.
Please note, this is an anticipated vacancy. This round will be used to fill positions as they arise over the next 18 months.
Joining our team will give you exposure to a wide range of contemporary WHS issues across a large and diverse organisation. You will have opportunities to build your capability in WHS operations, incident management, consultation, reporting, training and continuous improvement.
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Foundational understanding of WHS legislation, risk management principles and organisational WHS systems, or the ability to quickly acquire this knowledge.
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Ability to interpret and apply policies, procedures and guidance material to routine and moderately complex WHS matters.
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Strong written communication skills, including the ability to prepare minutes, reports, brief updates, correspondence and procedural material.
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Exceptional organisational skills, attention to detail and ability to manage competing priorities within agreed timeframes.
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Ability to work collaboratively, maintain confidentiality and communicate respectfully with a range of stakeholders.
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Confidence using Microsoft Office applications, electronic records management systems and WHS reporting or incident management systems.
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Sound judgement, initiative and problem-solving skills
The APS4 WHS Advisor provides key administrative support functions to the broader WHS and Wellbeing Team, including management of the WHS Inbox, tasking allocation within the WHS incident system and supporting the Health and Safety Representative and First Aid Officer programs. Key responsibilities include:
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Day-to-day management and tasking allocation of queries received through WHS inbox, WHS phone hotline and incident management system.
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Supporting the administration of Health and Safety Representative (HSR) and First Aid Officer programs, including coordinating expressions of interests and ensuring adequate coverage across work groups/sites.
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Providing first-level procedural advice on established policies and controls, escalating matters requiring interpretation or risk-based judgment.
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Assisting with the management of WHS incidents, hazards and near misses, including triage, data entry, follow-up actions (including escalating incidents that may meet notifiable thresholds) and records management.
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Maintaining accurate WHS records, dashboards, spreadsheets and reporting products to support compliance monitoring and management decision-making.
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Coordinating WHS training, awareness activities, inspections, and other wellbeing or safety initiatives, as required.
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Liaising with internal stakeholders, service providers and external contacts to obtain information, resolve routine issues and support timely delivery activities.
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Contributing to procedure reviews, guidance material, communication products, trend mapping and continuous improvement activities within the WHS function.
To be eligible for employment in the APS and the department, candidates must be Australian Citizens.
Positions require a Baseline security clearance and successful candidates will be required to obtain and maintain a clearance at this level.
Desirable qualifications or experience:
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Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety, or progress towards a relevant WHS or human resources qualification.
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Experience using WHS incident management systems
A merit pool may be established and used to fill future vacancies within 18 months from the date the vacancy was first advertised in the Gazette.
The department does currently offer flexible work opportunities for many roles. This vacancy is ACT - Industry House based, although flexible or remote work arrangements may be considered. Please reach out to the contact officer to discuss this further.
Your application must not contain any classified or sensitive information. This includes in your application responses, CV and any other documents. The selection panel may not consider applications containing classified information.
Please provide a pitch explaining how your skills, knowledge and experience will be relevant to this role and why you are the best candidate for the position. Your pitch can contain no more than 500 words and should align to the key duties listed above.
You may use AI tools to support your application. However, all content must be accurate, authentic, and reflect your own capability in line with APS merit principles. For further guidance, please refer to the APSC’s Principles for candidate use of AI in recruitment.
Please complete your application online and provide your current CV with your application. (CVs must be in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format).
Accessible application documentation is available in other formats on request. Please contact [email protected] or (02) 6276 1235 if you require assistance with your application.
Please refer to our Applying for a position information for additional information on how to apply.
For more information regarding this opportunity, please contact Sam Junor on 0261029135 or via email on [email protected]
