Senior Workplace Health and Safety Business Partner

Coastal & Country Lifestyle in Regional Victoria 

Promote consistent Health and Safety Culture. Live where others holiday. 

Colac Otway Shire Council is seeking an experienced and values driven Senior Workplace Health and Safety Business Partner to join its People and Culture team. This is a rare opportunity to make a genuine, organisational wide impact while enjoying an exceptional coastal and country lifestyle. 

This key role offers the opportunity to shape a strong, consistent organisational health and safety culture across Council - driving proactive and responsive compliance, influencing capability, and embedding best‑practice processes.

Why you’ll love working at Colac Otway Shire Council 

This role offers more than a career, it offers lifestyle, impact and purpose.

You’ll be part of a team that genuinely cares about creating safe, healthy and supportive workplaces for everyone. In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact every day - combining hands‑on engagement across our depots and worksites with strategic leadership that strengthens our overall safety culture.

About Colac Otway Shire Council 

Located approximately two hours southwest of Melbourne and one hour from Geelong, Colac Otway Shire offers the best of both worlds, a rewarding role and an outstanding quality of life. 

The region is renowned for its natural beauty, from the iconic Great Ocean Road and Otway rainforests to pristine beaches, lakes and vibrant regional townships. With a strong economy built on agriculture, tourism and community services, Colac Otway is an ideal place to live, work and grow your career. 

About the role 

Reporting to the Manager People and Culture this role provides strategic and operational leadership across:

• Health and Safety
• Injury Management
• Wellbeing

About you 

You are a confident, people focused person with strong technical expertise and the ability to operate at both a strategic and operational level. You bring sound judgement, approachability and a values driven style, with the credibility to advise and influence senior leaders. 

You will have: 

• Tertiary qualification in Occupational Health and Safety or a related discipline, with significant relevant experience. Postgraduate qualifications and/or professional certification (e.g. CMiOSH, AIHS) are desirable.
• Demonstrated experience providing high-level, evidence-based advice on workplace health and safety, injury management and employee wellbeing to leaders and stakeholders in a complex organisational environment.
• Demonstrated experience implementing, maintaining and continuously improving safety management systems, including governance, assurance and alignment with relevant standards (e.g. ISO 45001).
• Experience in the management of Return to work/injury management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence, negotiate and gain cooperation across all organisational levels, external stakeholders, members of the public and other professionals.
• Proven ability to build, maintain and leverage strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to support effective WHS outcomes.
• High-level proficiency in interpreting and applying WHS legislation policy, guidelines and insurance matters and providing practical, risk-based advice to ensure compliance and minimize organisational exposure.
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities, exercise sound judgement and deliver agreed outcomes within timeframes while working autonomously in a dynamic environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading, supervising and developing staff, including coaching, performance management and building professional capability within a WHS function.
• Current driver’s licence. 

Salary information: $103,320.36 to $114,122.84 per annum plus superannuation

For further information and to apply applicants are encouraged to download and review the Position Description which includes the key selection criteria for the role. 

Please submit:

• A cover letter outlining your interest in the role.
• Your current resume.

Written responses to the Key Selection Criteria are not required and will be assessed during the interview process.

Please note: Applications will be reviewed as they are received and this position will remain open until a suitable candidate is appointed.

Colac Otway Shire Council is a Child Safe Organisation and is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.