Address
SalaryOur Purpose and Ambition
NextSense is a not-for-profit organisation supporting people with vision or hearing loss across Australia. We work with children, adults, and their families, providing a holistic approach to hearing services for newborns through to people over 90 years old, and helping children who are blind or have low vision to develop the right skills, mobility, and independence to confidently explore their world.
NextSense has been breaking boundaries since 1860, and we've been expanding our services ever since. Today, we deliver world-class education (both to children with sensory loss and to professionals in the field), cochlear implants, allied health services, therapy, research, and clinical services to children and adults. We're a registered NDIS provider, working with our clients to achieve their own goals and potential.
We're committed to research and innovation; harnessing the latest technologies and new ways of thinking and educating the next generation to lead the way in hearing and vision services.
We are currently creating a world-leading centre for innovation on-site at Macquarie University that represents a new era for hearing and vision loss. This nationally significant social infrastructure project will be a place to nurture, trial and share new ideas and form new partnerships that will drive better outcomes for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have low vision.
Job Description
The Role
NextSense is recruiting for a full-time permanent Safety & Safeguarding Officer reporting directly to Associate Director of Governance, Risk and Compliance.
This role ideally would suit a candidate that has experience as a WHS Officer/Coordinator or Compliance Officer.
Working within the Governance, Risk and Compliance team, this role will help lead a best-practice approach to protecting children, young people, and vulnerable adults and ensuring a high quality WHS culture exists across the organisation. The position also plays a key role in the delivery of high-quality Safety and Safeguarding advice and the implementation and monitoring of robust WHS and child safeguarding systems and frameworks across the organisation. You'll make a difference in this role by:
- Develop, build, and maintain stakeholder relationships through effective communication, negotiation, and issues management to influence and shape decision making on key issues and priorities and to ensure compliance across all NextSense sites;
- Provide high level advice to ensure a consistent approach to Work Health Safety (WHS), hazard identification and risk management, and to ensure compliance with relevant legislation and standards across all relevant jurisdictions in which NextSense operates and/or has a presence (currently NSW, QLD, ACT, NT, and Victoria);
- Support the Associate Director: GRC to design and implement an organisation wide WHS management system and framework;
- Work in collaboration with other staff in GRC, Enabler, Services, and Education teams to implement, monitor and review the WHS management system as part of the Quality Assurance framework of the organisation;
- Lead the delivery of general and specific WHS programs and initiatives to ensure a safe work environment across NextSense;
- Investigate WHS incidents and risks and determine appropriate control measures to prevent similar incidents and mitigate risks;
- Review, analyse and research complex WHS issues and provide appropriate recommendations, guidance, and advice.
- Conduct periodic site inspections and risk assessments as required in the areas of WHS and Safeguarding and build stakeholder capacity to carry out relevant obligations in these key areas of priority;
- Provide support, guidance and timely advice to staff and leaders across NextSense in relation to the effective implementation of safeguarding policies and procedures designed to protect children, young people and adults experiencing vulnerability;
- Establish and implement the in-take and assessment process for WHS and Safeguarding matters and act as the initial point of contact to triage and assess matters which arise across the organisation in these areas of responsibility;
- Competitive remuneration
- 100% salary packaging allowing you to increase your take home pay
- Extensive personal/carer's leave
- 2 weeks paid leave over Christmas in addition to 4 weeks annual leave
- Paid parental leave of 14 weeks for primary carer and 6 weeks for secondary carer
- Access to industry leading education and professional development
- Collaborative work environment
- Wellbeing program including Employee Assistance Program
- Flexible working arrangements
To be successful in this role you'll need to demonstrate you meet the following selection criteria.
Essential
- Degree in Safety, Psychology, Law, or related discipline
- Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in WHS and/or Safeguarding roles.
- Demonstrated leadership qualities in managing and positively influencing key stakeholders and teams, process, and practice improvement in a human services environment.
- Advanced written and oral communication skills.
- Highly developed negotiation and influencing skills in dealing with complex situations.
- Demonstrated understanding of, and respect for NextSense communities and the disability sector.
- Ability to navigate multiple competing priorities and external stakeholder expectations.
- You are obliged to become familiar and comply with child protection and Safeguarding policies and legislation, as amended from time to time.
- Experience with development, implementation, and monitoring of WHS management systems frameworks.
- Experience and knowledge of WHS, child protection and Safeguarding requirements across multiple jurisdictions.
- Working with children's check
- Criminal record check
NextSense is an equal opportunity employer and compliance with child protection legislation is essential.
