Principal Practitioner, Safety Projects and Assurance

The Principal Practitioner, Safety Projects and Assurance leads the strategic development and delivery of DEECA’s safety assurance program and priority improvement projects to strengthen safety systems, risk controls and safety and wellbeing outcomes across the department. The role provides specialist leadership to a team of safety professionals to deliver sustainable improvements and embed a culture of continuous improvement in safety and wellbeing.
Reporting directly to the Manager Safety, the role identifies and acts on opportunities to uplift safety performance and align assurance and improvement activities to departmental objectives, legislative requirements and best practice. This includes overseeing the design, delivery and evaluation of state-wide assurance activities, strengthening data and reporting capability, and driving maturity uplift of safety information systems.

The role works in partnership with senior leaders, delivery areas, technical experts and the Safety and Health and Wellbeing teams to deliver targeted initiatives, monitor trends and performance, and provide authoritative advice and recommendations. A key focus is proactively identifying emerging issues and risks and implementing mitigations that enhance DEECA’s safety performance and risk management approach.

Specialist/Technical Expertise/Qualifications

• Tertiary qualifications in occupational health and safety, and/or qualifications or training in risk management, occupational hygiene or a related discipline will be highly regarded.
• Demonstrated skills and experience in the development, planning, implementation and management of safety policies, strategies, management systems and services.
• Experience in applying OHS legislation, systems and delivering compliance strategies will be highly regarded.

This is a fixed term position available until 30 June 2027. The work location for this position is flexible within Victoria with hybrid work arrangements available.

To be considered for this position, applicants are encouraged to submit a resume and cover letter (no longer than 2 pages) summarising their skills and relevant experience.

Please refer to the Key Selection Criteria provided in the Position Description, including the mandatory requirements.

How to Apply:

If you are a current DEECA employee, please apply via DEECA Careers.

Click the ‘Apply’ button and you'll be redirected to a new platform and create an account.

Applications close 11.59pm on Tuesday, 28 April 2026.

All applications must be submitted through the online portal. We are unable to consider email or manual applications at this time.

Other relevant information:

Preferred candidates will be required to undertake pre-employment screening, including a Declaration and Consent form and a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check.

To be eligible for appointment to this role, applicants will possess corresponding work rights for the advertised employment period. Appointment to an ongoing position is only available to an Australian/New Zealand citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident.

A Diverse, Inclusive and Flexible Workplace

DEECA welcomes applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds and we focus on the essential requirements of the job and being consistent and fair in our treatment of all applicants. We also understand that a balanced life is important to our employees. Talk to us about our flexible options such as working some days from home, starting early or late, working part time, job sharing or accessing paid or unpaid leave. For more information visit applying for a role with us.