Principal Advisor, Health and Safety

Tēnei Tūranga – About the role

The Principal Advisor, Health & Safety is responsible for providing strategic and operational advice on health and safety related matters across Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ). Specifically, the functions of this position are to exercise a wide range of specialist health and safety practitioner skills and expertise to support MIQ to create and maintain a proactive health and safety culture as agreed by:

• The design and implementation of effective intervention strategies to deal with significant H&S issues.
• Providing expert advice and support to the Manager, Health and Safety, people leaders and stakeholders across MIQ
• The development and provision of expert operational services to support the Health and Safety team.

Ngā Herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Extensive knowledge and experience in health and safety in a complex and high-risk safety sensitive environment, ideally within the public sector.
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of current health and safety legalisation and relevant regulations.
• Wide ranging knowledge of practices to relating to business process change, health & safety, operational risk management.
• Ability to quickly establish and build strong working relationships.
• Sound appreciation of corporate management disciplines and techniques.
• Understanding of Government decision-making and operating procedures.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and maintaining an environment focussed on continuous improvement to enhance operational performance.
• Experience of working with teams in dispersed geographical locations.
• Experience of conducting inspections and audits and preparing reports to promote continuous improvement.
• Experience of accident and incident investigation and leading implementation of lessons learned.
• To be considered for this position you must have a legal right to live and work in New Zealand.

Qualifications

• A relevant tertiary qualification in, or being worked towards, occupational health and safety is desirable. However, extensive experience managing health and safety in a complex environment is essential.
• Travel within New Zealand.

Key Relationships

• Senior Leadership Team.
• Manager, Health and Safety and Health and Safety team.
• General Manager, Service Quality and Assurance Branch.
• Managers and staff across MIQ.
• Partner Agencies; Ministry of Health, All-of-Government, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Police, Customs, New Zealand Defence Force, Aviation Security Service.
• Health and Safety Representatives, Committees and Unions.
• Wellbeing Health and Safety, Health, Safety & Security Operations, Protective Security Verification and Compliance, Risk and Assurance, Incident Management and Business Continuity teams.
• WorkSafe NZ.
• WHS service providers and consultants, including our EAP service provider.
• Government Health & Safety Lead.

Takohanga Tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Health and Safety Leadership

• Provide advice to senior leaders on operational health & safety matters including direct advice to the Deputy Secretary MIQ and regular reporting and briefings to Health & Safety executive level Committees on all aspects of critical risk, well-being, health and safety and effective worker participation.
• Promote, champion and drive continual improvement with regards to operational health and safety risks, issues and critical risks.
• Promote a strong safety culture from an MIQ system perspective, including working with senior leaders across MBIE and other external agencies and organisations who form part of the MIQ system response.
• Ensure Managers across the MIQ Group and wider system are trained and proficient in risk analysis to identify pre and post event mitigations and controls and other health, safety and security related training as appropriate.
• Develop and roll-out scheduled role-play regimes across the Group practicing hazard/issue responses at least 4 monthly.
• Partner with the business to provide health and safety advice, coaching and support to enable line managers and workers to take accountability for health and safety.
• Support, and where required, carry out investigations.
• Supporting and mentoring Health and Safety Advisors.

Health and Safety Planning

• Work proactively across MIQ to implement practices that meet MBIE’s defined policies and standards for critical risks.
• Ensure critical risk profiles and supporting risk analysis (at Parent, Child and Work Activity levels as appropriate) is in place and currency maintained for Category 1 risks across the Group
• Develop and maintain scenario/situation based operational H&S policy and procedures in support of the MIQ system
• Undertake full ISO9001 (Quality Management) and ISO45001 (Occupational Health and Safety) implementation for H&S (at lines 1 and 2) under MBIE’s 3 lines of defence assurance model across the MIQ Group
• Ensure staff across the MIQ system have and maintain the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Specialist Equipment to minimise risk exposure.
• Implement lead and lag indicator reporting at all layers of the organisation to ensure transparency and enquiry occurs
• Ensure MIQ office locations are meeting health & safety requirements
• Lead the development and implementation of long term and operational strategies for MIQ to develop its Health and Safety programme and performance.

Takohanga Tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables continued

Health & Safety, Risk Analysis, Advice and Reporting

• Lead the second line of defence assurance programme, including the effectiveness of the implementation of the health and safety management system.
• Measure and report on current health and safety trends including what this information means in relation to the performance of operational services. Guide line managers on actions required for continuous improvement.

Wellbeing, Health & Safety

• Displays commitment through actively supporting all safety and wellbeing initiatives.
• Ensures own and others safety at all times.
• Complies with relevant safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting.
• Reports all incidents/accidents, including near misses in a timely fashion.
• Is involved in health and safety through participation and consultation. 

Tō tūranga i roto i te Manatū - Your place in the Ministry

The Principal Advisor, Health & Safety will report to the Manager, Health and Safety in the MIQ group.

MIQ became a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) business group on 13 July 2020.

The purpose of managed isolation and quarantine is to ensure people do not have COVID-19 before they return to our communities. A key enabler of this work is collaboration across government.

A range of agencies including the Ministry of Health, All-of-Government, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Police, Customs, New Zealand Defence Force, Aviation Security Service and other business groups in MBIE are working together to deliver an enduring MIQ system.

More information about MBIE's structure

To mātou aronga – What we do for Aotearoa New Zealand

Hīkina Whakatutuki is the te reo Māori name for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hīkina means to uplift. Whakatutuki means to move forward, to make successful. Our name speaks to our purpose, Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All.

To Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi. Based on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi, we are committed to upholding authentic partnerships with Māori.

As agile public service leaders, we use our breadth and experience to navigate the ever-changing world. We are service providers, policy makers, investors and regulators. We engage with diverse communities, businesses and regions. Our work touches on the daily lives of New Zealanders. We grow opportunities (Puāwai), guard and protect (Kaihāpai) and innovate and navigate towards a better future (Auaha).

Ngā matatau – Our competencies

Cultivates innovation We create new and better ways for the organisation to be successful by challenging the status quo generating new and creative ideas and translating them into workable solutions.

Nimble learning We are curious and actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems by learning as we go when facing new situations and challenges.

Customer focus We build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions by listening and gaining insights into the needs of the communities we serve and actively seeking and responding to feedback.

Decision quality We make quality and timely decisions that shape the future for our communities and keep the organisation moving forward by relying on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions.

Action oriented We step up, taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with purpose, urgency and discipline by taking responsibility, ownership and action on challenges, and being accountable for the results.

Collaborates We connect, working together to build partnerships with our communities, working collaboratively to meet shared objectives by gaining trust and support of others; actively seeking the views, experiences, and opinions of others and by working co-operatively with others across MBIE, the public sector and external stakeholder groups.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

As an agency of the public service, MBIE has a responsibility to contribute to the Crown meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti). Meeting our commitment to Te Tiriti will contribute towards us realising the overall aims of Te Ara Amiorangi – Our Path, Our Direction, and achieve the outcome of Growing New Zealand for All. The principles of Te Tiriti - including partnership, good faith, and active protection – are at the core of our work. MBIE is committed to delivering on our obligations as a Treaty partner with authenticity and integrity and to enable Māori interests. We are committed to ensuring that MBIE is well placed to meet our obligations under the Public Service Act 2020 (Te Ao Tūmatanui) to support the Crown in strengthening the Māori/Crown Relationship under the Treaty and to build MBIE’s capability, capacity and cultural intelligence to deliver this.

Mahi i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui – Working in the public service

Ka mahitahi mātou o te ratonga tūmatanui kia hei painga mō ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i āianei, ā, hei ngā rā ki tua hoki. He kawenga tino whaitake tā mātou hei tautoko i te Karauna i runga i āna hononga ki a ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka tautoko mātou i te kāwanatanga manapori. Ka whakakotahingia mātou e te wairua whakarato ki ō mātou hapori, ā, e arahina ana mātou e ngā mātāpono me ngā tikanga matua o te ratonga tūmatanui i roto i ā mātou mahi.

In the public service we work collectively to make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders now and in the future. We have an important role in supporting the Crown in its relationships with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. We support democratic government. We are unified by a spirit of service to our communities and guided by the core principles and values of the public service in our work.

What does it mean to work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service?(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho The Public Service Commission