Senior - H&S Generalist Job Family
Some organisations are able to offer a graduated succession pathway, enabling advancement from an Advisory to a Senior Advisor position and even further. In many small to medium size organisations, it is not unusual for this to be the most senior H&S position in the organisation which means you may have a broad work scope.
Possible role titles include:
Senior H&S Advisor or in some private sector roles - Senior Officer/Regional Co-ordinator
What could you be doing in this role?
- You are a credible source of H&S information and expertise for your organisation and play a significant part in helping management to understand the wider picture of good H&S practice and bringing that to life.
- The level of “hands-on” activities may be variable and will most likely focus on more complex and technical H&S requirements, such as critical risk management, culture changes, assurance, and governance.
- If you are part of a team, you will most likely be accountable for team development and deliverables and providing mentoring/coaching to less experienced team members.
- You will be regularly preparing and presenting organisational H&S performance reports and technical documentation and may be attending senior management meetings to deliver and discuss the contents of those reports.
Qualifications and Competencies
At this level it is expected that you will have a level 6 NZQA H&S qualification, a diploma or NEBOSH certification.
At this level, you would be expected to demonstrate a wide range of competencies such as collaborator, critical thinker, confident communicator, understand how to engage and influencer, good judgment and decision making skills. To find out more check out the guide page 17 [JPG, 38 KB](external link) on HSW Competencies around technical and soft skills required to become a 'good' HS practitioner.
You will also be a NZISM Professional and Health and Safety New Zealand (HASANZ) Registered and/or a New Zealand Safety Council (NZSC) Registered Safety Professional and HASANZ Registered.
Professional Accreditation and Membership
Looking to gain professional accreditation or membership you can explore the links and resources below:
- Health and Safety Association of New Zealand (HASANZ): https://www.hasanz.org.nz/(external link)
- New Zealand Institute of Safety Management (NZISM): https://www.nzism.org/(external link)
- NZISM Pathways to Professional Accreditation: Pathways to Professional Accreditation(external link)
- New Zealand Safety Council (NZSC): https://www.safetycouncil.nz/(external link)
- The INSHPO Occupational Health and Safety Professional Capability Framework: INSHPO_2017_Capability_Framework_Final.pdf(external link)