Safety Manager

Sunshine Coast Airport – the natural choice for your next career move.

We’re proud to be growing a high-performing workplace where our people thrive, driving one of Australia’s fastest-growing regional airports. Located in one of the country’s most iconic destinations, Sunshine Coast Airport is committed to delivering an effortless and enjoyable experience for our passengers, partners, and team. If you’re passionate about innovation, sustainability, and making a real impact in a dynamic environment – this is the opportunity for you.

To drive our safety culture, we are now taking applications for a Safety Manager to strengthen our safety capability and embed safe work practices on a full-time, permanent basis, to commence as soon as possible.

 Reporting to the General Manager Operations, the Safety Manager provides leadership, strategic delivery, and operational direction for Sunshine Coast Airport’s Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) and Safety Management System (SMS). A key focus of the role is leading WHS contractor management and providing assurance over principal contractor activities, ensuring safe coordination between construction, maintenance works and live airport operations

 The role operates with a high level of professional independence and accountability for coordinating WHS systems, processes and assurance activities, ensuring compliance with Queensland and Australian WHS legislation, regulatory obligations and applicable industry standards. The position provides specialist advice and practical leadership to managers and teams, supporting informed decision making and effective risk management across WHS operations.

What you will do:

Lead and govern the Safety Management System (SMS)

Oversee the implementation, governance and continuous improvement of the SMS, including policies, procedures, systems, registers and reporting frameworks.

Ensure WHS compliance and regulatory alignment

Monitor, interpret and maintain compliance with WHS legislation and standards through assurance, reporting and risk management activities.

Provide expert WHS advice and drive capability

Lead and influence organisational decision making with specialist guidance, training, education and awareness to embed best practice and effective risk controls

Contractor & Operational Interface

Lead contractor WHS management, including prequalification, onboarding, monitoring and performance assurance.

Drive enterprise-wide safety performance

Lead incident investigations and corrective actions, integrate safety into operations, projects, procurement and change processes, and drive a strong safety culture.

Strategy delivery, reporting and team performance

Deliver safety strategy and initiatives, report on performance to executive and board level, and provide leadership, planning and development for the Safety team

What you will need:

• WHS legislation and compliance knowledge, including a strong understanding of relevant WHS laws and regulations, with demonstrated ability to interpret changes and ensure organisational compliance.
• Demonstrated experience managing contractors and/or principal contractors in high-risk environments
• Experience overseeing construction, infrastructure or maintenance works within operational settings
• Strong understanding of multi-PCBU environments and contractor assurance frameworks
• Risk management and incident investigation capability in hazard identification, risk assessment, incident investigation and implementing effective corrective actions.
• Stakeholder engagement and influencing skills that partner with leaders and teams to embed safety into operations, drive behavioural change and build a positive safety culture.
• Leading safety and managing a small team, setting direction, delivering safety strategy, and performance reporting.
• Experience operating within a regulated or safety-critical environment (e.g. aviation, rail, ports or major infrastructure) will be highly regarded.

 This role is best suited to someone who thrives in a small to medium-sized organisation with the support of the Executive Management Team and the Board, where success is achieved through taking a hands-on, solutions-focused approach to delivering outcomes.

 If this sounds like you, and you would like to register your interest then please submit your resume and cover letter today.

 Sunshine Coast Airport is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. We support applications from individuals from all backgrounds and are committed to encouraging diversity, belonging and inclusion in the workplace.

 Closing date for applications is 27 June 2026. Shortlisted candidates may be contacted during and after this time, and the role may close before this date if we are successful in finding our new Safety Manager.

 Sunshine Coast Airport thanks all applicants for their interest in this position. While we aim to respond to all applications, due to the volume received, only those selected for shortlisting will be contacted directly.