03rd July, 2026
About the Company
Saab Australia is a defence, security and cyber solutions provider, specialising in the development and integration of major defence and security systems. For over 35 years in Australia, Saab has built a reputation for delivering complex systems integration projects that provide proven and advanced capabilities to stay ahead of today’s challenges. Since 2019, the business has more than tripled in size and is continuing to grow, with headcount projected to reach 1,300+ by year’s end — bringing both significant opportunity and complexity.
About the Role
Following significant growth, and as a reflection of the importance placed on this portfolio, the Head of Safety & Advisory is a newly elevated role reporting directly to the Chief People Officer. It brings together two closely connected teams, Safety & Wellbeing and People Advisory, which operate as a unified capability given the prominence of psychosocial safety alongside physical risk. You will lead both, providing the strategic direction, structure and senior presence the business needs at this stage of its growth.
The Opportunity
While the majority of Saab Australia’s workforce is office-based and highly technical, there are some operating in high-risk environments, including shipyards, warehouses and field-based sites across WA, QLD and SA. A fit-for-purpose approach that reflects this diversity of risk is essential.
Key priorities include building maturity and preventative capability across the psychosocial safety framework, driving process automation and systems uplift, and engaging with Saab’s global WHS framework rollout. There is meaningful work already underway, this leader will take ownership, bring structure and elevate the function’s impact across the organisation.
Tasks & Responsibilities
- Lead the design and execution of Safety and Wellbeing and People Advisory strategies, frameworks and programs, ensuring strong compliance, governance and an accessible experience for leaders and employees
- Establish and embed legislatively sound policies and practices across WHS risk, psychosocial hazard management and investigations
- Contribute to the broader People Strategy and P&C Plan, collaborating across P&C to design strategies that meet business needs
- Drive continuous improvement and data-led decision making, simplifying and digitising processes to support evidence-based outcomes
- Lead and coach a multidisciplinary team of Safety and Wellbeing and People Advisory professionals, fostering an inclusive, transparent and accountable team culture
- Engage with key stakeholders as an escalation point on sensitive and complex safety and people matters
- Champion WHS and psychosocial safety practices, ensuring safety leadership is embedded at every level
Skills & Background - Significant experience in senior People & Culture and/or WHS leadership roles, leading multidisciplinary teams across safety and wellbeing, people advisory, employee and industrial relations, and performance management
- Deep knowledge of Australian WHS legislation, psychosocial risk management frameworks and ER/IR best practice — with strong capability navigating recent legislative changes and embedding preventative approaches
- Proven experience delivering strategic P&C programs at enterprise scale, including process digitisation and simplification
- Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing capability at senior levels, with the confidence to advise, challenge and drive decisions
- Strategic thinking and analytical capability, using data and insights to identify risk and drive evidence-based improvements
- Transparent, empowering leadership style with a track record of developing high-performing teams
- Experience in a complex, high-growth or technically diverse environment is highly desirable — defence, engineering, manufacturing, shipbuilding or a similarly regulated sector
- Tertiary qualification in Human Resources, Workplace Health and Safety, Organisational Psychology or a related field
- Australian Citizenship with the ability to obtain Defence security clearance
Culture & Benefits With over 1,100 employees currently in Australia and 27,000 globally, Saab is committed to enriching the employee experience and enabling long-term, meaningful careers. You’ll join an innovative, high-performing environment where leadership, growth and work-life balance are genuinely supported.
Key benefits include: 6 weeks paid annual leave | 14% superannuation | Free Income Protection Insurance | Share matching scheme | National travel opportunities | Flexible working options | Open to 0.8 or 9-day fortnight arrangements for the right candidate.
If you are a leader who thrives on safeguarding people, solving complex problems and embedding lasting change, this is a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact in a complex, high-performing environment.
Apply today with your CV and a short cover letter, or contact Bec Ramsden on 08 8472 9300 for a confidential discussion.
Applications close Monday 27th July 5.00pm
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