ESS Defence delivers the best hospitality and catering services to our Defence personnel. We are committed to providing nutritional and delicious meals to our customers, whether it is in dining halls or out on the field. The work that we do is essential in keeping our Australian Defence Force healthy, comfortable, and living their best Defence Life!

We are seeking an experienced Safety Manager with a proven track record in Catering and Facilities Management to support our DefenceLife team. This pivotal role leads a team of safety professionals and is instrumental in shaping and sustaining a strong safety culture across the organisation. 

As a Safety Manager, you will:

• Coach senior leaders in safety behaviours and programs to drive safe operations.
• Partner with senior management to embed safety leadership and best practices.
• Manage and lead a large, diverse portfolio within our business, ensuring compliance and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will develop and maintain a comprehensive safety management system that engages all levels of the business and fosters a proactive approach to risk management.

About CGA

CGA delivers multi-service capability to major companies and organisations operating in remote sites, gold mines, and coal fields. We provide vital workplace support for people working in some of the most isolated terrains in the world—from oil rigs in the North Sea to gold mines in the Australian outback.

The Position

• Partner with and coach senior management to drive safety leadership and embed best practices across the organisation
• Manage and lead a portfolio of sites across our eastern region, delivering a variety of soft Facilities Management (FM) services.
• Lead a dedicated team of three safety professionals, providing coaching, support, and direction to drive safe operations and continuous improvement.
• Initiate and administer safety improvement, education, and achievement/monitoring programs for workplaces within the region.
• Support and maintain company certification to Australian and International standards in accordance with the external HSEQ audit programme.
• Develop relationships with clients to demonstrate how the company’s operations and programmes effectively manage risk and add commercial value to their business strategy.
• Stay up to date with regulatory changes and communicate updates to relevant stakeholders.
• Assist in the investigation of incidents to drive a rigorous approach to root cause identification and close out of corrective actions, ensuring the incident management database is maintained.
• Analyse safety performance metrics and trends to identify areas for improvement, providing regular reporting to the business.
• Assist with selection, onboarding, and management of sub-contracting companies and suppliers.

The Person

• Must be an Australian Citizen and able to complete Defence Security Clearance requirements 
• Proven ability to lead and enhance safe operations, with a strong track record of influencing senior leaders to embed HSEQ standards and procedures.
• Extensive experience in implementing and monitoring HSEQ programs within complex, multi-service environments.
• Tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline and/or Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety.
• Skilled in managing relationships across diverse stakeholders, including subcontractors, clients, and industry bodies.
• ICAM investigation qualifications and root cause analysis expertise (highly regarded).
• Must be an Australian Citizen and eligible to obtain Australian Government security clearance.
• Strong communication and coaching capability to drive cultural change
• Ability to inspire teams and foster a proactive safety culture
• Experience aligning safety initiatives with business objectives

The Benefits

• 12 Weeks paid parental leave for the primary parents
• Several Salary packaging options to make your dollar go further
• Reward yourself - with over 100+ discounts with our employee benefits partnerships in Maxxia 
• A chance to join an ecologically and socially forward operation

We are committed to providing a recruitment process that is fair, equitable and accessible for all. If you require adjustments or alternative methods of communication in the recruitment process, please reach out to us on either 1300TALENT or careers@compass-group.com.au

Our people’s unique backgrounds, experience, and abilities are at the heart of our vibrant workforce. We strive to create workplaces that reflect the diverse communities that we serve, where everyone feels empowered and valued. By building diverse teams means we are creating inclusive environments for all our people and those we connect with through our day-to-day operation. We welcome & encourage applications from Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples, people of all backgrounds, ages, sexual orientation, gender expressions, gender identity and people with disability.