Program Manager jobs

Manager, Psychosocial – SafeWork NSW

Grade: Manager/State Team Coordinator
Salary range: Commencing salary $159,573 + superannuation
Start Date: Early 2026
Location: Parramatta or Gosford with regional locations and hybrid work arrangements considered
Work type: Permanent ongoing full-time with flexible working arrangements considered
Applications Close: Friday 16th January 2026 (9:59AM)

A talent pool may be created from this recruitment process to fill future ongoing and temporary opportunities.

Are you passionate about improving the psychological health and safety for NSW workers? SafeWork NSW is seeking a dynamic and experienced leader to manage our Psychosocial Programs specialist team.

Join Australia’s largest work health and safety regulator helping to secure the safety of NSW workers and communities.

SafeWork NSW is growing its inspectorate as part of a $127.7 million NSW government investment to uplift capability and capacity across the state to protect NSW workers’ health and safety.

About the Psychosocial Programs Team

As the Manager of SafeWork NSW’s specialist Psychosocial Programs team, you will play a key leadership role in shaping the state’s regulatory approach on the prevention of psychological harm across NSW workplaces .

This is a unique opportunity to lead a multi-disciplinary team including specialist inspectors and project officers, implementing data and evidence informed approaches to both educate and enforce compliance with work health and safety (WHS) laws to manage psychosocial risk.

Working strategically with other specialist teams such as the Respect at Work Taskforce (focused on workplace sexual harassment prevention) and Return to Work team this specialist harm portfolio also leads internal capability of SafeWork NSW’s generalist inspectorate and investigators to strengthen psychosocial risk compliance and enforcement outcomes.

About the role

The Manager Psychosocial Programs leads a specialist team to design and deliver strategic, evidence-based regulatory interventions aimed at preventing psychosocial harms in NSW workplaces, with a focus on high-risk sectors. This role drives SafeWork NSW’s compliance and enforcement strategy for psychosocial WHS obligations, oversees complex inspections, and provides expert advice and education to duty holders and other SafeWork NSW teams.

As the Manager of the Psychosocial team, your responsibilities include:

• Leading a team of specialist psychosocial inspectors and project officers to develop and implement evidence and risk-based strategic regulatory interventions to prevent psychosocial WHS harms with a focus on high-risk sectors/industries
• Leading SafeWork’s strategy for compliance and enforcement of duty holders’ psychosocial WHS obligations including responding to reports and delivering advice and education to workplaces (travel across NSW may be required)
• Leading effective working relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, including worker representatives, industry groups, regulators, WHS experts across NSW and other jurisdictions
• Collaborate with other SafeWork teams to uplift internal capability and drive continuous improvement on preventing and responding to psychosocial harms in NSW workplaces
• Contributing to the strategic direction of SafeWork NSW and ensure alignment with organisational goals.

What we’re looking for:

• A team player who is passionate about psychosocial health and safety, inclusion and diversity
• Ability to build, develop and lead diverse teams
• Exceptional strategic stakeholder engagement and written and oral communication skills and ability to engage and influence key stakeholders
• High degree of integrity, excellent judgement and ability to scan, analyse and identify needs and gaps
• Highly advanced project management skills with a focus on continuous improvement and measurable outcomes
• Demonstrated experience managing sensitive or complex issues and ability to apply trauma-informed and person-centred approaches are highly desirable
• Ability to interpret and apply complex legislation and WHS frameworks is highly desirable
• Experience working in areas of organisational psychology, occupational rehabilitation, allied health, WHS, human resources, workplace investigations, organisational change is highly desirable.

Essential requirements:

• Willingness to travel across NSW and occasionally interstate
• Current NSW driver’s licence and safe driving record
• Satisfactory criminal record and medical assessments
• Willingness to undertake mandatory probity screening
• Willingness to obtain the Diploma of Government (Workplace Inspection) if not already held within the first 12 months of employment

Appointment and ongoing assignment may be subject to restrictions and satisfactory participation in mandatory pre-employment and ongoing probity screening in accordance with relevant legislation and/or related policies

How to apply

Submit your CV (max 3 pages) and a cover letter (max 2 pages). In your cover letter please share why you are interested in this role, what skills and experience you can bring, and response to the following 2 questions:

• What would be your priorities in the first 12 months in this role and why?
• Please describe your experience leading engagement with internal and/or external stakeholders to achieve improved knowledge-sharing and continuous improvement outcomes on a sensitive or complex work issue

Due to the Christmas shutdown period, the Talent Team will be unavailable to respond to queries from 25 December 2025 to 9 January 2026. Additionally, system upgrades will occur during this time, and applications cannot be submitted for this role and will be unavailable between 24 and 25 December 2025.
If you experience technical difficulties during this period, please email recruitment@safework.nsw.gov.au and we will endeavour to respond upon return.

Salary Grade, Inspector Consent Award, State Team Coordinator, with the base salary for this role starting at $159573 base plus superannuation

Click Here to access the Role Description. For enquiries relating to recruitment please contact Tayla Gibbs via recruitment@safework.nsw.gov.au.

Visit the Capability Application Tool to prepare for the recruitment process by accessing practice application and interview questions based on the focus capabilities listed in the role description.

Closing Date: 16 January 2026 (9:59AM)

Careers at Department of Customer Service
A career at the Department of Customer Service (DCS) gives you the opportunity to help improve government services and be part of reform that benefits people across NSW. We are focused on delivering excellent customer service, digital transformation, and regulatory reform. Come join us and influence the future of our great state.

Belong in our diverse and inclusive workplace

The strength of our workforce lies in its diversity and embracing difference, while the key to our success is leveraging the contributions of employees with different backgrounds and perspectives.

You can view our full diversity and inclusion statement here.

We want you to bring your best self to this application process. If you have any support or access needs that may require adjustments to allow you to fully participate in this selection process (including an alternate format of the application form) please contact recruitment@safework.nsw.gov.au or 02 9494 8351.

For more information, please visit

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Information on adjustments available for the recruitment process