WHSE Manager – High-Rise Residential | Waterloo, Sydney Up to $180k + super | Site-based
A leading Sydney high-rise residential builder needs a WHSE Manager who understands construction from the inside out. The kind of person who started on the tools — rigging, cranes, formwork, steel — and moved into safety because they were the one everyone listened to on site anyway.
If you’ve only ever run WHS from an office, this isn’t the one. If you can walk a deck, watch a crane lift or a formwork pour, and know in ten seconds whether the crew is working to their SWMS — read on.
The project
A significant residential development in Waterloo, 6 to 21 levels with multi-level basements and a heritage restoration component, programmed through to late 2028. You’ll cover short-term leave across Waterloo and Epping to start, then go permanent on Waterloo for the life of the build. As the site scales, you’re the one holding safety and environmental standards steady.
The role
Reporting to the Project Manager, you’ll own day-to-day WHSE on site. There’s an existing Safety Officer for you to lead and mentor, plus a senior National Safety Manager and an EBA roving Safety Officer behind you — so you’re not alone, but you are the one in charge on the ground.
You’ll:
- Own WHS and environmental compliance across a live, complex high-rise site — basements, structure, façade, fit-out
- Run inspections, audits and daily safety observations across every work front
- Review and approve SWMS, JSAs, SDS and high-risk work permits — cranes, lifting, heights, confined spaces, isolations — and verify the work matches the paperwork
- Stop unsafe work on the spot and reset it with the crew, not against them
- Lead incident investigations (ICAM or equivalent),
corrective actions and reporting
- Run subcontractor governance: inductions and onboarding via 1Breadcrumb, competency and licence checks, SWMS sign-off
- Manage environmental controls — EMP compliance, waste, hazardous materials, pollution and sediment control
- Maintain the project WHSE system and records to ISO 45001 / 14001 standard
- Drive toolbox talks, consultation and a visible safety presence every day
- Mentor the Safety Officer as the project grows
About you
- High-rise residential construction experience — essential. Multi-level builds with basements, structure and façade work
- A trade or high-risk work background (rigging, dogging, crane ops, formwork, steel erection) is a serious advantage
- Strong grasp of construction methodology, sequencing and trade coordination
- Experienced in SWMS/JSA review, high-risk work permits and lift planning
- Cert IV WHS minimum; Diploma, ICAM and RTW Coordinator highly regarded
- Environmental management exposure (EMP, ISO 14001) well regarded
- First Aid certified, or willing to obtain Occupational First Aid
- Comfortable with 1Breadcrumb, Procore or similar
- Credible with subbies, supervisors and crews — they respect you because you’ve done it
- You live the builder’s values on site — excellence, respect, partnership, reliability, safety — with every crew, every day
What’s on offer
- Up to $180k + super, depending on experience
- Full time, site-based — Waterloo for the long haul
- Genuine security: a project programmed through to late 2028
- A family-owned builder where you’re known by name, not a payroll number, and your safety team is backed from the top
Interested? Hit Apply Now or send your updated CV to
[email protected]
You must hold FULL AUSTRALIAN WORK RIGHTS and reside in Sydney, NSW.
📌 WHS Manager (Sydney)
🏢 Simplified Recruitment
📍 Sydney