Title:  SHW Business Partner | Wellington or Palmerston North

SHW Business Partner – Above Rail Central

• Drive safety leadership across KiwiRail’s Above Rail operations – Freight operations, mechanical workshops and container terminal sites
• Permanent role supporting our Central region, based in Wellington or Palmerston North
• Partner with leaders to embed culture, manage risk, and improve safety outcomes

Position Description

He whakamārama mō te tūranga mahi | About the role:

KiwiRail is committed to putting safety, health and wellbeing at the forefront of everything we do. As our SHW Business Partner – Above Rail Central, you will play a key role in partnering with operational leaders to strengthen safety performance across our Above Rail network.  Reporting to the SHW General Manager, you’ll act as a trusted advisor—working closely with frontline leaders and teams to embed strong safety practices, lift capability, and support the delivery of critical risk programmes in a fast-paced operational environment.  This is a highly visible, hands-on role where your ability to influence and coach will directly impact how safety is experienced day-to-day across the business.

What you’ll be doing:

• Partnering with operational leaders to embed safety, health and wellbeing practices across Above Rail
• Coaching and influencing frontline leaders to build strong safety capability and culture
• Supporting the implementation of critical risk management and safety initiatives
• Providing insights and reporting to improve safety performance and decision-making
• Supporting incident management and investigations to ensure learning and continuous improvement
• Driving initiatives that strengthen engagement, ownership and accountability for safety
• Working collaboratively across teams to ensure consistent, practical safety outcomes
• Working as part of the wider SHW Team and Above Rail SHW Team to support KiwiRail on its journey with Line-Led Safety

Ngā pukenga e rapu nei mātou | What you will bring:

• Solid experience in a Safety, Health & Wellbeing role within a complex and dynamic operational or high-risk environment – ideally Rail
• Strong coaching and influencing capability, with the ability to build trust at all levels
• Experience supporting leaders with risk management and safety performance improvement
• Ability to translate data into meaningful insights and actions
• Resilience and adaptability in a fast-paced, complex environment
• Collaborative, pragmatic approach with strong stakeholder engagement skills
• Relevant SHW qualification (e.g. NEBOSH or equivalent)
• Full NZ Driver’s Licence and willingness to travel across the region

Nōu te rourou | What’s in it for you:

• Competitive salary plus 4% KiwiSaver contribution
• Discounted medical insurance and staff travel benefits
• Access to the NZ Rail Staff Welfare Trust
• Ongoing development and career progression opportunities
• A chance to make a real impact in a nationally significant organisation
• Supportive, values-driven team culture

Kua rite, kia rite | Ready to make a difference?

Bring your expertise and passion for safety to help shape how KiwiRail delivers safer outcomes across our Above Rail operations.

Applications close: Sunday 12th of July 2026