Health and Safety Officer

AFFCO is a high-performing and dynamic leader within the New Zealand Meat Industry. Established in 1904, AFFCO holds 120 years of expertise in supplying top-quality meat products to the world.

Based in Waikato, the agricultural heart of New Zealand, with over 4,000 employees, our operation has offices in the USA, UK and Hong Kong and comprises 11 processing sites situated across New Zealand, distributing to over 80 countries.

AFFCO sources top-quality, sustainable, grass-fed, New Zealand Beef and Lamb products from our network of farmer suppliers. We are 100% New Zealand-owned and operated and a proud member of the Talley’s Group; New Zealand’s leading exporter of meat, dairy, seafood, and vegetable products.

We are currently seeking a passionate Health and Safety Officer to join our leadership team based at our Wairoa plant in the sunny Hawkes Bay. As the Health and Safety Officer, your role is to support, inform and engage people leaders so their teams remain heathy and go home safe every day. This role leads the Wairoa site for the implementation of AFFCO Health and Safety Plans and the operational application of the AFFCO H&S Management System for the site. In practice, this is a blend of robust response to incidents and emergencies and proactive programmes of work to prevent incidents and emergencies in the future. 

Key responsibilities include:

• Partner with site leadership and the AFFCO H&S Team to effectively reduce harm.
• Implement agreed AFFCO H&S Plans and programmes, including agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Ensure site adherence to the AFFCO Health and Safety Management System.
• Manage the emergency response and preparedness, incident and injury investigation and reporting processes onsite.
• Implement and apply Critical Risk Methodology (CRM) as per AFFCO systems, including bowtie risk assessment and resulting critical controls.
• Oversee the scheduling and execution of the H&S audit and inspection programme for the site.
• Apply cultural maturity principles (as per SafePlus) to foster employee engagement and participation and foster collective ownership of a safety culture.
• Provide guidance and coaching to individuals on site for the management of health and safety.
• Champion a continuous improvement culture and instil best practice across all aspects of the health and safety function. 

The ideal candidate will have the following experience, qualifications and skills:

• Prior experience working in a high-risk environment.
• A formal qualification in occupational health and safety, related field, or commensurate experience.
• Sound knowledge of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and its application in the workplace.
• Proven experience in the areas of incident management, training, hazard management, audit programmes, occupational hygiene and health and safety procedures. 
• Strong relationship building, influencing and problem resolution skills.
• Ability to prioritise tasks through good time management and organisation skills.
• Professional, proactive attitude with excellent interpersonal skills.

The successful candidate will be rewarded with:

• A supportive, well-established site leadership team
• The ability to make the role their own and autonomously manage a wide variety of day to day activities
• Opportunities for career development and advancement
• Competitive remuneration package including relocation

To ensure a safe workplace, AFFCO engage in pre- employment medical checks and drug screening. By applying for this role, you agree to undertake the necessary pre-employment screening. Please ensure you provide a current ID (such as a Drivers Licence or Passport).

Normal working hours are 40 - 45 hours per week. The annual salary is set between $80,000 - $115,000, dependent on relevant experience.