OH&S Specialist (Strategy & Systems)

City of Vancouver•Vancouver, BC

5d•CA$102,960 - CA$128,691•Hybrid

About The Position

The Occupational Health and Safety Specialist is a safety professional who provides advice, support and analysis to the organization and helps business units establish risk controls and management processes that promote sustainable business practice. They work to reduce and eliminate fatalities, injuries (physical and psychological), occupational illnesses, and property damage. In partnership with assigned business units, or working within a specific area of program expertise, the position is responsible for ensuring that staff are engaged in their OHS statutory and corporate obligations so that a culture of continuous improvement grows and at minimum, compliance at all levels of the organization are maintained. They lead in implementation and coordination of safety measures and review, promote continuous improvement and improve safety culture.

Requirements

A University degree in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) with five or more years of experience leading safety programs safety management system development, and operations team in OHS environment; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
Experience working in the public sector operations or a unionized environment.
Possession of or working towards a professional certification in Occupational Health and Safety or Occupational Hygiene such as CRSP, CRST, ROH or ROHT. Equivalent certifications shall be considered.
Demonstrated knowledge and experience applying occupational health and safety management system principles, including frameworks such as ISO 45001, to support the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of organizational safety systems.
Considerable regulatory knowledge and demonstrated practical application of occupational health and safety policies, programs and processes in a unionized operations environment.
Stay current with emerging trends, technologies, regulatory changes and industry standards in the field of occupational health and safety, and proactively adapt strategies accordingly.
Demonstrated abilities of coaching, mentoring and performance management practices.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including technical writing, facilitating meetings, giving presentations and the ability to influence and promote teamwork and build relationships with a broad range of stakeholders.
Strong management and facilitation skills to plan and manage the health and safety programs and manage safety investigations.
Strong computer skills in Microsoft Office applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint,
Ability to manage change and assist people with adapting to change at all levels of the Organization.
Ability to compile, draft and maintain correspondence, spreadsheets, reports, presentations and minutes.
Ability to work well under pressure, handle multiple tasks and changing priorities with tight time frames.
Ability to work collaboratively within a team environment.
An aptitude to provide an outstanding experience for clients.
Proven decision making and problem solving skills.
Ability to perform functions of the position with minimal supervision.
Strong multi-tasking, time-management, negotiation and communication (verbal and written) skills.
Strong diplomacy skills with an ability to be flexible and also give and take direction well.
Excellent documentation and time management skills.
Strong computer literacy skills.
Local area travel is a requirement.
May be assigned to and /or rotated through various City operations and locations.
May be required to work outside of regular business hours.
Valid driver’s license (recognized in BC).

Nice To Haves

Safety Data Management Systems, SAP, SharePoint, Power Automate and Power BI is considered an asset

Responsibilities

Leads the implementation, integration, governance, and continuous improvement of the corporate Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) management system across diverse operational environments, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements and industry best practices, and recognized management system frameworks such as ISO 45001.
Establishes and maintains system frameworks, standards, and processes to ensure consistency, scalability, and effectiveness of the OH&S management system across the organization.
Designs, implements, integrates, and continuously improves health and safety management systems, programs, and processes across multiple operational areas.
Leads the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of corporate OH&S programs and frameworks, including contractor safety management, risk management, incident management, corrective action management, training and competency management, audit and assurance, and other enterprise safety initiatives.
Develops corporate safety standards, procedures, tools, templates, and guidance materials to support consistent implementation of OH&S requirements across business units.
Supports the integration of OH&S management system requirements across departments by working collaboratively with operational leaders to ensure effective implementation, alignment, and sustainability of safety programs and processes.
Provides technical expertise and recommendations on OH&S legislation, regulatory requirements, industry standards, and management system practices to support informed decision-making by Directors, Managers, Supervisors, and project teams.
Conducts and facilitates risk assessments, management system reviews, audits, inspections, and gap analyses to evaluate system effectiveness, identify improvement opportunities, and support risk-based decision-making.
Develops audit, assessment, and assurance methodologies, tools, and processes to evaluate the effectiveness and maturity of corporate OH&S systems and programs.
Leads or supports complex, high-risk, or multi-business unit incident reviews and investigations to identify systemic issues, organizational learning opportunities, and corrective actions.
Supports the development, implementation, and monitoring of corrective action plans arising from audits, assessments, investigations, and program reviews to improve system effectiveness.
Monitors and evaluates OH&S performance through data analysis, trends, key performance indicators, and reporting mechanisms to identify opportunities for improvement and support continuous improvement initiatives.
Develops reports, dashboards, presentations, and briefing materials to communicate safety performance, risks, trends, and recommendations to stakeholders.
Leads assigned OH&S projects and improvement initiatives, including project planning, stakeholder engagement, implementation support, and evaluation.
Facilitates collaboration among departments, safety committees, and stakeholders to support consistent application and continual improvement of the OH&S Management System.
Provides technical guidance and subject matter expertise to Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committees and supports effective consultation and participation processes.
Collaborates with operational teams to identify opportunities for new or revised safety standards, processes, and procedures while ensuring alignment with corporate requirements and legislative obligations.
Coordinates and manages external safety consultants, contractors, or specialized resources supporting corporate OH&S initiatives, as required.
Supports the design, maintenance, and continuous improvement of OH&S technology-enabled processes and platforms, including incident management, corrective action tracking, risk assessment, audit management, training and competency tracking, and safety performance reporting systems.
Maintains current knowledge of emerging OH&S trends, technologies, regulatory changes, and industry practices to support ongoing improvement of corporate safety systems and programs.
Performs other related duties and responsibilities as assigned.