SHW Business Partner | Wellington or Palmerston North
KiwiRailJobsCloseBy Editorial Insights
KiwiRail seeks a SHW Business Partner: Above Rail Central to drive safety leadership across freight operations, workshops and container terminals, based in Wellington or Palmerston North. This onsite role partners with operational leaders to embed safety, coach frontline teams, support risk management and safety initiatives, provide insights and investigations, and contribute to the SHW team. What matters most is proven safety experience in a fast-paced, high risk environment, strong coaching and stakeholder engagement, and the ability to translate data into action. Essential: SHW qualification (eg NEBOSH), full NZ driver’s licence and willingness to travel. Benefits include salary, KiwiSaver, medical and staff travel, development opportunities. Applications close Sunday 12 July 2026.
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
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