Manager, Health And Safety

THE ORGANIZATION: VANCOUVER SCHOOL BOARD (SCHOOL DISTRICT 39)

With deep gratitude and respect, we are honoured to be learning and unlearning on the ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) Nation, and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nation.

At the VSB, we are proud to provide exceptional learning experiences for students. As a large, urban school district, the VSB is one of Canada’s most diverse school systems and equity and inclusivity are at the forefront of our approach to education.

Throughout the District, more than 7,700 staff work to create learning environments where every student thrives by prioritizing students’ needs, applying evidence-informed practices, and building relationships. The VSB’s culture reflects the diversity of our city. Students enrolled in VSB come from varied backgrounds and lived experiences and are encouraged to explore and share their unique selves and gifts. Our commitment to students goes beyond academics with students’ overall well-being and sense of belonging being equally important. As an organization, we strive to build a school system where every student can be their authentic self and succeed throughout their learning journey. In doing this work, we champion equity and accountability by making evidence-based decisions. As a learning organization, humility is our guidepost as we work to continually improve student outcomes in service to them, their families, and the broader community. For more information about our school district, visit https://www.vsb.bc.ca/.

THE OPPORTUNITY: MANAGER, HEALTH AND SAFETY

​Reporting to the Director, Enterprise Risk and Safety Compliance, the Manager, Health & Safety is responsible for overseeing the District’s operational Health & Safety objectives and key results. This role leads a team consisting of Health & Safety Officers, a Safety Coordinator, and an office support staff, which together are key in establishing, implementing and maintaining the District’s compliance with occupational health and safety requirements as well as conformance and performance against internal standards and wise practices.

You are people leader with technical training. You possess a post-secondary degree, or certificate related to engineering, sciences, or Health and Safety, a relevant professional designation, and bring 10-15 years of progressive experience in health and safety roles including time within large or complex organizations. You take a systems-based approach to managing your portfolio, and your proficiency with Microsoft Office products enables you to efficiently and clearly communicate information to others through reports and other communication channels. As a curious self-directed learner, you embrace problem solving and seek out new and relevant information to drive continual improvement and success. Your well-rounded experience includes leading teams, regulatory compliance, management systems, emergency preparedness, and injury claims management. You are driven to be a trusted and relied upon internal subject matter expert. You are ready to be engaged and make a positive impact on the VSB community that values diversity, inclusion and safety.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Occupational Health & Safety (OHS)
• Lead occupational health and safety initiatives in alignment with the department’s strategic plan.
• Establish, implement and maintain an occupational health and safety management system.
• Identify hazards and assess risks to the health and safety of employees.
• Monitor and evaluate regulatory changes, elevating key information to the Director, Enterprise Risk and Safety Compliance.
• Anticipate and plan for emerging safety and emergency management issues identified through internal and external sources.
• Ensure continual improvement in organizational compliance with applicable health and safety legislation as applicable to the K-12 education sector.
• Implement district-wide recommendations and operationalize safe work practices and management systems.
• Oversee management of workplace injury-related claims and appeals.
• Develop, implement, and audit OH&S related procedures, processes, and strategic plans.
• Support organizational response to major incidents.
• Represent the organization in external audits, inspections, and regulatory matters.
• Drive continuous improvement and foster a positive safety culture through the lens of psychological safety, and the principles of human and organizational performance.

Emergency Management

• Ensure sustainability and continual improvement of emergency management process and knowledge throughout the District.
• Operationalize strategic plans for emergency management based on objectives and key results.
• Engage with police and public health in real-time emergency response on behalf of the District.
• Oversee and apply district emergency management practices, including public health communicable disease processes.

Staff Management

• Supervise a team of Health & Safety officers, safety coordinator, and office support.
• Mentor, and coach, the health and safety team for professional growth and development.
• Provide advice to all levels of district management, school and district principals, and health & safety committees.
• Assign work tasks and projects, manage meetings, review work for quality control, and carry out performance reviews.
• Lead hiring, performance management, and professional development for the safety team.

Facilitating Adult Learning

• Present relevant and engaging training opportunities for stakeholders on emergent topics in health, safety, and emergency management.
• Identify opportunities to increase capacity across district management for responsible and preventative health and safety practices.
• Work closely with all worksites to encourage understanding of Health and Safety requirements, risk management, and procedure implementation.

Management Reporting

• Prepare statistical reports using records of actions taken concerning WorkSafeBC claims, accident investigations, appeals, citations, safety risks and safety system performance.
• Ensure data accuracy and timeliness or all compliance reporting and responses, including inspection reports, and WorkSafeBC claims.
• Facilitate continual improvement of the District’s claims management system.
• Furnish information and statistical data concerning labour legislation and management practices for contract reviews and proposed changes.

Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Post- secondary degree or diploma in engineering, science, or Occupational Health & Safety, or a similarly related field.
• 7-10 years of progressive experience in health and safety management, preferably with experience in large complex organizations.
• 2-3 years of experience in leading people
• You hold any of the following certifications:
  -Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) preferred.
  -Certified Health and Safety Consultant (CHSC).
  -Certified Safety Professional (CSP).
• Team management or leadership education or training.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• In-depth knowledge of health and safety legislation, applicable regulations, and wise practices.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and team management skills.
• Excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.
• Proficiency in data analysis, reporting, and use of a systems approach to safety.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and projects and respond effectively and reasonably in emergency situations.
• Ability to oversee and lead health & safety team and programs on a path of continual improvement.
• Advanced level technical report writing related to the area of health and safety.
• Experience maintaining compliance with regulatory and industry standards including WorkSafeBC compliance order and COR or management system third party auditor reports.
• Experience developing, implementing and evaluating the efficacy of OH&S policies and procedures.
• Technical expertise, experience or training in industrial hygiene monitoring, risk assessments, exposure control plans, certificate of recognition, environmental or health and safety management systems, fire safety management, emergency preparedness and response.
• Experience managing budgets and strategic planning for safety initiatives.
• Commitment to equity, diversity, and fostering a positive work environment.
• Ability to supervise staff and ensure team performance in a psychologically safe manner.

• Your organizational ability allows you to effectively manage your time, prioritize demands, and administrative tasks.
• Comfortable in communicating with others in a respectful way when having difficult conversations.
• Advanced skills Microsoft Office suite, including Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, MS TEAMS, Power Automate, MS Copilot.
• The ability to present safety information to non-safety experts, and others in an understandable way.
• Demonstrated ability to create training material and lead training while presenting the information to others in an engaging way.
• Possess the ability to work independently and identify opportunities and take initiatives.
• Able to exercise judgment with strict attention to confidentiality and privacy.
• Able to balance competing initiatives and know when to escalate issues to management.
• Adaptable and able to shift focus in a dynamic workplace

LEVEL OF RESPONSIBILITY:

• The Manager, Health and Safety oversees and leads health & safety team and safety programs across the district. This role is responsible for developing, implementing, maintaining executing Health and safety procedures, and strategic plans, as well as managing related budgets. The manager will assess and propose the allocation of resources for future safety initiatives. The manager is responsible for supervising, mentoring, and evaluating the performance of the health and safety team members. They will be responsible for ensuring compliance with regulatory and industry standards as well as wise practices. They will be responsible for reviewing reports, verifying accuracy, and interpreting results.
• The position is accountable for anticipating and planning for emerging safety and emergency management issues, supporting organizational responses to major incidents, and representing the organization in external audits, inspections, and regulatory matters.
• The manager will be accountable for driving continuous improvement in all areas of their work and foster a positive work environment, from handling hiring of new staff, and ensuring appropriate professional development for the safety team to meet organizational objectives and key results.
• The Health and Safety Manager is responsible for contributing independently to ensure the success of the Health and Safety management system at the VSB.

DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY:

• The Manager, Health and Safety exercises a high degree of independent judgment and authority in the development and enforcement of occupational health and safety procedures, safety team resource allocation, and strategic planning for safety initiatives. The role has the authority to supervise staff, make recommendations on hiring, performance management, and approve training and vacation requests. The Manager is empowered to manage safety programs and oversee the implementation of safety management systems. Decisions related to compliance, emergency response, and continuous improvement are made autonomously, with escalation to the Director – Enterprise Risk and Safety Compliance as required for critical or unprecedented issues.

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY DEMANDS:

• The physical and sensory demands described below reflect the essential functions of this administrative management position. These may include, but are not limited to, sitting, standing, walking, preparing documents for distribution, traveling to other sites in the district, using a phone, listening to others, taking notes, using a computer and related office equipment, and filing documents according to a system.
• To fulfill the subject matter expertise required for this role, there may be fieldwork involving inspections, investigations, and industrial hygiene monitoring. This could require lifting or carrying equipment, operating monitoring devices, climbing access ladders, using stairs, and stepping over or under objects. Personal protective equipment may be required during some fieldwork.
• The role requires effective communication with large groups of people, both virtually and in person.
• Periods of high workload and competing tasks may occur, requiring effective time management and adaptability.
• Reasonable accommodation will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities to enable them to perform the essential functions of the position.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

• The Manager, Health and Safety, works in an open office environment where background noise can be expected from conversations. Due to the nature of claims management, injury prevention program tasks, or investigations, the manager could potentially be exposed to emotionally charged experiences and/or interactions with employees or others who can be upset, frustrated, unstable, or unpredictable due to a variety of conditions or the context. The role has potential for exposure to psychosocial hazards and distress resulting from unavoidable exposure to difficult conversations and work-related decisions. The Manager, Health and Safety, can expect and have the ability to have workplace interpersonal relationships in line with our respectful workplace administrative procedure.

COMPENSATION

The salary range for the Manager, Health and Safety is $120,234 to $141,452. Additionally, a comprehensive benefits package, including, Municipal Pension Plan, Vancouver Employee Savings Plan, Extended Health, Dental, Group Life, Long Term Disability, Vacation, Gratuity, and potential Compensatory time.

TO APPLY:

To be considered for this position, please apply via makeafuture.ca and include a cover letter and resume along with your application to this competition. The closing date for this competition is Monday, August 25, 2025, at 12:00 p.m.

1. Create a profile on   Make a Future
2. Click "Apply Now" under Management positions
3. Upload all supporting documents. Your application must include a cover letter, resume and your last 3 direct supervisors/managers as references.
4. Answer the job posting questions
5. Once your application has been submitted you will receive a confirmation email.

​The VSB has been given approval from the Human Rights Tribunal for a Special Program under s. 42(3) of the Human Rights Code. Under this special program, the VSB seeks to preferentially hire Aboriginal persons to a variety of teaching positions. Therefore, each applicant may wish to provide, on a voluntary basis, information whether they self-identify as an Aboriginal person.