"Asbestos Manager"

Job Description:

Te Ratonga Whakahaere Paenga | Facilities Management

Located in Ōtautahi | Christchurch, Aotearoa | New Zealand

• Full-time (37.5 hours per week), permanent position
• Generous annual leave provisions and professional development opportunities

Mahi Ngātahi | Who You Will Work With

Te Ratonga Whakahaere Paenga | Facilities Management’s (FM) purpose is to provide a quality, safe and environmentally sustainable environment that supports the University of Canterbury’s (UC) Tangata Tū, Tangata Ora | Strategic Vision 2020-2030. We are comprised of four core teams which provide and coordinate all estate and facility-related services at a strategic, tactical and operational level across our entire campus. You will join a supportive team of health and safety, and asbestos qualified professionals where no day is the same.

UC is made up of approximately 150 buildings across 87 hectares, covering a Gross Floor Area of 223,000m2. While the main campus is in Ilam we do also have remote field stations across Canterbury and the West Coast within the portfolio. In essence, FM is responsible for keeping UC operating safely at a quality standard for our community, which is very much like keeping a small, but very complex, town running.

Āu Mahi | What You Will Do

In this crucial role you will be responsible for all aspects of asbestos-related statutory compliance and managing associated works. This means you will have responsibility for all:

• development of the asbestos management plan, and implementation of policy and procedures
• emergency and contingency planning
• survey and communication systems
• procurement activities
• permits to work; staff training and guidance.

You will engage our Leaders constructively, be the key point of contact for WorkSafe NZ and other external agencies relating to asbestos management at UC, produce accurate and timely monthly reports relating to Asbestos management and oversee project budgets specific to asbestos management.

You will ensure that UC complies with The Health and Safety a Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 and all other statutes and initiate best practice routines and techniques to provide a high quality and robust service.

Mōu | Who You Are

You will have extensive experience (8-10 years) and in-depth understanding of asbestos management and removal and will hold:

• Bachelors degree (Honours) in a related field or other comparable construction qualification
• Hold a BOHS Certificate P405 Management of Asbestos in Buildings (Or IP405)
• Hold a BOHS Certificate P402 Surveying & Sampling strategies for Asbestos in Buildings (or IP402).

In addition, you will have:

• Detailed knowledge of the health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016
• Experience running competence-based training for staff and specific inductions for contractors in high-risk areas
• Ability to analyse and solve problems with an appreciation of longer term implications
• Experience leading and managing projects under agreed forms of contracts including supervision, administration, and issuing all types of certificates
• Experience of developing and maintaining a network of contacts throughout own work area and across the organisation
• Experience of assessing priorities, working to strict deadlines, and ensuring high levels of statutory compliance.
• Experience of devising asbestos management plans and risk-based strategy for a portfolio of buildings to manage asbestos
• Experience in using Octfolio property asset database or similar asbestos register is desirable
• Previous experience in construction and building is highly desirable
• An alignment with our organisation's values and culture, promoting a positive and inclusive work environment.

Ngā Painga o UC | Why UC

Ngā Uara | Our Values of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and tiakitanga guide our decisions and behaviour and provide a roadmap for how we do things at UC, affirming our commitment to pastoral care and support for our ākonga and staff. They challenge and inspire us to be the best we can, and make UC a great place to work and study. For more info on Ngā Uara | Our Values visit us here.

We offer a range of fantastic benefits including flexible work practices, study opportunities and generous superannuation and leave provisions. For more information, please visit us: Benefits of working at UC | UC

The closing date for this position is: 23 November 2025 (midnight, NZ time)

Please note applications will be reviewed after the close date.

Pēhea te tono mai | How You Apply

Applications for this position must be submitted via our careers website and should include a cover letter and resume.

Please note, we do not accept applications by email, however we are happy to answer your queries in relation to the application process, please forward these to WorkatUC@canterbury.ac.nz.

You must have Aotearoa New Zealand or Australian citizenship/permanent residency to be considered for this role. If you hold a valid work visa and are physically present in New Zealand then you may also be considered.