Director Food Safety

• Full time ongoing Senior Executive Band 1 role – TRP from $243,354 per annum including superannuation
• Located in Sydney – NSW– Hybrid working
• Leading food safety in NSW

Lead the regulation of food safety in NSW as Director, Food Safety and CEO of the NSW Food Authority, driving policy, legislation, and programs, representing the state nationally, and managing critical food safety emergencies to protect public health and consumer confidence.

About the Role

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is seeking a Director Food Safety and CEO NSW Food Authority to lead food regulation in NSW. This role provides strategic oversight of policy, programs, and legislation to ensure safe food production and informed consumer choice. You will represent the Department on national food regulatory committees and maintain an evidence-based regulatory system. As CEO under the Food Act 2003, you will act as DPIRD Hazard Owner for major food safety emergencies, offering expert advice and being available outside business hours for urgent issues. Exceptional communication skills and discretion are essential for engaging diverse stakeholders and maintaining confidence in the food produced and sold in New South Wales.

About You

To excel in this role, you will bring a proven record of leadership in evidence-based policy and food safety, combined with experience managing complex business units at an executive level. You have led teams in matrix environments, navigated stakeholder engagement in government or large-scale private sector settings, and delivered strategic outcomes in highly regulated contexts. Your deep expertise in governance and policy enables you to anticipate emerging risks and influence national standards and policy that protect public confidence in NSW's food supply chain. Skilled in government decision-making, you provide authoritative, evidence-based advice to Ministers and senior executives. Your leadership fosters collaboration, continuous improvement, and high performance, ensuring regulatory frameworks and operations align with government priorities and community expectations. You build strong relationships across diverse groups and excel in guiding interdisciplinary collaboration to achieve strategic objectives.

You'll be someone who can:

• Balance political priorities with diverse stakeholder views, legislative requirements, resource constraints, and national and international pressures to deliver effective, efficient policy outcomes.
• Provide high-level policy advice to the Executive and Minister's Office in complex environments where information is limited, legal constraints apply, and stakeholder perspectives are varied and evolving.
• Maintain strong scientific and technical capability to deliver innovative, through-chain food safety solutions in the face of declining resources and rising consumer expectations.

For further information about the role, please contact Lisa Szabo, Executive Director Hiring Manager e-mail or mobile or Felicity Gillard, Manager Talent Acquisition email or Alternatively, view the Role Description for Director Food Safety and CEO Food Authority.

Why us?

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is the department dedicated to growing primary industries and supporting regional economic development to deliver long term benefits to the state. Our focus is to protect, support and develop our primary industries, mining sector, and regions.

DPIRD brings together Agriculture and Biosecurity; Forestry and Fishing; Local Land Services; Mining, Exploration and Geoscience; Regional Development and Delivery; the Regional Growth NSW Development Corporation; NSW Public Works and Soil Conservation Service. We have nearly 5,000 employees, with almost 80 per cent of us living and working in regional NSW.

Sounds interesting - want to Apply

If you are a forward-thinking leader with a passion for advancing biosecurity research, we invite you to apply for this exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in the field we invite you to apply. Please submit your curriculum vitae and a cover letter addressing your suitability for this position.

Applications Closing Date: Sunday 23 November at 11:55pm

If you require adjustments in completing your application, interviewing, completing any pre- employment testing, or otherwise participating in the recruitment process, please let us know so we can assist. Send an email to and a member of the team will contact you for a confidential discussion.

Additional Information:

A talent pool may be created from this recruitment action for ongoing and temporary roles of the same standard that may become available for filling over the next eighteen months. The successful applicant in this role may be required to undergo a police check, health assessment and other assessments as required.

Diversity and inclusion are core values of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is a workplace where everyone is able to contribute and participate to their full potential, and we are proud to have a team that reflects the richness and complexity of the regional NSW communities we serve.