Principal Functional Safety & Control Systems Discipline Engineer (Australia)

Provide functional safety and control systems expertise to support engineering outcomes, establish clear design foundations, and align solutions with business and technical requirements.

Support engineering planning and delivery throughout the project lifecycle, from design through to commissioning and handover.

Review engineering processes, solutions and technical decisions to promote continuous improvement, quality outcomes and compliance with engineering standards.

Provide guidance on functional safety processes in accordance with Australian Standards and industry best practice.

Foster a proactive, risk-aware culture and support informed decision-making to achieve safe and successful project outcomes.

Partner with project teams to identify and minimise health, safety, environmental and community risks through Sustainability in Design (SiD) activities, workshops and reviews.

Act as a trusted subject matter expert, providing specialist advice to project teams and contracting partners across functional safety and control systems engineering.

Support engineering quality assurance and collaborate with Project Engineers and governance teams to ensure the effective application of engineering standards.

Review and provide technical feedback on key project deliverables, including:

Functional Safety deliverables

Functional Safety Management Plans

Safety Requirements Specifications

Hardware Design Specifications

Safety Software Design Specifications

SIL Verification Reports

FAT and Commissioning Documentation

Functional Safety Assessments

Control Systems deliverables

Functional Descriptions and Specifications

Control Loop Schematics

Network Block Diagrams

Control System Logic

Other project deliverables

Hazard Registers and Reports

Scopes of Work

User Requirements

Engineering Management Strategies and Plans

Use analytical and problem-solving skills to identify root causes, develop practical solutions, and support effective implementation of improvements.

Effectively prioritise and manage competing activities to deliver successful outcomes.

Build strong relationships with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders.

Develop a deep understanding of customer needs and work collaboratively to deliver value and positive project outcomes.

Draw upon expertise from across the organisation to achieve the best possible outcomes for projects and stakeholders.

You will bring extensive experience in engineering design and/or assurance roles, including expertise in one or more of the following areas:

Functional Safety, particularly machine safety.

Industrial Control Systems, particularly within the iron ore, mining or heavy industry sectors.

You will also have:

A Bachelor of Engineering in Control Systems, Electrical & Instrumentation, Mechatronics, or a related discipline.

A current Functional Safety certification (such as TÜV or Exida CFSP).

Familiarity with Australian Standards, including AS 61508 Series, AS 61511 Series and AS/NZS 62061.Experience delivering technically complex projects and practical engineering solutions.

Experience with Allen Bradley ControlLogix systems. Experience with GuardLogix and other PLC or DCS platforms will be highly regarded.

Experience in engineering governance, including Sustainability in Design processes and the application of international, Australian and company standards.

Strong critical thinking and continuous improvement skills, with the ability to develop fit-for-purpose solutions.

Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage a broad range of technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Strong risk awareness and understanding of project management principles.

Sound judgement, analytical capability and problem-solving skills.

An appreciation of related engineering disciplines and the ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams.

Applications are open until 29 Sep 2026.

At BHP, we are committed to employing individuals who align with the BHP Charter Values and meet the requirements of the role. As part of the recruitment process, there are a number of checks which may be conducted to demonstrate applicants suitability for a role including police / criminal background checks, medical, drug and alcohol testing, due diligence checks, right to work checks, and/or reference checks.

If you are already employed directly by BHP, please log in using your BHP email address or apply via our internal jobs portal.

The size, stability and magnitude of our business not only provides significant opportunity for professional development, but also attractive salary packages with performance-based bonuses and a best-in-class employee share program. We know there are many aspects of our employees' lives that are important, and work is only one of these, so we offer benefits to enable your work to fit with your life. These benefits include flexible working options, a generous paid parental leave policy, other extended leave entitlements and parent rooms.

At BHP, we know that we are strengthened by diversity. We are an Equal Opportunity employer that is committed to making BHP a safe and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive and be at their best every day. We are focused on creating a workforce that’s more diverse and represents the communities where we work and live. providing a work environment in which everyone is included, treated fairly and with respect. We are an Equal Opportunity employer and recognise that true diversity includes gender, age, race, disability status, sexual orientation, religion, neurodiversity, education levels, and many more aspects of your identity.

BHP is committed to providing a recruitment process that is fair, equitable and accessible for all. If you have a disability, we know that it may be helpful for us to adjust our process to make it equitable for your individual situation. If you would like to reach out to someone about your situation and our recruitment process, please email us at inclusion@bhp.com.