Job Description
Head of Health & Safety
Location:-Manchester and North West-
Sector: Rail Infrastructure / Major Projects
Position: Permanent
The Opportunity
We are seeking an experienced Head of Safety to provide strategic leadership and oversight of health, safety and assurance activities across a major rail infrastructure alliance programme.
This is a senior leadership position responsible for driving safety excellence across a complex, high-risk operational environment, ensuring assurance activities are intelligence-led, risk-based and aligned with programme delivery priorities including major works, possessions and blockades.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of the Alliance Assurance Framework.
- Ensure assurance activities remain aligned to principal programme risks and operational priorities.
- Drive the implementation and monitoring of the Health, Safety & Wellbeing Improvement Plan.
- Provide strategic oversight and challenge of Principal Contractor safety assurance arrangements.
- Lead Integrated Assurance Reviews and ensure findings drive meaningful improvements.
- Analyse safety performance trends and identify areas requiring intervention or escalation.
- Deliver assurance intelligence and reporting to senior governance forums.
- Promote organisational learning, continuous improvement and best practice sharing.
- Lead and support assurance teams and wider safety professionals.
- Act as deputy to the Health, Safety & Environment Director when required. [Head of H&S | Word]
About You
To be successful in this role, you will have:
- Significant Health & Safety leadership experience within a high-risk operational environment.
- Experience leading assurance, governance or safety improvement frameworks on major projects or programmes.
- Strong understanding of health and safety legislation, management systems and risk-based assurance principles.
- Proven ability to challenge and influence senior leadership teams.
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
- Strong report writing and presentation capabilities.
- Experience working collaboratively across client, contractor and supply chain organisations.
- The ability to interpret complex assurance data and provide clear, actionable intelligence. [Head of H&S | Word]
Why Apply?
- Opportunity to influence safety performance on a nationally significant infrastructure programme.
- Senior leadership role with broad strategic responsibility.
- Work alongside industry-leading professionals in a collaborative alliance environment.
- Play a key role in driving continuous improvement and shaping safety culture across the programme.