Head of Health & Safety

Head of Health & Safety

Lead Safety Strategy within an expanding Civil Engineering Contractor

Our client, a well-established civil engineering contractor, continues to grow across major infrastructure and civil engineering projects. As the business expands, they are seeking to appoint a Head of Health & Safety to strengthen leadership capability and support the continued development of SHESQ performance across the organisation.

This is a senior leadership role working in close partnership with the Senior Leadership Team and supporting the Board. You will play a key role in shaping strategy, supporting operational delivery, and ensuring that health and safety, performance remains aligned with the business’s long-term direction.

You will lead and support Health and Safety Managers and Advisors across operational areas, providing clear direction and ensuring the function continues to evolve alongside business growth.

This role is primarily office based, supporting senior leadership and operational teams across multiple locations.

The Opportunity

This is a highly visible role within a busy civil engineering environment, offering the opportunity to influence how safety performance is delivered across multiple projects and operational teams.

Working closely with senior leadership, you will help drive improvements in performance, strengthen risk management processes, and ensure that safety leadership remains embedded throughout the organisation.

You will also work alongside Continuous Improvement and operational teams to develop systems, embed learning, and ensure the organisation continues to exceed regulatory and operational expectations as it grows.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the senior Health & Safety leader to key stakeholders, providing strategic guidance across operational business areas
• Partner with the Senior Leadership Team and Board to provide clear performance insight across SHESQ
• Produce executive level performance reporting, identifying trends, risks, and key performance drivers
• Lead the development and management of risk strategies, ensuring risk registers remain relevant and actively managed
• Work with leadership teams to define meaningful KPIs, ensuring data is captured, analysed, and used to support decision-making
• Promote clear and consistent Health and Safety communication across regional and operational teams
• Ensure compliance with group, regulatory, and industry Health and Safety requirements
• Oversee development and delivery of Health and Safety strategies, including:
• Audit and assurance programmes
• Inspection and compliance frameworks
• Support to tendering activities
• Horizon scanning to inform policy and procedural updates
• Lead responses to major incidents and oversee investigations into serious or reportable events
• Ensure lessons learned are captured, communicated, and embedded into operational delivery
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across the SHESQ function
• Provide leadership and direction to Health and Safety Managers and Advisors in line with Group strategy
• Represent the organisation externally, engaging with industry bodies and promoting best practice
• Work collaboratively with operational and resource leaders to support planning and prioritisation of SHESQ Health and Safety initiatives

About You

You will be an experienced Health & Safety leader with a strong background in civil engineering or related sectors such as construction, infrastructure, energy or heavy industry.

You will be confident working with senior leaders, translating operational and performance data into meaningful actions, and providing clear leadership across a multi-site environment.

A strong balance of technical knowledge, leadership capability, and commercial awareness will be essential in supporting the continued development of Health and Safety performance within a growing business.

Qualifications & Experience

• NEBOSH qualification (essential)
• CMIOSH (preferred)
• Chartered status (desirable)
• Strong Health & Safety leadership experience within civil engineering (preferred) or related sectors
• Experience working within multi-site operational environments
• Familiarity with ISO-based management systems (e.g. ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001)
• Proven ability to drive performance improvement and support cultural development

What’s on Offer

• Competitive salary package (dependent on experience)
• Company vehicle
• Bonus
• The opportunity to lead Health & Safety strategy within a well-established and expanding civil engineering contractor
• A visible leadership role working closely with senior stakeholders and supporting the Board
• The opportunity to influence the future development of Health & Safety performance across the organisation

Legal Information:
We act as an employment agency for permanent work and as an employment business for temporary work.

For roles in the UK, applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK.

We value diversity and promote equality. No terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate against any of the protected characteristics that fall under the Equality Act 2010. We encourage and welcome applications from all areas of society and can discuss any reasonable adjustments to support your application.