Health and Safety Manager

We are seeking an experienced and proactive Health and Safety Manager to provide strategic leadership on the Council’s corporate Health and Safety agenda.

In this pivotal role, you will support the Chief Executive and Corporate Management Team, acting as the Council’s nominated Competent Health and Safety Advisor.You will lead the in-house Health and Safety team, ensuring robust compliance with legislation while embedding a positive health and safety culture across all Council services and premises.

About the Role

Working collaboratively with elected members, senior leaders, managers, employees, and external stakeholders, you will drive continuous improvement in health and safety performance and ensure the wellbeing of employees, residents, and service users.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Council’s corporate Health and Safety framework. Ensure compliance with all relevant Health and Safety legislation and best practice
• Provide strategic, risk-based professional advice to senior decision-makers
• Develop, implement, and review Health and Safety policies, systems, and procedures
• Promote a strong culture of safe working practices across the organisation
• Lead, manage, and motivate the Health and Safety team to achieve high performance
• Investigate incidents and implement preventative and corrective measures
• Support transformational change and continuous improvement initiatives

The Ideal candidate

You will be a confident and influential health and safety professional with strong leadership experience and the ability to operate effectively at a strategic level within a complex organisation.

Essential Qualifications, Skills & Abilities

• Chartered Member of IOSH (or working towards Chartered status)
• Degree-level qualification in a relevant discipline or equivalent professional experience e.g. NEBOSH Diploma
• In-depth knowledge of current Health & Safety legislation, best practice, and employment law
• Strong experience applying a risk-based approach within financial constraints
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence at all levels
• Proven leadership and people management capability with strong planning, organisational, and performance management skills
• High-level interpersonal skills, including mediation and problem-solving. Customer-focused, collaborative, and committed to continuous improvement
• Significant experience in a managerial-level Health and Safety role
• Proven experience working at a strategic organisational level. Track record of improving Health and Safety performance
• Experience developing and implementing Health & Safety policies, systems, and databases
• Experience conducting investigations and advising on preventative measures

Desirable Qualifications, Skills & Abilities

• Fire Safety qualification (e.g. National Certificate in Fire Safety)
• Experience overseeing Fire Safety management
• Project management experience
• Experience delivering or commissioning training programmes
• Knowledge of local government legislation and policy

Please ensure that you download and read the full job profile attached for the details and expectations of this role, paying particular attention the section 'Who is the person' as you will need to refer to this when completing your Personal statement.

Contact Details for an Informal Discussion:

If you have any questions, or would like an informal discussion about the role, please email: Jeremy Underdown - jeremy.underdown@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

About Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.

We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals. Learn more about our values and behaviours.

Our Recruitment process

We anonymise applications during application & shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered.

As part of your application, we ask that you complete a personal statement, this statement is crucial and is where you must demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the job against each of the points described in the'Who is the Person'points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience.

If you apply without a detailed personal statement, it is unlikely that you will be successful.

We are a disability confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard. More information can be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion - Careers portal

You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it

Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616 800.

Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our career's portal homepage: Careers Portal - Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council