Head of Health and Safety

Our skilled labour solutions client is seeking a Head of Health & Safety, Wellbeing and Sustainability to support their civil engineering and construction clients working out of their West London office on a permanent basis.

As the Head of HSWS, you will be responsible for leading and managing the company's Safety, Health, Wellbeing, Sustainability, Quality, and Environmental management systems. You will play a vital role in ensuring compliance with industry standards, promoting a culture of safety and wellbeing, and driving continuous improvement across all projects. The role is essential for maintaining our clients' competitive advantage, safeguarding the workforce, and supporting business growth through a strong health and safety record.

The role will report to the Executive Director, supporting board, operations, clients and supply chain partners. Hybrid working/site visits as part of role.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee the company's HSWS management systems, ensuring consistent implementation across the organisation.
• Promote a culture of Health Safety, Wellbeing and Sustainability across all projects, aligning with client values for unified delivery.
• Act as a subject matter expert for HSWS in the Rail & Civils sector, ensuring compliance with regulatory, industry, and client requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance HSWS performance, keeping DSG an industry leader.
• Ensure all accidents, incidents, near misses/close calls, and work-related ill health cases are reported, investigated, and corrective actions implemented (including RIDDOR reporting). Share lessons learned with operatives and clients.
• In collaboration, conduct risk assessments and develop strategic health and safety plans, providing tailored solutions to mitigate risks.
• Monitor performance and report against key KPIs to both internal senior management and client stakeholders.
• Manage the Integrated Management System (IMS) underpinning ISO certifications and accreditations with recognised industry bodies.
• Develop and manage internal auditing processes to ensure compliance and continuous improvement.
• Conduct internal and external audits, supporting bid processes with HSWS
• Ensure audit preparedness, maintaining compliance proactively.
• Lead fatigue reporting processes and ensure accurate documentation and actions.
• Support client audits and demonstrate best practices.

• Compile and submit accurate KPI reports to clients and internal stakeholders in line with contractual requirements.
• Attend and present at client and internal HSWS meetings, communicating key updates and performance data.
• Establish strong working relationships with clients, supply chain partners, and stakeholders to foster collaboration.
• Lead and develop HSWS team members, ensuring continuous training and performance enhancement.
• Foster a collaborative culture, sharing best practices and promoting innovation.
• Keep stakeholders informed of legislative and regulatory changes, ensuring compliance.
• Incident & Risk Reduction: Year-on-year reduction in incidents by a targeted percentage (e.g., 10%).
• Audit Compliance: 100% completion of scheduled audits with a compliance rate of at least 95%.
• Training & Engagement: HSWS training delivered to 90%+ of employees annually, with satisfaction ratings above 85%.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Active contribution to 95%+ of stakeholder meetings with key action completion.
• Corrective Action Implementation: 100% follow-up on identified safety risks and non-compliance issues.
• KPI Reporting Accuracy: Timely submission of all reports with at least 98% data accuracy.

Skills/experience/qualifications

• Leadership experience in HSE environments (ideally civil engineering/constuction clients/contractors)
• Relevant HSE certs
• Degree qualified an advtanage
• Relevant site certs
• Excellent stakeholder manager and communicator

Benefits

• Salary circa 80-85k (flex depending on view on experience and interview performance)
• Generous bonus scheme
• Accident & Life Assurance - Provided through B+CE after 3 months of employment.
• Generous Annual Leave - 26 days of holiday per year (pro-rated in the first year).
• Pension Scheme - Auto-enrolment with People's Pension (3% employer, 5% employee contribution) after 3 months.
• Training & Development -offering job-specific training and career development opportunities.