Head of Construction Health and Safety

The Head of Construction Health and Safety will be a member of the UK Health Security Campus Programme’s Senior Management Team, working closely with the Director to ensure the successful, timely and quality delivery of UK Health Security Campus Programme’s construction project of the Harlow Campus.

The post will lead as an expert in Health and Safety (H&S), ensuring that construction projects are legally compliant, building towards having industry leading construction projects where H&S is the number one priority. They will engage across the civil service, develop our internal and external capability and analyse and to target interventions.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and technical support for the UK Health Security Campus Programme, ensuring the safe delivery of construction projects for the Harlow Campus.
• Lead and develop the UK Health Security Campus Programme’s outputs, training requirements and ongoing continuous personal development.
• Attend monthly management meetings as required and facilitate and lead on the presentation of Management Information reporting to customers.
• Undertake a continuous improvement approach to the account, seeking to present and provide innovative solutions and operational improvements.
• Business interfaces, front-line customer and stakeholder management – at a regional and national level.
• Lead H&S initiatives across the UK Health Security Campus Programme, over the next five years, and beyond.
• Ensure H&S risk management strategies are in place, and the outputs are actioned accordingly.
• Establish and oversee a system of audits to ensure the compliance of the UK Health Security Campus Programme with internal and external protocols.
• Provide meaningful input to all teams to help drive performance improvement through analysis of Management Information and Reporting.
• Provide technical guidance to the Prison Infrastructure team, to leverage knowledge from the transactional data and translate this into improvements in processes, specifications or services.
• Work collaboratively with other managers at UKHSA to resolve escalated issues. Actively participate in UKHSA and industry networks to share best practice to overcome specific and generic blockers, to effective H&S management.
• Provide senior level technical leadership in a complex organisation and providing written and oral briefings.
• Lead a team of technical professionals and building professional capacity and capability.
• Be responsible for effectively contributing to service level governance and operational supplier management of all construction contractors.
• Lead the day-to-day contractor and supply chain engagement from a H&S perspective.
• Provide support on technical issues, from day-to-day issue resolution through to strategic quarterly reviews.
• Attend and actively participate in supplier contract performance meetings as required.
• Be accountable for working with the supply chain, to drive safe working practices in accordance with business and industry targets.
• Support tender evaluations from an H&S perspective.
• Lead the day-to-day customer engagement from a H&S perspective, demonstrating strong relationship-building and influencing skills to incorporate necessary compliance alongside customer needs.
• Be responsible for supporting the management and resolution of any escalations or complaints relating to H&S from the customers or supply chain.
• Ensure all team members are fully compliant with mandatory learning, skills and behaviours required to fulfil their role.
• Promote a high-performance culture and excellent customer service in all activity, ensuring the team demonstrate appropriate behaviours in delivering a service to the business.

The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of these roles.  You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required. The job description and person specifications may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the organisation.

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

• A professionally recognised health and safety qualification at a senior level (e.g. NEBOSH Level 6, CMIOSH or similar).
• 5 years minimum experience with Construction (Design and management) (CDM) and client-side construction project management.
• A fire safety qualification or significant experience working with fire safety risk management.
• Registration with an appropriate professional body for health and safety practitioners (e.g. Chartered IOSH or IIRSM certification).
• Experience of leading health and safety teams, with a track record of addressing compliance issues and strong knowledge of relevant legislation and best practice.
•  Demonstratable experience working in project/programme management, delivering complex construction projects across a widely varying estate, within budget and against challenging deadlines.
• An active member of a professional engineering trade organisation or body.
• Understanding of the Government Property Profession.
• Ability to implement strategies through consultation and engagement of key stakeholders.

Desirable Criteria

• Preferable experience with FM H&S, such as legionella, fire, electrical etc.
• General Property risk management experience such as developing and maintaining estate risk register.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £70,797, UK Health Security Agency contributes £20,509 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

Please visit our careers site for more information: UKHSA Hub , Civil Service Careers

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Application & Sift 

This vacancy is using the Success Profiles framework.

At sift stage you will be assessed against the essential criteria listed in the job advert.

You will be required to complete an:

•  Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1,200-word Statement of Suitability

This should outline how your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role.

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1,500 but your statement of suitability must be no more than 1,200.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. The application form is the kind of information you would put into your CV – please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV.  Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible.

Longlisting

In the event of a large number of applications, we may longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all Essential Criteria
• Meets some Essential Criteria
• Meets no Essential Criteria

Only those that ‘Meet all Essential Criteria’ will progress to Shortlisting.

Shortlisting

In the event of a large number of applications, we will shortlist against the lead Essential Criteria:

• A professionally recognised health and safety qualification at a senior level (e.g. NEBOSH Level 6, CMIOSH or similar)

In the event of a large number of applications/successful candidates, we may shortlist against the Desirable Criteria.

Please note feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Interview

You will be invited to a remote interview.

This vacancy is being assessed using Success Profiles. During the interview we will assess you against the below Behaviours:

• Leadership – lead behaviour
• Making effective decisions
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

You will be asked to prepare and present a 10-minute presentation at the start of your interview. The presentation will be designed to allow you to demonstrate your knowledge of and experience in:

• Construction Health & Safety, CDM & Building Safety Act in a complex infrastructure capital programme.

Further details will be provided at interview stage.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Eligibility Criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).

Salary

Salary Breakdown (Grade 6)

• Grade 6 Inner London: £75,104 – £85,436
• Grade 6 Outer London: £72,950 – £83,443
• Grade 6 National:  £70,797 – £81,450

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQ’s – Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London/Canary Wharf.

We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA’s core HQ’s (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London).

Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Security Clearance Level Requirement

All successful candidates must meet the basic security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is:

• Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

DBS Requirement:

• Basic DBS

Future location

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection – GOV.UK. The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you’re appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we’ll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we’ll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

International Police check     

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check.  This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.

Internal Fraud Check 

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth – will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name :Sarah Handy
• Email :sarah.handy@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email :Recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

https://www.healthjobsuk.com/job/v7680254