Director of Health & Safety

What you’ll be doing as Interim Director of Health, Safety and Wellbeing

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Interim Health, Safety, and Wellbeing (HSW) leader to elevate our current HSW performance and deliver high standards in line with the high-profile, complex, and safety-critical nature of our business. The successful candidate will develop and implement a comprehensive strategy that fosters a culture of safety, promotes well-being, and drives continuous improvement across the organisation.

This role requires a strong leader who can inspire, engage, and influence both internally and externally, working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders to deliver transformational change.

The Director of Health, Safety and Wellbeing is a critical appointment that will report directly too the CEO.  This is a hybrid role; whilst your primary base location will typically be one of our main offices, either Clearwater Court in Reading or our London office, you’ll need to be enthusiastic about travelling to various sites across London, the Thames Valley and Home Counties for at least 2-3 days per week.

What you should bring to the role

The successful candidate will have a Chartered Membership of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and possess a qualification in general or construction Health and Safety law and practice recognised by IOSH or the British Safety Council to at least NEBOSH Diploma level or equivalent.  You’ll have significant experience in designing and implementing health, safety, and well-being strategies within complex, safety-critical environments, such as engineering, infrastructure, or manufacturing.
You’ll also need to have:

• Experience in Transformational Leadership; demonstrating a track record of driving cultural change and improving HSW performance in large, multi-site organisations.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and collaborate with diverse stakeholders, including the CEO and Board, the Executive team and regulatory bodies.
• Crisis management and business continuity with exposure to managing HSW-related crises, such as major incidents or regulatory challenges, with a focus on minimising business disruption and safeguarding stakeholders.
• Change management expertise with experience in leading change management initiatives that integrate HSW improvements with broader organisational transformation efforts.
• Excellent working knowledge of Health & Safety legislation.

What’s in it for you?

This role is critical for our purpose and building a better future for our communities and the environment.

This is a 3-6 month interim contract opportunity, Inside IR35, for which you’ll receive a competitive day rate.

Who are we?

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values.

Working at Thames Water

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same.
Whether you’re interested in a role in one of our call centres or science labs, we’re looking for people like you with real passion and a burning desire to make things better.

So, if you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region and our planet.

The real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

Our overarching aim is to ensure that Thames Water is a great, diverse and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. We aim to remove any real or perceived barriers to success, so if you need assistance, we’re here to help and support you.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business, meet colleagues and earn extra money.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.