Deputy Head of Health and Safety in East Sussex

Deputy Head of Health and Safety
Salary: Up to £60,000 plus excellent benefits
Location: East Sussex, UK - site based 5 days / week

Have you got a passion for creating safe, compliant environments that support staff and students alike? Are you ready to take a leadership role in developing a dynamic educational setting?

Irwin and Colton have exclusively partnered with one of the UKs top-5 leading academic institutes, to identify their new dedicated and proactive Deputy Head of Health and Safety. Reporting to the Head of Health, Safety and Security; this pivotal role involves ensuring the organisation adheres to all statutory and ISI obligations, promoting a culture of best practice, and supporting continuous improvement across all sites.

The key responsibilities of the successful candidate will include:

• Overseeing compliance with health and safety regulations, including risk assessments, statutory inspections, and maintenance schedules.
• Conducting regular site inspections and audits, focusing on high-risk departments such as Science, Tech, and Grounds.
• Assisting in policy creation, review, and implementation, including safety measures for fire, asbestos, legionella, and manual handling.
• Managing accident and incident reporting, investigations, and trend analysis to support ongoing risk mitigation.
• Coordinating staff training programmes and liaising with external consultants for specialised safety courses.

The successful candidate will have:

• NEBOSH Diploma (or equivalent), and a Certified IOSH membership as a minimum or MIIRSM.
• Strong understanding of fire safety legislation, compliance frameworks, and risk management.
• Proven experience managing health and safety in an educational or similar environment, heritage estates / commercial settings.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to foster effective relationships at all levels.

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to an extremely prestigious educational institute, that has been standing since the 1840's, committed to safety, excellence, and professional development.

This role will be site-based 5 days per week.

For more information or to apply, please contact Matthew Cathcart at or call (phone number removed)

Irwin and Colton are a specialist Health and Safety recruitment company, based in the South East of England. We recruit across the UK in all roles within the health and safety industry, from Health and Safety Manager, Director, to Advisor positions.

Irwin and Colton Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job, you accept the T&Cs, Privacy Policy, and Disclaimers available on our website (url removed). We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion-please let us know if we can make the process more accessible to you.