Health and Safety Lead (Collections)
Panda
H&S Lead
At Panda, we value waste. That means finding smarter, safer and more sustainable ways to recover value from materials, protect our people, and keep essential operations running safely and efficiently.
We are looking for an experienced H&S Lead to join our Safety, Health, Environment and Quality team. This is a specialist role focused on some of our key critical risk areas, including fleet safety, traffic management, contractor management and work at height.
As H&S Lead, you will act as a subject matter expert across the business, providing technical guidance, using data to identify risk trends, supporting operational teams and helping Panda stay ahead of safety, regulatory and industry expectations.
This is a visible, operational role where you will work closely with sites, leaders and SHEQ colleagues to strengthen safety standards, improve controls and support a proactive safety culture.
What You’ll Be Doing
You will:
- Act as Panda’s technical lead for fleet safety, traffic management, contractor management and work at height
- Develop, maintain and improve safety standards, procedures and practical guidance across specialist areas
- Provide expert advice and support to operational teams, engineering teams and project functions
- Lead specialist risk reviews, audits and assurance activity across sites
- Keep up to date with emerging risks, legislation, technology and best practice across the recycling and waste sector
- Represent Panda through industry conferences, workshops and specialist forums, bringing learning back into the business
- Own and analyse specialist safety data to identify trends, themes and improvement opportunities
- Produce dashboards, reports and insight papers to support decision-making
- Present safety performance, risk themes and recommendations to senior leadership and board-level forums
- Lead or support investigations relating to incidents, near misses and high-potential events
- Share learning across the business and help embed improvements into standards, controls and ways of working
- Carry out regular site visits to provide visible support, coaching and practical guidance
- Work closely with H&S Business Partners and operational leaders to build frontline safety capability
We are looking for someone who brings strong technical health and safety expertise, but who can also work practically with operational teams. You will be confident using data, comfortable influencing senior stakeholders and able to turn technical requirements into workable site-level solutions.
You will bring:
- Significant experience in a health and safety role within an industrial, recycling, manufacturing, engineering or similar operational environment
- Strong knowledge of specialist risk areas such as fleet safety, traffic management, contractor management and work at height
- Experience leading or supporting incident investigations and identifying root causes
- Experience analysing safety data and producing clear management-level reporting
- Strong understanding of relevant legislation, standards and industry best practice
- Confidence presenting information, risk themes and recommendations to senior stakeholders
- The ability to challenge constructively, influence decisions and build trusted working relationships
- A visible, hands-on approach with credibility across operational environments
- NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent, or working towards this
- IOSH membership or membership of an equivalent professional body
- Formal training or qualifications in fleet safety, traffic management, contractor management or work at height
- Experience developing organisational safety standards, procedures or technical guidance
- Experience presenting to executive or board-level audiences
- Chartered IOSH status, or working towards this
The right H&S Lead will be forward-thinking, practical and confident working across multiple sites and stakeholder groups. You will be someone who takes ownership, spots risk early and helps turn safety insight into meaningful action.
You will be:
- Visible and approachable across sites
- Confident in coaching, supporting and challenging operational teams
- Data-led, with the ability to identify themes and drive improvement
- Proactive, curious and committed to continuous improvement
- Collaborative, working with others to find practical safety solutions
- Focused on learning, prevention and building long-term safety capability
About The Company
We are Panda. We value waste.
We’re in the business of waste management but that doesn’t just mean collecting bins. Behind every collection is a passionate team of people finding smarter, safer, and more sustainable ways to recycle and repurpose materials that would otherwise go to waste.
Over the past 30 years, Panda has grown into a leading resource recovery business, bringing together almost 3,000 people across multiple brands, united by a shared vision and strong values. While our operations are diverse, our purpose is clear: to protect our people, support our customers, and create positive impact for the communities and environments we serve.
At Panda, people are at the heart of everything we do. We work as one team, combining different skills, experiences, and perspectives to achieve shared goals. We care for each other’s wellbeing, encourage development, and support growth because we know we’re stronger together.
We expect excellence in how we operate. High standards, bold thinking, and continuous improvement drive our passion for innovation. We challenge the ordinary, put safety first, and embrace new ideas while delivering practical, cost-effective solutions that move our business forward.
We own what we do. From day-to-day tasks to major projects, we take pride in our work and responsibility for the outcome. We don’t walk past problems we address them together. Our expertise, reliability, and care reflect who we are and the difference we make.
And above all, we act with trust and integrity. Trust is built through open communication, honesty, and accountability. It allows us to move quickly, make confident decisions, and deliver results — knowing our people are empowered to do the right thing.
Our journey depends on talented, committed people who want to make an impact.
Take the first step and join us on the journey.
Panda is committed to attracting and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we operate and the people we serve.
(DE&I Policy Statement)
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