Interim Health & Safety Advisor in Chester

Chester | 3 days per week | Initial 3-6 month assignment | £280 - £320 per day | Outside IR35 anticipated

If you are an experienced Health & Safety professional looking for an interim assignment that offers genuine flexibility and the opportunity to make a visible difference, this could be worth a conversation.

Principal People are supporting a large, complex organisation in Chester with the appointment of an Interim Health & Safety Advisor to provide additional resource while the organisation reviews the longer-term structure of its Health & Safety function.

Flexibility that actually works for an interim.

The requirement is expected to be around three days per week, making it particularly suitable for an established contractor looking to complement another assignment or someone who simply doesn't want a five-day commitment.

There is flexibility around working patterns. The preference initially would be to spend time on site alongside the Head of Health & Safety, particularly while getting to know the organisation, with scope for some project and development work to be completed remotely. 

A role where you can leave something better than you found it.

This isn't simply a gap-fill position where you will be asked to maintain the status quo.

The Health & Safety function is going through a period of change and improvement, and the successful contractor will be given ownership of tangible pieces of work. This includes developing and delivering training, completing audits and inspections, supporting managers and helping move existing Health & Safety processes away from heavily paper-based systems towards more effective digital solutions.

The exact workload will be shaped around the successful person's strengths, but likely projects include:

• Developing and delivering risk assessment training for managers
• Supporting training around contractor management, stress awareness and managers' Health & Safety responsibilities
• Helping undertake a training needs analysis
• Carrying out general Health & Safety audits and workplace inspections
• Providing practical Health & Safety advice across a varied organisation
• Supporting the introduction and rollout of a recently developed managers' handbook
• Helping improve systems and processes, potentially using tools such as Microsoft Forms and SharePoint
• Providing additional day-to-day Health & Safety capacity to the Head of Health & Safety

The environment itself is varied. It includes estates and facilities, contractors, catering, academic faculties, workshops and specialist teaching activities, so this should suit someone who enjoys being a broad Health & Safety generalist rather than operating within one narrow specialism. 

The client is deliberately open-minded about sector background.

Higher Education experience would be useful, but it isn't the priority. The focus is on finding an experienced, adaptable Health & Safety professional who can come into a new environment, understand what needs doing quickly and get on with it.

You will need a NEBOSH General Certificate or equivalent Level 3 Health & Safety qualification as a minimum. Some knowledge or experience of fire safety would be beneficial, but isn't the main reason someone will be selected. Discuss interim H&S position

The permanent job description covers a much broader remit including risk assessment, investigations, auditing, contractor safety and work across a diverse university environment. However, for this interim assignment the requirement is much more focused on providing an experienced, reliable extra pair of hands who can take ownership of defined projects quickly.    

Location: Chester
Working pattern: Approximately 3 days per week
Duration: Initially 3-6 months
IR35: Anticipated outside IR35, subject to formal determination
Start: As soon as reasonably possible

If you are an experienced Health & Safety contractor looking for a flexible assignment where you can genuinely take ownership of work rather than simply provide additional cover, please get in touch.