Head of Health & Safety

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work, providing a supportive culture with opportunities to grow and develop your career, achieve a healthy work life balance and to be recognised for the great work you do. You will receive:

• Competitive salary and pension scheme
• 33 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays) - increasing to 38 days over 5 years
• Cycle to work scheme Electric Vehicle Scheme (subject to terms)
• Health and Wellbeing portal – access to financial, health and wellbeing support and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounts – you will have access to Blue Light and NHS Discounts as well as discounts on mobile phones, gym membership, cinema tickets, restaurants, holidays and shopping

About Us

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a team of over 1,100 employees and over 20,000 volunteers, united by our goal of saving lives through essential first aid services, training and campaigning. As a charity with rich heritage and a long history of serving humanity, we are proud of our past and excited about creating a healthier, safer, more resilient future.

St John Ambulance works at the heart of communities, supporting and enabling them to access and receive physical and mental health first aid. We do this through developing and providing effective community response and outreach services (e.g. Ambulance response) and using our longstanding expertise to empower people with vital clinical skills and the confidence to use them (e.g. our Volunteers and Community Advocates, and Young Responders programmes).

Job Summary

Every day, St John Ambulance supports communities across England by providing life-saving first aid, healthcare services and volunteering opportunities that make a real difference. Behind everything we do is a commitment to keeping our people, volunteers, patients and the public safe. We're now looking for an experienced and inspiring Head of Health & Safety to lead our organisation-wide approach to health and safety, ensuring we continue to deliver our mission safely, responsibly and with confidence.

This is a pivotal leadership role with strategic influence across the charity. As our Head of Health & Safety and organisational Responsible Person, you will provide expert leadership, governance and assurance, ensuring robust health and safety standards are embedded across our diverse operations. Working closely with the Executive Leadership Team and Board, you'll provide evidence-based advice, shape strategic direction and ensure compliance with statutory requirements while driving continuous improvement.

We're looking for a collaborative leader who is passionate about creating a positive, learning-focused safety culture. You'll lead a team of health and safety professionals, champion best practice and work across the organisation to identify, manage and reduce risk. This is an opportunity to make a lasting impact, influencing how health and safety supports our people, strengthens our services and enables St John Ambulance to continue making every second count.

About the role

As Head of Health & Safety, you'll provide strategic leadership to ensure health, safety and fire risk is effectively managed across every part of St John Ambulance. Reporting at a senior level, you'll work closely with the Executive Leadership Committee, Board of Trustees and leaders across the charity to shape our safety strategy, strengthen governance and embed a culture where everyone takes responsibility for keeping people safe.

Leading a team of health and safety professionals, you'll drive continuous improvement, provide expert advice and assurance, and ensure our policies, systems and practices enable our people and volunteers to deliver our life-saving work safely and confidently.

In this role you will:

• Lead the development and delivery of our organisation-wide health, safety and fire strategy, ensuring compliance with legislation and embedding a proactive, learning-focused safety culture across all areas of the charity.
• Provide expert advice and assurance to the Executive Leadership Committee and Board of Trustees, acting as the organisation's principal health and safety adviser and Responsible Person,…