Head of Occupational Health & Safety

Location:

Flexible and hybrid but occasional office attendance required at our Sheffield office

Reference: SHEFOHS.
08.26

Bringing together leading minds and practitioners in the sector, Wessex Archaeology is a trusted archaeology and heritage service provider and educational charity. From our network of international offices, we work in partnership with our clients to deliver sustainable solutions to manage the historic environment - above ground, below ground and underwater. We are committed to our social impact. This means using the knowledge and connections we make through our commercial activities as a catalyst to engage the communities in which we work.

Join us and you’ll be part of a collaborative team committed to shaping a better future for our staff, the sector and the world. As well as having knowledgeable and dedicated colleagues, you’ll have an opportunity to access a variety of fascinating and high-profile projects and develop your skills and knowledge along the way.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced occupational health and safety leader to shape and lead our OHS function. You will develop a strong safety culture, provide expert guidance, maintain effective policies and systems, ensure legal compliance, manage risk, and support safe working across our projects and offices. Full details of the role and responsibilities are set out in the job description.

You will be line managed by our People Director who develops and shapes the directorate objectives and supports the strategic oversight of our Chief People Officer.

As Head of OHS, you will lead the team across our offices, supporting an inclusive, positive and productive working environment aligned with our values and strategy.

• A visible, accountable and collaborative leader who can influence across teams and functions.
• Confident in providing expert guidance, making decisions and communicating clearly with a range of stakeholders.
• Committed to inclusion, staff development, continuous improvement, safety and wellbeing
• NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent Level 6 qualification in Occupational Health and Safety.
• Chartered Membership of IOSH, or demonstrable progress towards chartered status.
• Significant senior health and safety experience, ideally in a multi-site, fieldwork, project-based or comparable operational environment.
• Strong working knowledge of UK health and safety legislation, risk management, incident investigation and regulatory compliance.
• Experience of developing, maintaining or improving health and safety management systems, including ISO 45001 or equivalent frameworks.
• Proven leadership, line management and stakeholder influencing skills, with the ability to support a positive safety culture.
• Strategic thinking: Ability to link H&S initiatives to business outcomes and long-term goals.
• Collaboration: Strong people skills, with the ability to communicate effectively and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Decisiveness: Confidence to make sound decisions relating to risk management and compliance.
• Technical acumen: Deep, up-to-date knowledge of UK H&S legislation and best practice.
• Coaching and mentoring: A commitment to developing others and fostering a positive, safety-first culture.
• Communication: Experience communicating with multiple stakeholders, including clients and regulators, using verbal and written formats and Microsoft Office tools, especially Word and Excel.
• Data management: Ability to interpret and analyse information from OHMS systems, build reports, recommend improvements and manage risk.

Our focus is on creating a collaborative culture where people can thrive, develop and where safety and wellbeing come first. From anonymising candidate data in our recruitment process to continuous improvements in our benefits, we’re committed to creating a safe, fair and inclusive working environment.

• 27 days holiday excluding bank holiday.
• Option to buy up to 5 days holiday per year.
• Salary Sacrifice Pension Scheme, Wessex Archaeology employer pension contribution 6.5%.
• Life assurance scheme of three times your basic salary.