Group Head of Health and Safety

Group Head of Health & Safety

Location:

Flexible (weekly London visit; hybrid site travel) Salary:
Up to £120,000 Sector:
Private Equity / Multi-Business Group

Irwin and Colton are partnering with a rapidly growing, private equity-owned group to appoint a Group Head of Health & Safety. Reporting to the CEO, this is the most senior H&S role across the group, responsible for setting the vision, governance, and performance framework for health and safety while enabling subsidiary leadership teams to own and deliver outcomes within their operations.

Given the group's acquisitive growth strategy, the role is highly transformational.

The successful candidate will design, embed, and continuously evolve a scalable, best-in-class H&S operating model, including the onboarding and integration of newly acquired businesses. The role balances strategic oversight with pragmatic delivery, protecting people while supporting commercial growth and investor expectations.

• Build a scalable strategic and operating framework suitable for a decentralised, multi-risk portfolio
• Define the target-state model, governance, roles, and Group-subsidiary interfaces
• Act as senior H&S advisor to the Executive, Board, and Investors

• Set group-wide policies, standards, minimum requirements, and risk appetite
• Establish assurance mechanisms, escalation thresholds, and governance forums
• Ensure compliance across jurisdictions and readiness for diligence, refinancing, or exit
• Lead Board and investor reporting on performance, risk, and emerging issues

• Own group H&S performance management, KPIs, leading indicators, and systems
• Implement data-led insight, trend analysis, and predictive risk management
• Drive consistency and quality of reporting while enabling local ownership

• Partner with subsidiary leaders to embed strong safety cultures and accountability
• Lead onboarding and uplift of newly acquired businesses
• Provide expert support and challenge without removing operational ownership

• Oversee risk identification, audits, incident investigation, and corrective action
• Build and lead a small, high-impact central H&S capability
• Define competence standards and develop H&S capability at all levels

• NEBOSH Diploma (or equivalent);
  CertIOSH minimum
• Senior H&S leadership experience in complex, multi-site or multi-business environments
• Group-level experience, ideally within private equity or decentralised organisations
• Proven track record of building or transforming H&S frameworks
• Strategic, commercially astute leader with strong Board-level influence