SHEQ Manager in Whetstone

Location: Whetstone, Leicester LE8

Salary: £55,000 - £60,000

You MUST have the RTW in the UK. There is NOT sponsorship for this role.

Accept Recruitment Ltd are delighted to be supporting our client who are looking for an experienced leader for this role. They are experts in high-performance syntactic materials.

Role Purpose

As the HSEQ Manager, you will lead and shape our health, safety, environmental, and quality strategy across all operations, driving excellence and continuous improvement in highly regulated, high-performance sectors — notably Formula One motorsport, aerospace, and marine. You will be a trusted senior advisor to leadership, ensuring that we meet and exceed global safety standards, regulatory requirements, and customer quality expectations, while fostering a proactive and risk-aware culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Governance: Develop and execute a long-term SHEQ strategy aligned with business goals and regulatory requirements. Partner with senior management to integrate HSEQ objectives into company-wide operational planning. Lead development and deployment of management systems (ISO 9001, ISO 45001, ISO 14001 or equivalent), including audits, recertification, and continuous improvement.
• Communication & Engagement: Create and implement a monthly SHEQ communications plan: management briefs, toolbox talks, performance dashboards, etc. Engage employees at all levels through training, workshops, and regular site visits to build a strong safety-first culture.
• Compliance & Risk Management: Provide subject-matter expertise for SHEQ compliance on projects, ensuring best practices are followed and risks are mitigated. Lead risk assessments (e.g., general, manual handling, COSHH, fire), reviews and re-validations. Act as final arbiter on complex risk issues. Oversee fire safety, occupational hygiene (noise, lighting, chemical exposure), and occupational health assessments, and recommend mitigations.
• Incident Management & Investigation: Lead investigations into accidents, incidents, near misses, and dangerous occurrences. Produce root-cause analysis and actionable improvements. Maintain and refine incident reporting, recording and corrective/preventive action systems.
• Audits & Inspections: Plan, coordinate and conduct regular safety inspections, internal audits, fire drills and site-based SHEQ reviews. Prepare for and lead external audits (e.g., ISO), including corrective action management and continuous program improvement.
• Regulatory & Major Hazards Management: Oversee compliance with regulations such as the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH/equivalent), ensuring proper controls and process safety measures. Maintain relationships with regulatory bodies, and ensure company policies reflect legal and best-practice standards.
• Training & Capability Building: Collaborate with HR to design and deliver a comprehensive HSEQ training programme (induction, refresher, specialist topics). Mentor and develop direct reports and other key SHEQ personnel, building internal expertise and succession planning.
• Sustainability & ESG: Work closely with the ESG Lead to align environmental initiatives (emissions, waste, resource use) with broader sustainability goals. Contribute to ESG reporting, ensuring accurate, auditable data and continual improvement aligned with corporate targets.
• Management & Reporting: Define, monitor and report on key SHEQ metrics (KPIs), trends and performance to senior leadership. Lead or contribute to business case development for SHEQ-related capital investments (e.g., safety systems, training, equipment).
• Continuous Improvement: Embed a proactive, data-driven culture of continuous improvement, leveraging lessons from incidents, audits and near misses. Benchmark performance internally (across sites) and externally (industry best practice), driving standardisation and operational excellence.

Skills & Experience

• NEBOSH Diploma, NVQ6 or equivalent professional safety qualification.
• Proven experience managing SHEQ systems (ideally ISO 9001, 45001, 14001).
• Strong business partnering and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at all levels.
• Excellent project management, planning and organisational capability.
• Resilient under pressure; able to operate in a fast-paced, high-risk environment.
• Outstanding communication (written and verbal) with ability to drive change and deliver training.
• Chartered Safety & Health Practitioner (e.g., CMIOSH) or working toward it.
• Deep expertise in risk management and process safety.
• Experience in highly regulated, high-performance sectors such as motorsport (especially F1), aerospace or marine.
• Lead auditor experience for ISO standards.

What they offer

• Salary: £55,000 - £60,000 DOE
• Bonus (discretionary/performance-linked).
• Pension, health benefits, professional membership support.
• CPD support, training budget and career development path.

Please note: We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high number of suitable applications. If you have not heard from us within 14 days of applying, please assume your application has not been successful on this occasion.

Accept Recruitment is acting as an employment agency in relation to this vacancy. We are recognised as one of the leading recruitment agencies in Leicester. If this role isn’t quite right for you, please visit our website to explore other permanent and temporary opportunities across various sectors.

Equal Opportunities: Accept Recruitment is an equal opportunities recruiter. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, gender, disability, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.