Health & Safety Manager (Food) in England

Working Pattern: Monday to Friday | 8:30am - 5:00pm | Site-based | Kent

A growing food manufacturing business is looking to appoint an experienced Health & Safety Manager to play a key role in strengthening its health and safety standards during an exciting period of growth and investment. With significant investment in new manufacturing facilities, production equipment and operational capabilities, this is a fantastic opportunity for a hands-on Health & Safety professional who enjoys building strong systems, improving standards and making a real difference across a busy manufacturing environment.

Reporting directly to the Head of SHEQ, you'll take responsibility for driving health and safety improvements across Manufacturing, Engineering, Warehousing and wider operational departments, ensuring that safety remains a priority as the business continues to expand.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead the development and implementation of health and safety improvement plans, working closely with the Head of SHEQ to strengthen standards across the business.
• Maintain and continuously improve health and safety policies, procedures, risk assessments and safe systems of work, ensuring compliance with UK legislation.
• Take ownership of COSHH and DSEAR assessments, ensuring appropriate controls are in place for hazardous substances, combustible dusts, ignition sources and fire and explosion risks.
• Work closely with Engineering and Production teams to ensure machinery safety, including PUWER assessments, guarding, isolation procedures and safe operating practices.
• Provide health and safety input into the installation, modification and commissioning of new manufacturing equipment and processes.
• Play a key role in supporting site development and operational expansion projects, ensuring health and safety requirements are considered throughout planning and implementation.
• Manage contractor safety arrangements, including risk assessments, method statements, inductions, permits to work and compliance checks.
• Conduct regular site inspections, audits and risk assessments, identifying opportunities for improvement and ensuring corrective actions are completed.
• Lead accident, incident and near-miss investigations, identifying root causes and implementing effective preventative measures.
• Monitor health and safety performance, reporting key risks, trends and improvement priorities to the Head of SHEQ.
• Develop and coordinate health and safety training programmes, ensuring employees and managers understand their responsibilities.
• Support managers and supervisors in building a proactive safety culture, encouraging employee engagement and ownership of health and safety standards.
• Review emergency procedures, fire safety arrangements and occupational health requirements, ensuring appropriate systems and controls are maintained.
• Support environmental compliance and improvement activities relating to chemicals, waste management and wider manufacturing operations.

What's In It for You

• Join a growing food manufacturing business investing significantly in its facilities, equipment and manufacturing capabilities.
• The opportunity to play a key role in shaping and improving health and safety standards during an exciting period of business growth.
• A varied position combining operational health and safety management with strategic improvement and development projects.
• Work closely with the Head of SHEQ and senior operational leaders, with the opportunity to influence safety standards across the business.
• Be involved in new equipment installations, manufacturing developments and operational improvement projects.
• The opportunity to introduce improvements, strengthen existing systems and make a visible impact on the business's health and safety culture.

Your Background

• Proven experience as a Health & Safety Manager, HSE Manager or within a similar position in food manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of UK health and safety legislation and its practical application within a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrable experience of DSEAR assessments, including managing combustible dusts, fire and explosion risks.
• Strong understanding of COSHH requirements, hazardous substances, chemical handling and associated risk assessments.
• Practical experience of machinery safety, including PUWER, machine guarding, safe isolation procedures and safe systems of work.
• Experience managing contractor safety, including RAMS, permits to work and contractor compliance.
• Experience supporting equipment installations, site development or manufacturing expansion projects would be advantageous.
• Knowledge of ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 management systems would be beneficial.

Join a Business That Invests in You. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Health & Safety Manager to join an ambitious food manufacturing business at an important stage of its development. With continued investment in manufacturing facilities, equipment and operational capabilities, you'll have the opportunity to play a central role in strengthening health and safety systems, supporting new projects and helping to shape a positive safety culture across the business. If you're a confident, hands-on Health & Safety professional with strong food manufacturing experience, particularly within DSEAR, COSHH and machinery safety, and you're looking for a role where you can make a real difference, we'd love to hear from you.