Deputy Director Policy Group – Health and Safety Executive

This role can be based in the following HSE locations: Ashford, Basingstoke, Birmingham, Bootle, Bristol, Cardiff, Chelmsford, Crewe, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield or York. Regular travel is involved to our key locations particularly to Bootle and London as well as across the UK (including overnight stays).

Working pattern: Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time.

The role sits within HSE’s Engagement and Policy Division (EPD) and is one of four Deputy Directors working with the Director and G6 Head of Divisional support as a Senior Leadership Team collectively responsible for delivering HSE’s policy functions, setting direction, designing regulatory interventions, driving communications and leading stakeholder engagement to coordinate delivery of HSE’s strategy. The Division restructured last year, moving from a topic-based split of policy, health at work, operational strategy, communications and insight and service design to a new functional model.

A key part of the role in the Division’s senior team is showing strong leadership to further enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Divisional delivery. As Head of the Direction and Policy Group (DPG), the DD is the primary lead for HSE’s policy activity, charged with defining policy problems, setting our policy intent and strategic direction, determining the impact of proposed policy solutions and monitoring the efficacy and impact of our policies.

The role requires the DD to play a pivotal role in Cross Whitehall interactions to deliver HSE priorities and the Government’s goals, leading on HSE’s international policy and the interface with trade, and the interaction with the UK’s Devolved Governments. The DD also acts as HSE’s Head of Policy Profession with oversight of the development of our policy professionals across the organisation.

Current priorities include:

• Responsibility for leading HSE’s delivery and contribution to the government’s growth agenda, the regulators action plan and the annual simplification plan.
• Leading the delivery of Cross Whitehall policy programmes on Growth, Chemicals, Net Zero, Regulatory Reform and deliver targeted activity on specific legislation such as the Control of Asbestos Regulations and proposed changes to the Approved Code of Practice for the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, including those relating to workplace temperature.
• Coordinating HSE’s provision of health and safety expertise to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) through specific topics and the wider Net Zero Regulators forum.
• Supporting HSE’s work in our role as a statutory consultee in planning contexts.

The postholder is responsible for the management and oversight of around 15 teams, under 3 x HSE Band 1s (G6) totalling circa 65 people. Critical to the success of the work is being able to support the flexible deployment of this resource, on a project management basis, to a range of work under the direct leadership of the teams or led by others across the Division.

The work also requires interactions with other parts of HSE including the Director of Regulation’s office and HSE’s Legal Services Division to deliver organisational priorities.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading delivery of HSE’s policy function, setting direction and defining policy intent.
• Providing timely and high quality support to Ministers, both directly and through development of our teams, in a broad range of official business.
• Working across the Division and organisation to support the development of interventions that deliver on the policy intent.
• Acting as HSE’s Head of the Policy Profession, ensuring the development and maintenance of HSE’s policy skills, capability, capacity and performance.
• Driving a culture of efficient and effective use of the policy capabilities in the Division with clear expectations on performance and quality at team and individual level to champion a culture of trust, empowerment, and continuous improvement.
• Taking responsibility for key deliverables in HSE’s business plan, holding teams to account for timely delivery to plan to meet organisational objectives.
• SRO for legislation and lead responsibility for HSE’s delivery of legislative changes and updates to SIs etc., having the final policy quality check before SIs are made.
• Working with the Director to support strong cross OGD connections and engagement in and delivery of relevant Government priorities, particularly with Defra, DBT, and DESNZ.
• Key role in stakeholder engagement with external organisations, such as NGOs with interests in chemical regulation.

Essential Criteria to address in your statement of suitability:

• The ability to think creatively and give authoritative risk-based policy advice that facilitates practical solutions meeting the priorities of the organisation and wider stakeholders.
• Outstanding problem-solving skills, the ability to work with focus and pace, adapt to ever-changing environments and react quickly to emerging challenges.
• A track record of providing strategic input into sensitive and difficult matters, including politically charged and fast-moving situations.
• Brings wider policy experience and knowledge to bear in directing our own teams, supporting senior stakeholders.
• Is able to demonstrate sound judgement and credibility at all levels with experience in understanding what matters to senior/executive level leaders or Ministers, and communicating effectively across complex organisational structures in ways that resonate at their level.
• Build and lead inclusive high performing teams that demonstrate accountability and innovation by acting as a visible and authentic role model, providing inspiring, confident and empowering leadership that is inclusive, supportive and improves others’ skills and performance.