Health and Safety Lead in York

The Group Health and Safety Lead is the most senior health and safety role within the Hiscox Group and is responsible for shaping, leading and continuously improving the global health and safety framework. This role provides strategic oversight and practical guidance across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring the organisation meets legal obligations, manages operational risk effectively and maintains a consistent approach to health and safety across offices, colleagues, suppliers and third-party partners.

The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on delivery. The successful candidate will act as the organisation’s senior subject matter expert on health and safety, influencing senior stakeholders, leading the GATES (Group and Territories Employment Safety) network and ensuring that policies, systems, training, audits and incident processes are effective, practical and aligned to business needs.

Key focus areas of the role include:

• Leading the Group health and safety management system and embedding consistent standards, governance and assurance across the global organisation.
• Acting as the UK statutory competent person and providing expert advice on legal compliance, risk mitigation and proportionate controls.
• Managing and developing the GATES network, including onboarding, guidance and oversight of local health and safety activity.
• Overseeing audits, incident reporting, investigations, corrective actions and training to strengthen organisational resilience and continuous improvement.
• Partnering with internal stakeholders and external suppliers to ensure health and safety risks are identified, managed and monitored effectively.

Key Responsibilities:

• Fulfill the UK statutory requirement for a competent person to provide health and safety advice to the Hiscox organisation.
• Provide the Hiscox senior management team, Board, Business Unit Owners and the rest of the organisation with advice on H&S compliance, management and risk mitigation, including appropriate liability insurance purchase.
• Design, update and implement the Hiscox Group HSMS.
• Lead the international network of Hiscox colleagues (GATES network) responsible for H&S in their offices, covering legal compliance in each jurisdiction.
• Lead or assist as required in the management and control of third-party suppliers involved in H&S-related activities.
• Work with Learning and Development on the design and implementation of H&S training across the Hiscox Group.
• Design and implement a system for the reporting, recording and investigation of incidents, including near misses; to be compliant with all local legal requirements.
• Design and deliver an audit programme to provide the Board with confidence in legal compliance and implementation of Hiscox’s HSMS.

Essential connections:

• Group Executive Committee/Board
• Group Risk and Compliance
• Group Procurement and Property Services
• Group HR/People Team
• GATES network
• Third parties: total FM provider, Hiscox employers’ liability/workers’ comp insurers, Group H&S Leads from companies comparable with Hiscox

Qualifications and Experience:

• Ten years’ experience in a senior H&S role, those with less year and the right level of knowledge will be considered.
• NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent.
• Significant experience of managing H&S in an international organisation.
• A good understanding of the commercial context for Hiscox Group.
• An ability to connect, consult and advise with colleagues throughout the organisation.

At Hiscox we care about our people. We hire the best people for the job, and we are committed to diversity and creating a truly inclusive culture, which we believe drives success. Working life does not always have to be in the office so we have introduced hybrid working to encourage a healthy work life balance. This hybrid working model is set by the team rather than the business to enable you to manage your own personal work-life balance.