Head of Health and Safety (UK) in London

London Full-Time On-site

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Help Build Europe's Hypersonic Capability

At Hypersonica, we’re redefining what’s possible in European defence technology. We exist to deliver speed, resilience, and technological independence at a pace that sets a new standard. We are a small, elite team working on problems that matter, and solving them fast.

By joining Hypersonica, you’re not stepping into a predefined role. You’re joining a talent dense environment where every individual shapes the direction of the company. Our philosophy is to hire a small number of exceptional people with broad, deep technical capability, strong judgement, and the ability to operate autonomously.

We hire for talent, not rigid boxes. This role represents a business need, but the way it evolves will be shaped by the individual. If you’ve achieved what others said was impossible, or you bring a unique combination of skills that doesn’t fit a traditional mould, we want to hear from you. The work you do here directly contributes to Europe’s technological independence.

We are looking for a Head of Health & Safety, UK to build and own the health, safety and environmental capability behind our UK operations.

You will be responsible for HSE across our UK R&D, manufacturing, assembly, test and production activities, establishing the systems, controls and culture required as the business scales.

This is not a role where you inherit a mature corporate safety organisation.

Facilities will evolve. New equipment will arrive quickly. Manufacturing capability will grow. Prototype and test activities will create new risks. Your job is to make sure we move quickly without allowing serious risk to become normalised.

You will work directly with Engineering, Manufacturing, Facilities, Quality, Security and Operations, getting close enough to the work to understand the real risk rather than managing safety from a distance.

This is a regional leadership role responsible for operations in the UK. Travel to suppliers, test locations and other Hypersonica sites may be required depending on programme needs, your location and the future development of the company.

What you’ll do

Build and lead Hypersonica’s UK health, safety and environmental function across R&D, manufacturing, assembly, test and production environments.
Define and implement the UK HSE management system from zero, establishing clear standards, ownership and operating procedures without importing unnecessary bureaucracy.
Translate UK health and safety requirements into practical controls that engineers, technicians, contractors and operators can actually use.
Embed HSE requirements into facility design, equipment selection, commissioning, manufacturing processes and operational planning before risks become expensive or irreversible.
Lead workplace and process risk assessments across machinery, lifting operations, pressure systems, electrical work, hazardous substances, work at height, laboratories, workshops and production activity.
Establish safe systems of work, permit-to-work controls, contractor management, emergency arrangements, incident reporting and corrective-action processes.
Build a consistent approach to machinery and equipment safety, including guarding, isolation, lockout/tagout, commissioning evidence, statutory inspection and maintenance controls.
Own incident and near-miss investigations, identifying root causes and driving corrective actions that permanently improve how the business operates.
Define HSE requirements for new UK sites and facility changes, supporting design reviews, readiness gates, operational handover and safe mobilisation.
Establish the minimum credible controls for prototype and R&D work, balancing experimentation speed with disciplined risk management.
Build meaningful HSE metrics around incidents, near misses, corrective actions, audits, training, contractor performance and leading risk indicators.
Develop training and competency programmes that are concise, relevant and respected by technical teams rather than treated as compliance theatre.
Lead engagement with regulators, insurers, auditors, landlords, contractors and external specialists where required.
Work alongside specialist capability responsible for energetic materials and explosives, ensuring those controls integrate cleanly into the wider UK HSE system.
Build the future UK HSE team, identifying which capabilities should sit internally and where specialist external support makes more sense.
Work closely with your counterpart in Germany and Group leadership to maintain high standards across Hypersonica while allowing each region to operate appropriately within its own regulatory environment.
Travel to other Hypersonica locations, suppliers and test sites where risks are better understood and solved in person.

Who you are

A senior HSE leader with significant experience in complex manufacturing, engineering, R&D, test or production environments.
Proven at building or materially transforming an HSE function rather than only maintaining mature corporate systems.
Deeply practical and comfortable spending time in workshops, laboratories, production areas and commissioning environments.
Strong working knowledge of UK health and safety requirements relevant to industrial and engineering operations.
Experienced around machinery safety, hazardous substances, contractor management, statutory inspections and incident management.
Credible with engineers and operational leaders and able to challenge unsafe decisions directly while still finding a practical route forward.
Experienced supporting new-facility design, equipment commissioning, production readiness or operational mobilisation.
Strong at incident investigation and root-cause analysis.
Comfortable establishing proportionate controls for fast-moving R&D and prototype activity without lowering the bar around serious risk.
Calm and decisive under pressure, with the judgement to distinguish manageable engineering risk from activity that must stop immediately.
Comfortable operating autonomously as the senior UK HSE authority.
Clear and concise in your communication, documentation and training.
Experienced in aerospace, defence, advanced manufacturing, automotive, motorsport, energy, chemicals or another high-consequence engineering environment.
Exposure to energetic materials, explosives or major-hazard environments would be valuable but is not essential.
Motivated by building a safety culture where high standards increase programme velocity rather than becoming an obstacle to it.

Security and Eligibility Requirement

Due to the nature of the work with the UK MoD, applicants must be a British Citizen, or a dual national holding British citizenship, and eligible for UK Security Clearance and, where required, Developed Vetting.

What we offer

The opportunity to build the UK HSE capability behind one of Europe’s most ambitious defence technology companies.
Genuine ownership over how safety is embedded into new facilities, manufacturing capability and test operations.
Direct collaboration with exceptional engineers, technicians and operational leaders.
Short decision paths and the autonomy to solve problems without unnecessary bureaucracy.
The opportunity to build systems from first principles rather than inherit layers of legacy process.
High ownership and autonomy. No time tracking, no micromanagement, just clear objectives and accountability for outcomes.
Competitive compensation and meaningful share options aligned to responsibility and impact.
The opportunity to build capability with genuine strategic importance to the UK and Europe.

The person we are looking for

We are not looking for someone whose answer to every new risk is another form, approval gate or committee.

We want someone who can stand in front of a new machine, process or facility and ask:

What can actually hurt somebody here? What controls genuinely reduce that risk? What needs to exist before we start? And what can we avoid building because it adds process without adding safety?

Someone who can hold an extremely high safety bar without slowing down everything around them.

If that sounds like you, come and build it with us.

At Hypersonica, every hire raises the bar. We are deliberately small, intensely capable, and deeply mission-driven. If this role feels like a strong fit, or if you believe you bring something exceptional that goes beyond the description, we encourage you to apply.

Hypersonica is an equal-opportunity employer and assesses candidates solely on merit, capability, and potential.

You can apply directly to this role or reach out to Nathan Sweeney, Head of Talent. We review every application and aim to respond to all candidates within two weeks, whether the answer is yes or no.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.