Director - Health, Safety & Environment in London

Are you looking to join a growing and dynamic organisation? How about a high-energy, collaborative environment that rewards hard work? J.S. Held is a global consulting firm that combines technical, scientific, financial and strategic expertise to advise clients seeking to realise value and mitigate risk. Our professionals act as trusted advisers to organisations facing high-stakes matters that demand urgent attention, unwavering integrity, proven experience, clear-cut analysis, and an understanding of both tangible and intangible assets.

The firm provides a comprehensive suite of services, products and data that enable clients to navigate complex, contentious and often critical situations. Over the past several years, J.S. Held has experienced rapid global growth—more than doubling in size through sustained acquisitions and organic hiring—to a team of over 2,000 professionals worldwide, strengthening our position as a leading private equity-backed consulting firm.

Innovation sits at the core of our approach. We are expanding our service lines to incorporate market-leading digital and AI-enabled tools, working alongside clients to solve complex, high-impact problems where insight, speed and quality truly matter.

You would be joining a global team of more than 200 Health, Safety & Environment professionals, characterised by deep technical credibility and extensive industry experience. A significant proportion of our EHS team has over 20 years of professional experience, along with postgraduate qualifications in their areas of expertise, and are certified or chartered with relevant professional bodies.

J.S. Held is seeking a senior seller-doer, either as an individual or a small established team, to join and help scale our Health, Safety & Environment practice across the UK and the wider EMEA region. This is a rare opportunity to play a leading role in expanding a global professional services firm within one of Europe’s most mature and influential HSE consulting markets.

You will have the autonomy to shape UK strategy, the support of a global advisory platform, and the mandate to build and grow a high-impact HSE practice. The successful candidate will combine strong commercial origination with hands-on technical leadership across HSE disciplines, alongside trusted adviser credentials. You will be responsible for driving revenue growth, leading complex engagements, and expanding J.S. Held’s footprint in the UK.

Job Responsibilities

• Commercial Leadership & Business Development
  • Originate, develop and secure large, complex Health, Safety & Environment consulting engagements with multinational and upper mid-market clients across the UK and EMEA.
  • Build and maintain long-term relationships with C-suite and senior operational leaders.
  • Drive revenue growth, delivering ambitious individual and practice-level targets.
  • Collaborate closely with J.S. Held’s global practices to support cross-border and cross-disciplinary opportunities.
  • Represent J.S. Held externally at industry forums, conferences and client events across UK and European markets.
• Client Delivery & Technical Leadership
  • Act as engagement lead and senior adviser on complex, high-risk and high-profile Health, Safety & Environment engagements across the UK.
  • Provide end-to-end HSE leadership and strategic guidance across the full HSE lifecycle, including:
  • Health & Safety
    • Development of H&S strategy and implementation of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems, including policies, processes and tools.
    • H&S assurance and compliance activities, including audit experience and familiarity with UK H&S legislation and regulatory requirements, as well as statutory reporting obligations.
    • Site-based experience gained through industry or consulting, with familiarity in operational H&S risk assessments, site routines and practices at high-risk environments across industrial, construction, manufacturing, energy and utilities sectors.
    • Experience delivering safety culture and leadership programmes, with an understanding of human performance principles.
    • Experience in incident investigation, root cause analysis, and the development of corrective and preventative actions.
  • Environmental
    • Development and implementation of environmental strategy, including the design and deployment of Environmental Management Systems, along with supporting policies, processes, governance frameworks and tools.
    • Environmental assurance and compliance activities, including experience with permitting, regulatory compliance, liaison with UK regulators, and statutory environmental reporting requirements.
    • Operational environmental risk management, including waste management, pollution prevention, and control of environmental risks across industrial, manufacturing, energy, utilities and infrastructure sites.
    • Experience supporting environmental due diligence, liability assessments, and advisory work in relation to transactions, investments, divestments and disputes.
    • Delivery of ESG-related environmental risk, governance and performance improvement initiatives, including baseline assessments, gap analysis and programme development.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in HSE consulting within a professional services or advisory environment.
• Demonstrated track record as a seller-doer, with consistent origination, development and successful conversion of new business opportunities.
• Experience operating at Partner, Director or Principal level, with accountability for both revenue growth and client delivery.
• Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to balance business growth, technical quality and delivery excellence.
• Proven experience advising multinational clients and leading cross-border engagements.
• Established credibility as an industry leader or subject matter expert, demonstrated through client relationships, professional affiliations, publications and speaking engagements.
• Fluent in English, with the ability to operate confidently at executive, client and regulatory levels.

Additional Information

J.S. Held offers a highly competitive base salary for this role. The level offered will vary depending on a range of factors, including (but not limited to) experience, skills, qualifications, location, and the scope of the role. In addition to base salary, J.S. Held offers a highly rewarding annual bonus scheme. Equity participation is also available, subject to eligibility. Further details regarding these incentive plans will be discussed during the interview process.

We welcome applications from individuals with disabilities. If you require a reasonable adjustment in relation to any part of the recruitment process, please email [email protected], including “Applicant Adjustment” in the subject line, together with details of your request and contact information.

Whilst our UK headquarters is based near Bank Station in London and the wider team operates a hybrid working model (typically attending the office twice per week), this role can be fully remote from anywhere within the UK. Frequent travel will be required.

Please note that this job description is not intended to provide an exhaustive list of all activities, duties or responsibilities associated with the role. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time, with or without notice.

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you have read the J.S. Held Online Privacy Notice and consent to the collection, processing, use and storage of your personal data as described therein.

We value diversity and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment that supports both professional and personal development. We believe we are stronger when we are inclusive. J.S. Held is an equal opportunities employer committed to building a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, colour, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.