Head of Health and Safety in Coventry

This is a pivotal leadership role with responsibility for shaping and delivering the organisation’s Health and Safety Strategy, ensuring it supports corporate objectives while meeting all legislative and regulatory requirements. Reporting at a senior level, you will provide strategic leadership across a broad safety portfolio, overseeing workplace health and safety, building compliance, building safety case management, and construction risk.

Working closely with operational and executive colleagues, you will ensure the organisation maintains a robust, competent and proactive health and safety service that protects customers, colleagues, contractors and communities. This role is part of Regulatory & Governance where you'll help us give colleagues the support and expertise they need to be brilliant.

What you’ll achieve

As the organisation’s senior health and safety expert, you will provide assurance and insight to the Executive Team and Board on safety performance, emerging risks and regulatory compliance. You will lead a multi‑disciplinary team, driving high standards of governance, accountability and performance while embedding a culture of transparency, learning and continuous improvement. This is an opportunity to influence the safety agenda at a strategic level, ensuring that safety remains at the heart of decision‑making across a complex and diverse built environment.

• Maintain and continuously improve the corporate H&S management system, ensuring alignment with ISO 45001 or equivalent standards.
• Lead incident investigation governance, root cause analysis, and corrective action programmes.
• Provide oversight of statutory compliance areas: fire, gas, electrical, water hygiene, asbestos, lifts, façade systems, and other building services.
• Provide oversight / assurance of building safety management functions, including fire safety, structural safety, building fabric integrity, and M&E compliance.
• Develop and monitor risk‑based assurance plans, audits, and compliance programmes.
• Maintain high‑quality technical specifications, asset standards, and operational procedures.
• Oversee contractor and supply‑chain compliance with building safety, CDM, and occupational H&S requirements.
• Oversight of CDM compliance across all capital, development, and maintenance projects.
• Provide technical guidance on design risk management, site safety, and contractor competence.
• Ensure appropriate risk controls across all work activities affecting the built environment.
• Build productive relationships with regulators, emergency services, supply chain partners, resident groups, and internal leadership.
• Provide expert advice to senior management on emerging regulatory change, sector standards, and industry best practice.
• Lead organisational responses to regulatory reviews, inspections, and enforcement actions.

What you’ll bring

Essential skills

• Chartered membership of IOSH (CMIOSH) or equivalent professional status.
• Extensive senior leadership experience in health and safety, property compliance, or building safety.
• Proven track record managing safety frameworks for complex built environments (e.g., housing, commercial, public sector, estates, infrastructure).
• Deep knowledge of the Building Safety Act, Fire Safety legislation, CDM Regulations, and related technical standards.
• Experience interacting with regulators, including managing regulatory submissions and audits.
• Strong capability in risk management, assurance, incident investigation, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Building surveying, engineering, or construction‑related degree.
• Fire engineering or fire safety qualification (IFE, Fire Risk Assessor).
• Experience managing higher‑risk residential buildings or complex estates.
• Knowledge of asset management systems, BIM, and digital golden thread technologies.
• Experience implementing ISO 45001, ISO 9001, or similar management systems.