Health Safety Fire and Risk Manager in Salford

Location: HMP Forest Bank

Salary: £45,000

Working hours: Mon - Fri (37.5 hours per week)

HMP Forest Bank are seeking an experienced and influential Health, Safety, Fire & Risk Manager to lead the delivery of a robust, compliant and proactive safety culture at HMP Forest Bank. This is a high-impact role for a confident professional who can provide visible leadership, expert guidance and strategic oversight across all aspects of fire, safety, health and risk management. This is a role for someone who thrives on influence, accountability and operational excellence.

Key responsibilities

• Provide expert fire, safety, health and risk management support across Sodexo operations, ensuring compliance with SEMS policies, processes and objectives.
• Act as the Competent Person, enforcing compliant delivery in line with legislative requirements and Sodexo/SJS risk management strategy.
• Drive continuous improvement in assurance, control and compliance across all SJS activities, including HMP Forest Bank.
• Support the UK Operations Director and Group Head of Safety & Risk in delivering strategic improvements across the business.
• Work closely with the prison director, senior management team, the Safeguard team and operational leaders to maintain a zero-harm culture, reduce incidents, and strengthen assurance and control across all SJS activities.

Essential qualifications

• National H&S qualification (NVQ Level 5 or equivalent).
• NEBOSH Fire Certificate.
• Strong knowledge of current fire, health & safety legislation.
• Proven experience in fire, safety, health and risk management systems, audits and incident investigation.
• Self‑motivated, able to work independently and make sound judgements in a complex environment.
• Excellent prioritisation, project management and risk management skills.
• Proactive approach with ownership of key deliverables (e.g., risk assessments, DATIX/SALUS reporting, safety tours).
• Confident communicator with strong presentation skills and the ability to influence senior managers.
• Flexible and able to travel to other SJS sites when required.
• Strong organisational skills with evidence of action planning and follow‑up.
• Effective team player with strong interpersonal skills.
• Current and valid security clearance for England and Scotland.

Desirable qualifications

• Training in Risk Management and Business Continuity.
• BRE Fire Safety Risk Assessment certificate.
• Experience implementing and maintaining H&S and Quality Systems.
• ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 audit training.
• PAS 79 Fire Safety Risk Assessment experience.
• Previous custodial environment experience.
• IOSH membership.