Health and Safety Executive - HM Specialist Inspector

HM Specialist Inspector – Offshore Emergency Response, Marine Operations, Aviation
Aberdeen, Ashford (Kent), Basingstoke, Birmingham, Bootle, Bristol, Buxton, Cardiff, Carlisle, Carmarthen, Chelmsford, Crewe, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxted, Plymouth, Sheffield, Wrexham, or York

About Us

The Health and Safety Executive is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We’re dedicated to protecting people and places, ensuring everyone can lead safer and healthier lives at work.

A key operational arm of HSE, Energy Division (ED) regulates Great Britain's Offshore Oil and Gas Industry, pipelines, mines, diving and renewable sector.

We are now looking for two individuals from offshore energy backgrounds to retrain as HM Specialist Inspectors and join us on a full-time, permanent basis with hybrid working options.

The Benefits

– Salary of £71,171 – £75,323 per annum
– A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
– 25 days’ annual holiday increasing to 30 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays and – 1-day Civil Service privilege leave
– Family-friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career
– Carer-friendly policies to help create a supportive working culture
– Access to a wide range of fantastic benefits, such as the Cycle to Work Scheme, E-Gift Cards, and Vouchers via our partner EdenRed
– Learning and development tailored to your role
– An environment with flexible working options
– A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
This role currently attracts a non-consolidated, non-pensionable market supplement of up to £10,000. This is reviewed annually as part of HSE’s pay offer.

This is a remarkable opportunity for experienced offshore emergency response professionals to join our influential and mission-led organisation.

You’ll be supported through a Specialist Training Programme (STP) to gain the skills and expertise to become a safety inspector. You will enrol on the STP and undertake a combination of study, practical experience and a final assessment, ensuring you are equipped to operate at the forefront of your specialist area.

So, if you're ready to step into a role that combines challenge, purpose, and influence, while helping protect lives and the environment, we want to hear from you.

The Role

As an HM Specialist Inspector, after completing our Specialist Training Programme, you will ensure the safety and regulatory compliance of offshore oil, gas, and renewable energy operations across Great Britain.

Using your technical expertise, you will conduct onshore and offshore inspections to assess emergency response and marine and aviation safety arrangements, ensuring effective control measures are in place to prevent major accidents.

You will review safety cases and combined operations notifications, contribute to complex investigations by identifying root causes of incidents, and provide expert insight to help enforce compliance and shape sector-wide safety improvements.

Additionally, you will:

– Produce technical reports and act as an expert witness in legal proceedings
– Advise colleagues, industry, and stakeholders on ERMA-related health and safety matters
– Represent us in industry forums and working groups

Please note, enrolment in the Specialist Training Programme (STP) is a legal requirement that you will be required to study for and successfully complete.

About You

To be considered as an HM Specialist Inspector, you will need:

– Practical experience and knowledge in developing and managing emergency response (ER) in the offshore energy industry
– Experience of leading or supporting an investigation into an incident or high potential event in industry where your technical and behavioural skills are required to address the failings

You will also need one of the following:

– A degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant science or engineering discipline
– Master Mariner STCW 11/2 (preferably unrestricted but will consider restricted), with professional membership of an appropriate institution
– Equivalent experience involving extensive knowledge and experience of oil and gas emergency response and offshore marine operations

A full, valid driving licence that enables you to drive in the UK is essential. However, we are willing to consider any proposals put forward by applicants that would allow them to do the job by another means in line with the Equality Act 2010.

You must also be able to satisfy the OEUK & GWO approved offshore medical & OPITO & GWO approved survival training requirements e.g. BOSIET/FOET.

Please note, this role will involve an average of 2-3 night stays offshore (subject to weather), approximately 6-8 times a year for proactive inspection or reactive investigation work and some travel to renewable energy sites across the country, potentially at short notice, all within a small multi-discipline team. It will also involve visits to other HSE sites including Aberdeen, with some potential overnight stays (including at short notice).

The closing date for this role is 12th September 2025.

Other organisations may call this role Offshore Safety Inspector, Specialist Inspector, Offshore Safety Engineer, Marine Operations Safety Inspector, Aviation Engineering Safety Inspector, or Offshore Safety Specialist.

Webrecruit and the Health and Safety Executive are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

So, if you’re looking for a new challenge and want to become an HM Specialist Inspector, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.