Health and Safety Projects Lead in Oxford

Please note this is a fixed term 12 month contract and will involve some UK wide travel.

Salary: £36,000 - £44,000 depending on qualifications and experience. Candidates with developing experience or working towards qualifications will typically be appointed towards the lower end of the scale, with fully qualified and experienced professionals considered at the upper end.

Here at the Witherslack Group, we strive to change young, vulnerable lives every day - and as a Health and Safety Projects Lead, you’ll have the chance to help us do just that. In this role, you’ll play a vital part in creating safe, healthy and supportive environments across our schools, children’s homes and offices. By helping us maintain the very highest standards of health and safety, you’ll support our teams to provide life-changing care and education to children and young people with special educational needs. Your expertise will help protect our people and enable brighter futures.

As a Health and Safety Projects Lead, you’ll work as part of our Group Health and Safety Team to support the development of a positive, proactive, and effective safety culture across the organisation. You’ll lead on projects that develop and maintain our ISO 45001 management system and wider safety framework, ensuring we continue to meet legal requirements and best practice standards.

A key part of the role is reviewing and updating our health and safety policies, procedures, risk assessments and guidance documentation, ensuring they are clear, practical, and fit for purpose. You will be integral to ensuring processes align with our software systems to streamline user input and enable effective reporting. You’ll also research and develop new procedures where risks or gaps are identified, working collaboratively with teams across the Group to improve standards and drive continuous improvement.

You will be involved with designing and delivering engaging health and safety training and resources to support colleagues’ awareness, knowledge, and confidence around safety, health, and environmental risks. You’ll also carry out site visits and coordinate meetings across our schools and homes to assess the effectiveness of current arrangements and gather valuable feedback from stakeholders.

Working closely with senior leaders, operational teams, HR, Learning and Development, Quality Assurance and external partners, you’ll provide clear and practical information to support informed decision making. You’ll also contribute to internal forums, support the ISO 45001 audit programme and assist with Group Quality Assurance reporting.

There will be some travel across the Group, including occasional overnight stays, so flexibility and a willingness to travel are essential. In return, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your professional expertise, work on meaningful projects and make a genuine difference within a values-led organisation.

You’ll already have experience working in a health and safety role, with a passion for creating safe and supportive working environments. You’ll be confident writing policies, procedures, and risk assessments, and have experience developing or delivering health and safety training. A knowledge of health and safety data systems would also be beneficial.

You’ll also have:

• A NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health (or equivalent qualification)
• Strong knowledge of health and safety legislation and risk management processes
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• The ability to build positive relationships with colleagues at all levels
• Strong organisation, prioritisation and problem-solving skills
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office
• A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel
• Experience of ISO 45001, working within education or care settings, or additional qualifications such as fire safety or environmental management would be advantageous.

However, this role calls for more than technical expertise. We’re looking for someone who is self-motivated, resilient, and passionate about making a difference. You’ll be a team player with the confidence to influence and support others, while maintaining high professional standards and attention to detail.

For your hard work and commitment, we reward you with the best salary and benefits package in the care sector. With us, you’ll get to make a genuine difference to the lives of our young people – plus you’ll get:

• Salary £36,000 - £44,000
• Training: Ongoing professional development.
• Holiday: You’ll work hard at WG, so you’ll be rewarded with 35 days holiday
• Flexible benefits package: meaning you can increase/decrease your holiday allowance, pension and life insurance
• Wellbeing: a host of wellbeing tools and advice including employee assistance
• Medical cover so you can claim back the cost of things like an opticians or dentist appointment and a host of high-street discounts
• Beautiful working environments with the very best facilities
• A recommend a friend scheme that offers a £1,000 bonus every time

The Witherslack Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its young people. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check (we will cover the cost). We are an equal opportunities employer welcoming applications from all sections of the community.