What if you could do the kind of work the world needs?
At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects and connect with the brightest minds in your field to do the best work of your life. You can embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives. You can experience a world of opportunity and the chance to shape a career as unique as you.
A little more about your role…
We are seeking an experienced Health, Safety & Wellbeing Director to provide strategic leadership across major infrastructure and energy programmes, ensuring health, safety and wellbeing is embedded throughout programme development, design, mobilisation and delivery.
This is a senior leadership role, providing expert advice, governance and assurance to programme directors, project leadership teams and clients. You will play a fundamental role in shaping HSW strategy, influencing decision making at executive level and ensuring robust risk management arrangements are in place across complex, multidisciplinary environments.
Working across large-scale programmes, you will provide an integrated view of risk, performance and control effectiveness, partnering closely with clients, alliance partners, contractors, suppliers and WSP specialist teams to drive continual improvement and support successful programme delivery.
As a Health, Safety & Wellbeing Director, you will operate at both strategic and operational levels, helping shape programme culture, governance and performance whilst ensuring accountability for risk remains with operational and project leaders.
Working closely with programme leadership teams, you will:
- Provide strategic direction for health, safety and wellbeing across major programmes and projects
- Influence executive decision-making through effective governance, assurance and risk insight
- Drive continual improvement in health, safety, wellbeing and organisational performance
- Key Responsibilities
Strategy, Leadership & Governance
- Develop and implement health, safety and wellbeing strategies aligned with programme, client and WSP objectives
- Provide expert leadership and challenge to senior stakeholders, supporting informed and proportionate decision-making
- Establish governance arrangements, escalation routes, accountability frameworks and improvement programmes
Risk Management, Assurance & Performance
- Maintain an integrated view of programme health, safety and wellbeing risks, critical controls and performance indicators
- Lead risk-based assurance activities, audits and specialist reviews across programme delivery
- Identify emerging trends, escalate significant concerns and verify the effectiveness of corrective and preventative actions
Design Safety & CDM Leadership
- Provide governance and oversight of Safety in Design, CDM and Principal Designer arrangements
- Ensure appropriate competence, appointments, interfaces and escalation processes are established and maintained
- Promote lifecycle risk reduction and elimination through effective design risk management
Incident Management, Crisis Response & Learning
- Lead the health, safety and wellbeing response to significant incidents, high-potential events and emerging risks
- Oversee investigation standards, ensuring lessons learned are effectively captured and embedded
- Identify systemic issues and drive meaningful organisational improvement through learning and assurance activities
Health, Wellbeing & Culture
- Provide strategic leadership on occupational health, wellbeing, psychological safety and workforce engagement
- Promote positive organisational culture through visible leadership and evidence-based interventions
- Utilise workforce insights and performance data to target sustainable improvement initiatives
Stakeholder Engagement & Client Leadership
- Build and maintain trusted relationships with clients, alliance partners, contractors, regulators and suppliers
- Provide executive-level reporting and health, safety and wellbeing performance insights
- Support procurement, mobilisation and supply chain assurance activities, ensuring HSW expectations are clearly communicated and maintained
Team Leadership & Capability Development
- Lead, develop and mentor programme health, safety and wellbeing teams
- Ensure resources and specialist expertise are aligned to programme risks and delivery requirements
- Support succession planning, capability development and continuous professional growth across teams
Governance, Compliance & Continuous Improvement
- Ensure compliance with relevant UK health, safety and wellbeing legislation, standards and client requirements
- Maintain effective management systems, governance arrangements and assurance processes
- Drive continuous improvement through performance review, benchmarking and sharing of best practice
What we are looking for you to demonstrate...
We are looking for a senior leader who combines strategic health and safety expertise, commercial awareness and the ability to influence complex stakeholder environments:
- Significant experience leading health, safety and wellbeing functions within major infrastructure, energy, utilities, construction or other high-hazard industries
- Proven ability to influence executive stakeholders, clients and delivery partners across complex programmes
- Strong knowledge of UK health & safety legislation, governance frameworks, assurance processes and risk management practices
- Extensive experience of CDM Regulations, Safety in Design principles and design risk management
- Demonstrable experience leading organisational improvement, incident learning and performance programmes
- Excellent communication, stakeholder management and leadership capabilities
- Experience developing and leading high-performing multidisciplinary teams
- Strong commercial awareness and understanding of programme delivery environments
Desirable
- Experience within electricity transmission and distribution, substations, grid infrastructure or major linear infrastructure projects
- Experience working within alliance-based, joint venture or multi-partner delivery environments
- Knowledge of Human Performance, psychosocial risk management and modern learning approaches
- Experience supporting major programme mobilisation, procurement and organisational change initiatives
Qualifications & Professional Memberships
- Degree (or equivalent) in Health & Safety, Engineering, Construction, Environmental Management or a related discipline
(or equivalent demonstrable industry experience) - Recognised professional Health & Safety qualification
- Chartered membership of IOSH or an equivalent relevant professional institution
- Demonstrable commitment to continuing professional development
Don’t quite meet all the criteria? Apply, and we can see how your experience aligns to this role and other opportunities within the team.
Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all.
Join our close-knit community of talented individuals who share your passion for making a positive impact. Our global team includes more than 69,000 employees, working together to make a difference in communities both close to home and around the world.
With us, you can. Apply today.
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Health, Safety & Wellbeing Director (Energy) in Newcastle upon Tyne employer: WSP
WSP is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture, providing employees with the opportunity to lead impactful projects in urban drainage and wastewater modelling. With a strong focus on professional development, our team members benefit from extensive training and growth opportunities, all while working in a hybrid environment that promotes work-life balance. Located across the UK, we offer a dynamic workplace where your contributions directly influence local and national infrastructure solutions.
