Health and Safety Manager Job Description
Hire an experienced Health and Safety Manager to lead compliance, reduce workplace risk and embed strong safety culture across your sites.
What does a Health and Safety Manager professional do?
A Health and Safety Manager develops and maintains safety systems, leads audits and investigations, provides technical advice on UK H&S law, and supports operational teams to reduce incidents and meet regulatory obligations.
Health and Safety Manager job description template
Use this employer-ready example as a starting point, then replace the placeholders and adjust the content so it accurately reflects your vacancy.
Health and Safety Manager
About the role
We are seeking a Health and Safety Manager to own health and safety strategy and day‑to‑day compliance across [Location]. You will lead risk assessments, audits and incident investigations, deliver training, and work with operational teams and contractors to drive continuous improvement. Reporting to [Job Title / Department], this role will suit a candidate with proven H&S management experience and practical knowledge of UK regulations. [Salary / Benefits details].
Key responsibilities
- Develop, maintain and communicate the organisation’s health and safety policy, procedures and management system.
- Plan, lead and record health and safety audits, inspections and workplace risk assessments across sites and operations.
- Investigate accidents, incidents and near misses; prepare root cause analysis and recommend corrective actions.
- Design and deliver targeted health and safety training and toolbox talks for employees, supervisors and contractors.
- Lead contractor pre-qualification, permit-to-work coordination and site safety inductions where relevant.
- Monitor H&S performance using KPIs and produce regular reports for senior management and boards.
- Provide practical, evidence‑based advice to managers on compliance with UK statutory requirements (including RIDDOR) and regulatory inspections.
- Coordinate emergency preparedness and business continuity arrangements, including drills and reviews.
Essential skills and experience
- Proven experience managing health and safety in a multi‑site or operational environment.
- Relevant health and safety qualification or equivalent practical experience (e.g., NEBOSH General Certificate or substantive demonstrable experience).
- Good working knowledge of UK health and safety legislation and best practice (including RIDDOR and HSE guidance).
- Experience conducting audits, risk assessments and formal incident investigations.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with experience preparing management reports and presenting findings.
- Ability to influence operational teams and implement practical, site‑level controls.
Desirable
- NEBOSH Diploma, IOSH membership or equivalent professional accreditation.
- Experience with ISO 45001 implementation or internal audit experience.
- Industry experience relevant to your sector (construction, manufacturing, logistics, utilities, etc.).
- Experience managing contractor safety and permit‑to‑work systems.
- Competence in occupational risk areas such as COSHH, manual handling, noise and workplace ergonomics.
- Previous responsibility for managing a small H&S team or external H&S advisors.
What we offer
- Competitive salary (insert range)
- Pension scheme (employer contribution details)
- Paid annual leave (number of days) + bank holidays
- Professional membership support (e.g., IOSH)
- Paid training and development budget
- Company sick pay and employee assistance programme (details)
How to apply
Apply with your CV and any additional information requested. Make the interview process, closing date and any assessment stages clear where known.
Use this as a starting point rather than a final advert. The strongest version will reflect the real role, salary, location, systems, responsibilities, benefits and working arrangements.
What is a Health and Safety Manager role?
A Health and Safety Manager designs, implements and maintains a company’s health and safety framework to protect people, property and operations. They translate legislation into practical controls, lead audits and investigations, provide training and advice to managers and employees, and measure safety performance. The role requires a mix of technical knowledge, operational understanding and the ability to influence across departments to reduce risk and maintain regulatory compliance.
Core duties
Policy development, risk assessment, audits, incident investigation and training.
Primary purpose
Protect people and ensure legal and contractual compliance with UK H&S requirements.
Who they work with
Operations, HR, estates, contractors, senior management and external regulators.
Typical Health and Safety Manager responsibilities
Responsibilities should reflect the real scope of the vacancy rather than every task someone in this profession might ever complete.
Develop
Develop, maintain and communicate the organisation’s health and safety policy, procedures and management system.
Plan, lead
Plan, lead and record health and safety audits, inspections and workplace risk assessments across sites and operations.
Investigate accidents
Investigate accidents, incidents and near misses; prepare root cause analysis and recommend corrective actions.
Design
Design and deliver targeted health and safety training and toolbox talks for employees, supervisors and contractors.
Lead contractor pre-qualification
Lead contractor pre-qualification, permit-to-work coordination and site safety inductions where relevant.
Monitor H&S performance using KPIs
Monitor H&S performance using KPIs and produce regular reports for senior management and boards.
Provide practical
Provide practical, evidence‑based advice to managers on compliance with UK statutory requirements (including RIDDOR) and regulatory inspections.
Coordinate emergency preparedness
Coordinate emergency preparedness and business continuity arrangements, including drills and reviews.
Health and Safety Manager skills and experience to look for
Keep the essential list focused on what the person really needs to perform the role. Move useful-but-trainable experience into desirable criteria.
Usually worth prioritising
- Proven experience managing health and safety in a multi‑site or operational environment.
- Relevant health and safety qualification or equivalent practical experience (e.g., NEBOSH General Certificate or substantive demonstrable experience).
- Good working knowledge of UK health and safety legislation and best practice (including RIDDOR and HSE guidance).
- Experience conducting audits, risk assessments and formal incident investigations.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with experience preparing management reports and presenting findings.
- Ability to influence operational teams and implement practical, site‑level controls.
Useful where relevant
- NEBOSH Diploma, IOSH membership or equivalent professional accreditation.
- Experience with ISO 45001 implementation or internal audit experience.
- Industry experience relevant to your sector (construction, manufacturing, logistics, utilities, etc.).
- Experience managing contractor safety and permit‑to‑work systems.
- Competence in occupational risk areas such as COSHH, manual handling, noise and workplace ergonomics.
- Previous responsibility for managing a small H&S team or external H&S advisors.
See our guide to what to include in a job advert before publishing.
How to write a Health and Safety Manager job advert
Small role-specific details can make the advert much easier for suitable candidates to assess.
Specify the scope and authority
State which sites, departments and number of employees the manager will cover and whether they have line‑management, budget or enforcement authority.
Be clear on sector experience
List the sector(s) where experience matters (for example construction, manufacturing or logistics) so candidates can self‑select appropriately.
Flag required systems and standards
Mention if you expect experience of ISO 45001, permit‑to‑work, safety management software or specific risk areas such as COSHH or confined spaces.
Set realistic essential vs desirable criteria
Keep the essential list to genuinely required items and put nice‑to‑have qualifications (e.g., NEBOSH Diploma, IOSH) in desirable to widen candidate flow.
Use measurable outcomes
Reference KPIs or targets candidates will be accountable for, such as audit completion rates, reduced incident frequency or training completion percentages.
Health and Safety Manager salary considerations
Do not quote a single market figure here. Pay for a Health and Safety Manager varies widely depending on sector, location, the complexity of operations and the level of autonomy. When setting a salary, consider base pay plus benefits, any on‑call or site allowances, and the seniority of the role relative to your organisation.
depending on experience
- Use a genuine range
- Separate variable pay
- Avoid “competitive” alone
- Match salary to seniority
What Health and Safety Manager candidates will want to know
Practical details can influence whether a suitable candidate applies, even when the title and salary are attractive.
What is the role’s reporting line and influence?
Candidates will want to know whether they report to operations, HR or the board, and whether they have direct line management or budget authority.
Is the role site‑based, office‑based or hybrid and is travel required?
Be explicit about regular travel between sites, overnight stays or expected hours, including any on‑call duties.
What team or resources will be available?
Clarify whether the role manages a team, uses external consultants, or relies on delegated site safety leads.
What training and CPD support is provided?
Candidates want to know about funded qualifications, professional membership subscriptions and time for CPD.
What are the main compliance risks or priority projects?
Share immediate priorities such as ISO 45001 transition, reducing manual handling incidents, or contractor assurance programmes.
How are health and safety performance and success measured?
Provide the KPIs or outcomes the role will be judged on, such as incident frequency, audit results or training completion rates.
Where to post a Health and Safety Manager job
This role attracts both sector‑specialist and generalist safety professionals. Advertise on national job boards and LinkedIn for broader reach, plus sector‑specific boards or forums (construction, manufacturing, logistics) to target relevant candidates. Also promote the vacancy through professional networks and bodies (eg IOSH groups), and consider local/regional channels if the role requires regular site visits or is tied to a specific area.
Related health & safety job descriptions
Recruiting for a slightly different role? These templates may be a closer fit.
Health and Safety Manager job description FAQs
Does a Health and Safety Manager need a NEBOSH qualification?
NEBOSH qualifications are common and desirable but not legally required. Many employers accept equivalent professional qualifications or substantial practical experience. Specify your minimum requirement clearly in the advert.
How long does hiring typically take?
Time to hire varies; allow 4–8 weeks for screening, technical interviews and reference checks for experienced candidates. Sector‑specific roles or those requiring site clearance may take longer.
What checks should employers run?
Standard background checks include right to work, references and, where relevant, DBS or site‑access vetting. Verify claimed qualifications and, for safety‑critical roles, confirm practical experience through scenario‑based interview questions.
How should I assess technical competence?
Use a mix of practical interview questions, case studies or task‑based assessments and review of audit reports or investigation write‑ups to evaluate hands‑on competence and judgement.
Should the role be permanent or contract?
Use permanent roles for ongoing leadership and culture change. Fixed‑term or contract appointments can suit project‑based requirements or short‑term cover for accreditation projects.
How do I set realistic essential criteria?
Limit essential requirements to legal or role‑critical items (e.g., proven H&S management experience, knowledge of UK law). Place desirable items such as sector specialisms or higher qualifications in the desirable list to avoid unnecessary barriers.
Ready to recruit a Health and Safety Manager?
Customise this template with your specific site, sector and reporting details, update salary and benefits, and use your chosen recruitment channels to reach qualified candidates.
