Health and Safety Advisor

Salary: Grade 7, £51,005 - £56,821
Duration of role: Permanent
Hours: 37 hours per week
Location: Hybrid – home / offsite and council offices (Abbey House, Abbey Close, Abingdon OX14 3JE), as required.
 
Closing Date: Midnight Thursday 17 July
 
About the role and what we're looking for

This is an exciting role to help us transform our approach to health and safety across the councils.
 
The post holder will be responsible for designing and supporting the delivery of the councils' health and safety strategy along with the associated policies and arrangements for delivering its implementation across the councils. You'll get the opportunity to be involved in almost every aspect of the councils' activities, providing specialist knowledge in support of, and learning from, the experts managing the services.
 
You will need the knowledge, skills, enthusiasm and experience to deliver, and the interpersonal, communication and persuasion skills to bring everyone with you on the journey.
 
Main duties and responsibilities

• Provide support on health and safety matters across both councils on behalf of the Head of Paid Service.
• Assist staff and managers in undertaking and reviewing risk assessments, when completing incident report forms and continually reviewing control measures.
• With colleagues, undertake regular informal auditing of service/work areas to proactively identify risks and provide expert guidance to ensure that they are appropriately managed.
• Investigate accidents and near miss incidents regarding council staff and operations and provide expert guidance to support managers in ensuring that any necessary actions to mitigate future risks are actioned and/or are added to the corporate risk register to ensure compliance across the councils.
• To assist in the evaluation of contractors Health and Safety policies and procedures both during tender process and ongoing contract monitoring where appropriate.
• Contribute to the achievement of both councils' overall objectives by aligning the health and safety approach to identified priorities.
• Contribute to and write papers for SMT, cabinet, full council, committees etc and, where appropriate, present them.
• Provide input into the creation and deployment of service plans.
• Contribute to budget planning and oversight of the budget (£10,000) for the area as required.
• Assist with the management of the corporate lone worker system and oversee the threat premises systems.
• Manage and administer the DSE assessment process.
 
About you
 
Your essential skills, knowledge, and experience

• a comprehensive knowledge of health and safety legislation, guidance, and best practice in a related sector
• a well-developed understanding of the importance of health and safety strategy and policy and the practical steps required for their effective implementation.
• proven experience in similar role
• membership of a relevant professional body, with up-to-date continuous professional development
• a proven track record of proactively identifying problems and taking the initiative for solving them.
• experience of devising and delivering training
• excellent written and verbal skills.
• sound knowledge of excel, word H&S management databases etc.
• have a valid full driving licence, a vehicle and insurance to drive for work purposes.
 
Your essential qualifications

• educated to degree level (or qualified by experience)
• NEBOSH qualified.
• a full driving licence.
If you have the following experience or qualifications – it's a bonus.
• experience of influencing and demonstrating the practical steps required for implementing change in health and safety culture.
• experience of leading, creating or influencing health and safety strategy and policy development
• local government experience
 
The benefits we offer

• A basic 25 days annual leave per annum, rising to 30 days after five years. You also have all the bank holidays to look forward to and time off between Christmas and New Year.
• Flexible working and annualised hours – a flexible approach to work that our employees love!
• Salary pay awards – most jobs give scope for a pay increase after six months or the following April (depending on your start date) and we also review salaries each April.
• A generous career average pension scheme which includes life insurance of three times your salary
• The opportunity to purchase a bike through Cyclescheme (cheaper than directly through a store) so that you can cycle to work!
• Various schemes to keep you healthy (reduced gym membership, free swims, free eye tests for DSE users and more)
• We give you two days per year to volunteer within the local community.
• A range of resources, support, and activities to help you maintain your wellbeing including a monthly wellbeing hour in addition to annualised hours (the ability to work flexibly as long as, over the course of the year, you complete your contracted hours) and annual leave.
 
You may also have experience in the following roles: Health and Safety Officer, Safety Advisor, Health and Safety Coordinator, Risk Management Advisor, Occupational Health and Safety Specialist, Health and Safety Consultant, Safety Manager, Health and Safety Assistant, Environmental Health and Safety Officer, etc.
 
REF-(Apply online only)