Group Safety Director

ZipRecruiter; North East; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading housing association in the UK is seeking a Group Safety Director to lead its strategic approach to health and safety, managing teams while reporting directly to the CEO. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in health and safety leadership, an IOSH chartered status, and a proven track record in influencing at Board level. This role requires strong cultural change capabilities and an understanding of complex risk and governance frameworks. Excellent benefits and a six-figure salary are included.

Benefits

Excellent benefits package

Six-figure salary

Qualifications

• Significant senior leadership experience in health and safety.
• Strong record of influencing at Board-Level in complex environments.
• Experience in leading safety initiatives and cultural change.

Responsibilities

• Provide independent assurance and risk oversight.
• Lead health and safety teams and drive cultural change.
• Shape safety governance frameworks for meaningful insights.

Skills

Chartered IOSH status

Leadership in health and safety

Board-Level influence

Cultural change implementation

Safety governance knowledge

Job description

Job Description

Home Group - Group Safety Director

Glasgow / Newcastle / London (with wider UK travel)

Six-Figure Salary + Excellent Benefits

Irwin and Colton are privileged to announce the exclusive partnership with Home Group - they are one of the UK's leading housing associations, social enterprises and charities who put their tenants and customers at the forefront of their projects and day-to-day activities. With a turnover of over £490 million, they provide the highest quality of housing and integrated housing, as well as health and social care.

Home Group's focus has been making a difference to people's lives since 1935. Since then, with a much greater presence across multiple English regions, as well as Scotland, Home Group supports circa 150,000 customers in over 55,000 properties and has a brilliant staff headcount of circa 3,000 members. The organisation is proud of its roots in order to make a difference to local communities and shape the future of housing and opportunity.

This role as the 'Group Safety Director' is brand new. Reporting into the CEO (as well as working closely with both the Board and its Executives), it will lead the organisation's strategic approach to all matters related to health, safety and building safety, as well as managing a team.

The responsibilities of the Group Safety Director will include:

• Provide strong, independent assurance, risk oversight and strategic reporting to the Executive, Board and Regulators.
• Lead their Directors of Health and Safety and Building Safety, building a joined-up, forward-thinking, and collaborative team.
• Drive real cultural change, shifting safety from compliance to commitment and making it part of how everyone thinks and approaches their work.
• Shaping and refining safety governance, reporting frameworks and improvement plans so they deliver meaningful insight and action.
• Become the main POC for regulators, such as the HSE and the BSR, leading confident, evidence-led engagement.
• Champion , resilience and clarity across everything the organisation does.

The Successful Group Safety Director will require:

• Chartered IOSH status
• Significant senior leadership experience in health and safety, reporting to C-Suite.
• Strong record of Board-Level influence in a regulated, multi-site organisation with complex risk and assurance needs.
• Experience leading safety and creating cultural change, with a clear track record of embedding a values-led transformation.
• Confidence working across senior leadership teams, building trust, offering challenges, and guiding strategic decisions.
• Strong grasp of second line assurance, safety governance and risk frameworks and the judgement to use them wisely.

This role does require an Enhanced DBS Clearance check

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a forward-thinking organisation that understands the importance of safety for the entire business community, so if you feel this role would be for you based on experience and capabilities, please contact Matthew Cathcart on or 01923 432 636

Irwin and Colton are a specialist Health and Safety recruitment company based in the Southeast of England we recruit across the UK. We recruit all roles in the health and safety industry from Health and Safety Manager, Health and Safety Director through to Health and Safety Advisor positions.

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