Head of SHEQS Assurance

IES Utilities Group Ltd; Manchester; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading utility company based in Manchester is seeking a Head of SHEQS Assurance. The role involves ensuring compliance with SHEQS standards and providing leadership to drive continuous performance improvement. Candidates should possess a NEBOSH Diploma and a strong background in SHEQS Assurance within utilities or construction. This is a key leadership role requiring excellent communication and strategic thinking skills.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in SHEQS Assurance within utilities, infrastructure, or construction.
• Strong knowledge of UK health, safety, environmental, and quality legislation.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with SHEQS standards and legislative requirements.
• Monitor and measure the management systems performance and reliability.
• Provide leadership in operational delivery with robust governance.

Skills

NEBOSH Diploma

Chartered IOSH membership

IEMA environmental qualification

Strong knowledge of ISO standards

Experience in audit and compliance

Excellent communication skills

Strong problem-solving skills

Education

NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent

IEMA environmental qualification

Job description

About the job Head of SHEQS Assurance

Reports to: Director of Support Services

Location: Manchester

Salary: Competitive Benefits Package

Purpose of the Role

As the company grows toward a turnover of £500m per annum across all utility sectors, this role is critical in ensuring that SHEQS standards, compliance frameworks, and assurance processes scale effectively to match the size, complexity, and strategic ambitions of the business. The Head of SHEQS will provide leadership and confidence that operational delivery is underpinned by robust governance, proactive risk management, and a culture of continuous improvement.

To provide independent and objective assessment of the company's levels of compliance with:

• Legislative requirements
• ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 standards
• Current Objectives and Targets
• Client, Investor and other stakeholder requirements.

• To provide detailed reports with regards to the effectiveness and efficiency of the management system at operational, tactical and strategic levels of the business.
• To provide all operational, line management and other key stakeholders with confidence in the management system's ability to meet current and future business needs.
• To continually monitor and measure the management systems performance and reliability.
• To provide informed information to allow timely decision making in order to aid continual performance improvement.

What you'll bring

• NEBOSH Diploma (or equivalent) essential
• Chartered IOSH membership (or working towards) essential
• IEMA (or equivalent) environmental qualification essential
• ISO Lead Auditor desirable
• Strong working knowledge of ISO standards (9001, 14001, 45001) essential
• Experience in audit, compliance, ethical sourcing and corporate social responsibility

Your style

• Strategic thinker with strong senior influence
• Clear communicator and inspiring leader
• Analytical, proactive and collaborative
• Comfortable with ambiguity and driving change
• Willing to travel UK wide when required.

Key Skills & Experience

• Proven experience in a SHEQS Assurance role within utilities, infrastructure, or construction, ideally across multiple sectors.
• Strong knowledge of UK health, safety, environmental, and quality legislation and standards.
• Experience of managing SHEQS Assurance and compliance within a large business (£500m+ turnover).
• Knowledge of ISO certifications, audits, and quality systems.
• Excellent communication, investigation, and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to influence cultural change in safety, sustainability, and quality across a large workforce.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with experience engaging at operational and senior leadership levels.

Key Measures of Success

• Provision of timely informed information at pre‑determined levels for operational, tactical and strategic levels of the business.
• Monitoring and measuring performance in a manner that allows for timely interventions and identification of good practice.
• Positive feedback from COO, Executive Team, and regulators on SHEQS performance.
• Strong employee engagement and culture of safety, sustainability, and continuous improvement embedded across the workforce.