Health and Safety Manager

Thorpe Park Resort; Chertsey; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private pension scheme

Life assurance scheme

Employee assistance programme

Perks at Work discounts

Job summary

Thorpe Park Resort is seeking a Health & Safety Manager to join the leadership team. You will lead safety governance, audits, and incident management, while guiding senior leaders on risk and compliance.

A focus on culture, training, and continuous improvement is essential to keep the resort safe and entertaining. You will work closely with the Health & Safety Director and operate across the Leisure environment, delivering practical, commercial advice and developing a high-performing team

Qualifications

• NEBOSH General Certificate or equivalent health and safety qualification.
• Minimum five years' experience in health and safety roles, including leadership responsibilities.
• Membership of a recognised professional body, or willingness to achieve membership within agreed timescales.
• Strong communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships at all levels.
• Experience providing practical, commercially balanced health and safety advice in a complex operational environment.
• Knowledge of audit, compliance, incident investigation and risk management processes.
• Experience developing and embedding positive safety cultures through engagement and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ability to lead, coach and develop high-performing teams.
• Experience within the leisure, hospitality or a similarly regulated operational environment would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead compliance and governance activities, including audits, inspections, reporting and incident management.
• Oversee health and safety training programmes and support project teams with new attractions and developments.
• Provide expert guidance on complex health and safety matters to leaders across the business.
• Champion a positive safety culture with engagement, learning, and accountability at every level.
• Coach and develop members of the Health & Safety team and collaborate with regulators as required.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder mgmt

Health & Safety

Communication

Audits & risk

Education

NEBOSH General Certificate

Membership of a professional body

Job description

What you'll bring to the team

Health and Safety Manager

Location: Thorpe Park, Surrey KT16 8PN

Contract Type: Permanent, salaried

At Merlin, we create extraordinary experiences that bring people together through play. Behind every unforgettable ride, attraction and guest experience is a commitment to keeping our guests, teams and partners safe. That's where you come in!

As Health & Safety Manager, you will be a key member of the Thorpe Park leadership team, helping shape a culture where safety is embedded in everything we do. Working closely with operational leaders across the resort, you will combine technical expertise with practical leadership to ensure our standards remain industry-leading while supporting the delivery of world-class guest experiences.

You will provide visible, proactive leadership across the Health, Safety & Security agenda, helping ensure Thorpe Park remains a safe, compliant and exceptional place to work and play. Acting as a trusted advisor to leaders across the business, you'll offer expert guidance on complex health and safety matters, helping teams confidently navigate risk while maintaining operational excellence.

Working alongside the Health & Safety Director and senior leadership team, you'll support the development and delivery of site safety strategy, monitor key risks and help drive continuous improvement across the resort. You will champion a positive safety culture that encourages engagement, learning and accountability at every level.

You will lead compliance and governance activities, including audits, inspections, reporting and incident management, ensuring both legal and Merlin standards are consistently achieved. You will also oversee health and safety training programmes, support project teams with new attractions and developments, and work closely with external regulators and authorities when required.

As a people leader, you'll coach and develop members of the Health & Safety team, creating opportunities for growth while building capability and confidence across the wider business. You'll help create an environment where collaboration thrives and where safety remains everyone's responsibility.

Qualifications & Experience

• NEBOSH General Certificate or equivalent health and safety qualification.
• Minimum five years' experience in health and safety roles, including leadership responsibilities.
• Membership of a recognised professional body, or willingness to achieve membership within agreed timescales.
• Strong communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships at all levels.
• Experience providing practical, commercially balanced health and safety advice in a complex operational environment.
• Knowledge of audit, compliance, incident investigation and risk management processes.
• Experience developing and embedding positive safety cultures through engagement and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ability to lead, coach and develop high-performing teams.
• Experience within the leisure, hospitality or a similarly regulated operational environment would be advantageous.
• A collaborative approach, combined with curiosity, accountability and a team-focused mindset.

Careers where play leads the way! Join the team behind one of the UK's most iconic theme parks and help create a place where unforgettable memories are made safely, every day.

Benefits

• 40% discount off LEGO® sets and products on the online LEGO Store!
• Merlin Magic Pass: 20 free tickets for you, your family and friends to enjoy all of our Merlin Attractions across the world!
• 25% discount in Merlin retail shops and restaurants (a brilliant extra treat when you’re using your Magic Pass to visit!)
• ‘Enjoy the Ride’ Merlin Annual Pass for you and five loved ones!
• Staff discount codes for Merlin Annual Passes to gift to loved ones!
• Private pension scheme
• Life assurance scheme
• Employee assistance programme
• Access to Perks at Work which 30,000+ national & local employee discounts
• Ongoing training & development

About Merlin

A job with Merlin isn’t like a job anywhere else. With attractions around the world, from rollercoasters to wax figures, we don’t trade in suits, handshakes or briefcases. We trade in fun. In smiles, shrieks and spine-tingles. In Memories. In magic. But there are no tricks behind our magic. Instead, there are people like you. Passionate, dedicated people who are committed to making sure our worldwide attractions and guests’ experiences are the best they can be.

If you have any questions or if you require any reasonable adjustments, because of a disability or medical condition, please contact us by email [e-mail] one of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Pay Range

Competitive