Health and Safety Policy Manager

Department for Transport; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A government department in the UK is seeking a Health and Safety Policy Lead to oversee health and safety strategy and compliance across the DfT Group. The successful candidate will manage a team, ensure adherence to legislative changes, and promote best practices. This full-time role offers flexible working options and a salary of £54,857, with additional benefits including generous leave and pension contributions.

Benefits

28.97% employer pension contribution

25 days annual leave

Flexible working options

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Proven experience in health and safety policy management.
• Capacity to influence and build relationships across diverse organizations.
• Ability to communicate technical information to non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Health and Safety policy function across the DfT Group.
• Ensure compliance with legislative changes and promote best practices.
• Manage a team and provide health and safety statutory reporting.

Skills

Health and Safety Strategy

Collaboration

Communication

Problem Solving

Education

IOSH accreditation

Job description

Can you lead on health and safety strategy while guiding teams through complex challenges with confidence and clarity?
Do you build trusted, collaborative relationships to influence positive change and ensure best practice across diverse organisations?
If so, we'd love to hear from you!
This role sits in the Estates function, reporting to the Head of Estates Programmes and is responsible for leading the Health and Safety Policy function across the DfT Group.
The role will act as the second line H&S Assurance function to the H&S Delivery team, led by the G7 H&S Delivery Manager. The relationship with the G7 H&S Delivery Manager will be key to ensuring that policy and delivery are coordinated and are used to inform one another.
Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:
+ Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
+ 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King's birthday.
+ Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Read more in the Benefits section below!
Find out more about what it's like working at DfT: Department for Transport Central - Department for Transport Careers, The role holder will lead the Health and Safety policy function. This will include working with senior leadership within the Department to set H&S strategy, ensuring the business remains compliant to legislative changes, and our policies and processes remain centred around the health, safety and wellbeing of our people, customers and partners. It will also involve working across the Executive Agencies and Arms Length Bodies (ALBs) in the DfT Group to coordinate H&S reporting and promote best practice and knowledge sharing.
Your responsibilities will include, but aren't limited to:
+ Health and Safety Policy Management (including updates based on legislative change).
+ Second line assurance of H&S.
+ Health and Safety Statutory reporting across the DfT Group.
+ Health and Safety Strategy.
+ H&S reporting and advice to H&S committee, People Committee.
+ Best practice and advice to ALBs, facilitating cooperation and knowledge sharing.
+ Introduce and maintain an audit and inspection Programme for H&S assurance across DfTc Properties.
+ Lead DfT group Health and Safety meetings.
+ Line Management of the Health and Safety Policy team.
+ Providing resilience to the Health and Safety Delivery Team.
+ Deputising for the Head of Estates Programmes where required.
For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process., + Formulating accessible and clear health and safety policy that is proportionate to risk and contributes to DfT's wider aims.
+ A clear understanding of how Health and Safety fits into the bigger picture within the department, with an ability to communicate the right information to seniors and direct the team's work in line with the department's strategy.
+ Communicating technical information to senior stakeholders including at departmental boards in a way that non-technical decision makers can understand, translating technical and operational inputs into strategic outputs.
+ A customer centric approach, focusing on identifying customers and aligning team outputs to their needs.
+ Working across multiple organisations to build collaborative relationships and influence stakeholders.
+ Providing collaborative health and safety assurance with a focus on actively helping teams to improve practices where areas for development are identified.
+ Being able to find solutions to problems where there may be differing points of view, fostering collaboration and leading colleagues to a balanced outcome.
+ Being a visible leader across the wider estates team, role modelling collaborative and inclusive working relationships.
The postholder will be expected to have IOSH accreditation or be willing and able to gain accreditation within 12 months of assuming the role.
Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements
Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.
Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 30 hours per week.
This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.
The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.
Occasional travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays.

Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Seeing the Big Picture
+ Changing and Improving
+ Communicating and Influencing
+ Working Together, This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement
Stage 2: Interview
You must be successful at sift each stage to progress to the interview.
Stage 1: Sift
At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
Experience - you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (750-word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:
+ A clear understanding of how Health and Safety fits into the bigger picture within the department, with an ability to communicate the right information to seniors and direct the team's work in line with the department's strategy.
+ Communicating technical information to senior stakeholders including at departmental boards in a way that non-technical decision makers can understand, translating technical and operational inputs into strategic outputs.
+ A customer centric approach, focusing on identifying customers and aligning team outputs to their needs.
Please note: the sift will be completed on a rolling basis whilst the campaign is still live, so you may receive your sift scores before the advert closing date.
The sift will take place week commencing 1st September 2025.
Stage 2: Interview
At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
+ Behaviours - (Seeing the Big Picture, Changing and Improving, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together)
+ Experience
The interviews will take place from the 15th September 2025.
This interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.
You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site (opens in a new window).
Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.
Further information on the selection process
We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here.
During your application, you should indicate which location(s) you wish to be considered for and, if successful, you will be placed on an individual list of candidates for each location. Candidates will be held on that list and drawn from it in merit order. We advise you to carefully consider which locations you wish to be considered for. If you decline an offer for a location you have expressed a preference in or have expressed an interest in more than one location and accept an offer, you will be withdrawn from any lists you may be held on. We may also offer candidates a location that they have not expressed a preference for where we have the requirement to do so but this will again be done on the basis of your place in the overall merit order and, in this event, you will not be removed from the list if you decline.
Appointments for this position will be made in order of merit. If you are successful in the selection process but there are no further available posts for the advertised role, you may be contacted to discuss an offer for a lower graded role (with similar experience and responsibility requirements).
If you are unsuccessful in the selection process, your application may be considered for a lower graded position if your demonstrated skills and experience meet the requirements of the alternative position. Candidates will be considered in order of merit.
AI Tools and Platforms
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jpreview.cgi for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Reasonable Adjustments
As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Alongside your salary of £54,857, Department for Transport contributes £15,892 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:
+ Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
+ 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
+ 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King's birthday.
+ Access to the staff discount portal.
+ Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
+ Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
+ 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
+ Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies (opens in a new window)., A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
+ UK nationals
+ nationals of the Republic of Ireland
+ nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
+ individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
+ Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.