Health & Safety Manager - EAD10075

East Dunbartonshire Council; Kirkintilloch; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Pension scheme

Generous annual leave

Job summary

East Dunbartonshire Council is seeking a Health & Safety Manager to lead the development of a proactive health and safety culture across the organisation. You will shape strategy, influence executive decisions and drive continuous improvement to safeguard staff and communities.

You will provide strategic direction, support service managers, and lead a professional team in delivering policy, training, audits and risk management.

Qualifications

• Professional health and safety expertise with leadership experience.
• Ability to influence at senior levels and shape policy.
• Strong communication and change-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Shape the Council's health and safety strategy and policy.
• Advise senior leaders on governance, risk and compliance.
• Lead audits, inspections and assurance activities.
• Oversee incident investigations and ensure lessons are embedded.
• Develop and deliver training, guidance and campaigns.
• Lead health surveillance and monitoring programmes.
• Collaborate with managers, unions and stakeholders to promote a positive safety culture.
• Report on health and safety performance across services.

Skills

Health & safety leadership

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder engagement

Governance & risk management

Education

Graduate IOSH membership

Degree in Health & Safety or related

Job description

Lead Change. Influence Culture. Make a Difference.

East Dunbartonshire Council is seeking an experienced health and safety professional with the vision, credibility and leadership skills to lead our established team and build on our commitment to health and safety excellence.

We are looking for an exceptional

Health & Safety Manager to lead the continued development of a positive, proactive and high-performing health and safety culture across our organisation. This is a unique opportunity to shape strategic direction, influence decision-making at the highest level, and make a lasting impact on the wellbeing of our workforce and the communities we serve.

As a trusted adviser to senior leaders and elected members, you'll play a pivotal role in ensuring health, safety and wellbeing remain at the heart of everything we do, helping us create safer workplaces, stronger services and better outcomes for our people.

About the Role

As our Health & Safety Manager, you'll provide strategic leadership and expert guidance across a diverse range of services, helping managers and teams navigate risk confidently while supporting innovation and service improvement.

You'll lead a dedicated professional team and work closely with colleagues across the organisation to develop modern, effective approaches to managing health and safety. From shaping policy, management standards, and delivering health surveillance programmes to influencing organisational culture and responding to emerging risks, you'll be at the forefront of driving best practice and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will balance strategic thinking with practical problem-solving, providing expert advice on complex issues while ensuring our health and safety standards remain effective, proportionate, and fit for the future.

What You'll Be Doing

You will shape the Councils strategic direction by

• Leading the development and implementation of the organisation's health and safety strategy.
• Influence and advise senior leaders on health and safety matters, governance and organisational risk.
• Promote a culture where safety, wellbeing, and accountability are everyone's responsibility.
• Drive continuous improvement through innovation, learning, and best practice.
• Ensure compliance with relevant health and safety legislation, regulations and standards.
• Lead health and safety audits, inspections and assurance activities.
• Oversee incident investigation processes and ensure lessons learned are embedded across services.
• Maintain oversight of organisational risks and support managers in implementing effective control measures.
• Lead health surveillance programmes and health monitoring arrangements.
• Develop and deliver training, awareness campaigns, and professional guidance.
• Provide expert support on risk assessments, safe systems of work and workplace controls.
• Work collaboratively with managers, employees, and trade unions to promote a positive safety culture.
• Audit, analyse and report on Health and Safety performance data across Council services.
• Act as the lead liaison with regulatory and enforcement bodies, including the Health and Safety Executive.
• Develop productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Represent the organisation on health and safety matters at a local and national level where appropriate.
• Inspire, motivate, and develop a team of health and safety professionals.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure resources are effectively managed to deliver excellent service outcomes.

Job Summary continued

About You

We are looking for someone who combines professional expertise with strong leadership capability.

You will be:

• A credible and influential health and safety professional with significant management experience.
• Comfortable operating strategically while remaining hands-on when required.
• An excellent communicator who can engage, challenge and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Passionate about creating safe, healthy, and inclusive working environments.
• Skilled at building relationships, managing change, and delivering results.
• Solutions focused, resilient, and committed to continuous improvement.

Essential Qualifications

You must hold:

• One of the following:
• Graduate Membership of IOSH;
• Degree in Health & Safety or a related discipline.

What we offer

In return, the Council offers the opportunity to:

• Influence health and safety strategies across a large and diverse organisation.
• Work alongside senior leaders to shape organisational priorities.
• Lead transformational Health & Safety improvements that make a real difference.
• Develop your career within a forward-thinking and supportive environment.
• Access to flexible and SMART working arrangements.
• Benefit from a competitive local government salary, linked pension scheme, and generous annual leave entitlement.

Why Join East Dunbartonshire Council

Health and safety is about people, and it is about creating environments where employees can thrive, services can operate effectively, and communities can benefit from the best possible outcomes.

If you are an experienced leader who is passionate about making workplaces safer, building positive cultures, and driving continuous improvement, we would love to hear from you.

Charter of Commitment

The commitment by East Dunbartonshire Council to job applicants is as follows:

• Individuals will be treated in a polite, friendly and welcoming manner.
• Equalities monitoring will be conducted to ensure a fair and equitable process with
• screening being carried out to anonymise sensitive information such as age, gender and disability.
• The information that we receive will be treated in confidence and with discretion. Only the relevant HR representative/team and the relevant service will see the application form.
• We will encourage and welcome applications from applicants under the disability symbol. Where the essential criteria are met an interview will be offered to those applying under the disability symbol.
• We will be pleased to make any reasonable adjustments to ensure accessibility at the interview.
• We will advise you within reasonable time after the closing date if you have not met the interview criteria. (Normally within 4 weeks)
• We will advise you of meeting the criteria for interview normally within 3 weeks.
• We will advise you if you have been successful or unsuccessful at the interview stage as soon as practically possible.

PVG / Disclosure Scotland

The following criteria applies to all roles within East Dunbartonshire Council where PVG/Disclosure checks are essential criteria.

Where the post you are applying for is considered a Regulated Role under the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020, successful candidates will be required to join the PVG Scheme, or undergo a PVG Scheme Update check, prior to confirmation of employment being made by East Dunbartonshire Council.

Please note, successful candidates will be expected to meet the cost of the relevant check which will be deducted from the successful candidate’s first salary payment. Successful candidates who withdraw their application after the check process has started will be invoiced for the cost of the check.

In specific circumstances the payment could be deducted in instalments from an employee’s wages following commencement of employment. Approval in such circumstances will be made by the HR &OD Manager.

Should an employee leave in advance of the payment being deducted, the full amount will be deducted from the employee’s final salary.

The criteria outlined above will apply to existing employees of East Dunbartonshire Council who apply for roles for which a PVG/Disclosure check is required.