Health & Safety Support Specialist

HARRIS FEDERATION; Greater London; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

An education charity in Greater London seeks a Health & Safety Coordinator to oversee compliance and training across its academies. The role requires strong organisational skills, proficiency in Excel, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines. You will track audit actions, organise training sessions, and maintain accurate safety data. This position offers a salary of up to £27,000 FTE plus a performance bonus and additional benefits, within a collaborative and supportive environment.

Benefits

Annual performance and loyalty bonus

Pension scheme

26 days' annual leave

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme

Qualifications

• Highly organised with strong coordination capabilities.
• Proficient in Excel with experience in data accuracy.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate Health & Safety audits and maintain compliance.
• Plan and organise Health & Safety training sessions.
• Log and track actions from safety audits and assessments.

Skills

Strong organisation and coordination skills

Strong Excel skills and data accuracy

Clear, professional communication

Attention to detail

Strong IT skills

Job description

WORKING WITH US

The founder and sponsor of the Harris Federation, Lord Harris of Peckham, opened our first school in 1990. We have, over the past thirty years, implemented ideas and initiatives that have transformed the opportunities of pupils from working class and disadvantaged backgrounds. Harris academies are widely recognised as a force for social mobility. We are immensely proud of the role that our alumni are now beginning to play in the world and of what we believe our current generation of pupils will go on to achieve.

ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY

Join the Harris Federation’s central team and play a key role in ensuring compliance and promoting a positive safety culture across our academies and shared services departments. This early-career role offers progression into a Health & Safety Advisory role and involves coordinating audits, tracking actions, training the training programme, and providing first-line guidance to staff. You’ll maintain accurate data, support operational teams, and help streamline processes to keep our schools safe and compliant.

If you’re highly organised, detail-oriented, and interested in a career in health and safety, this is an excellent opportunity to develop your career within one of the UK’s leading education charities.

MAIN AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Your job responsibilities will include:

1) Compliance Coordination & Tracking

• Log and track actions arising from: Health & Safety audits, Fire Risk Assessments, near miss reports, inspections, and incident investigations—maintaining clear audit trail and status dashboards.
• Chase and elevate overdue actions with respective academies and departments in line with agreed SLAs (e.g., 10 working days for near miss review).
• Maintain and update the central trackers and registers (SharePoint/Raw Data Sheets / RIDDOR Tracker or equivalent), ensuring data quality and evidence of closure.
• Carry out regular safety checks as required to ensure compliance with health and safety standards.

2) Training Administration & Records:

• Plan, organise, and book mandatory and role specific Health & Safety training (elearning and in person), ensuring sessions align with academy needs and federation requirements.
• Manage financial aspects of training delivery, including raising purchase orders, liaising with suppliers, and confirming payment completion in line with finance procedures.
• Maintain accurate training matrices (intervals, refresher dates) and proactively remind managers and staff of upcoming expiries, file certificates and attendance records promptly.

For a full list of responsibilities, please download the Job Pack.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Strong organisation and coordination skills; able to manage multiple trackers and deadlines.
• Strong Excel skills and data accuracy; comfortable producing charts, pivot tables and dashboards.
• Clear, professional communication—written and verbal
• Attention to detail and a methodical approach to document control and evidence gathering
• Demonstrate strong IT skills, with the ability to work confidently across multiple platforms and learn new systems quickly to support reporting and data integrity

For a full job specification, please download the Job Pack.

APPLYING FOR THIS POSITION

If you would like to discuss the opportunity further, or if you have any questions, please contact us via email to arrange a conversation.

Before applying please ensure you download the job pack from our careers website, this will help with completing your application. Please note that we only accept applications submitted online before the closing date.

When applying, you will have the option to import your CV or use a LinkedIn profile which will auto populate the online application.

A reminder to check your junk mail for our email communications and add us to your safe senders list to ensure all future email communication is received.

OUR VISION & VALUES

Our vision, from the start, has been to provide the structure and services needed for our schools to amount to more than the sum of their parts, and to free-up our teachers and leaders to focus on one thing and one thing only: the outstanding education of all their pupils. Our young people and communities are at the heart of everything we do. Our core mission has always been to close the educational gap between young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers. Our ambition is one where every child in London, no matter their background, has equal access to high quality education, giving them the same opportunities and potential to succeed.

We know there are many challenges facing our young people and the communities we serve, and that’s why we need determined people like you to help us tackle those inequalities. Whilst each of our academies has their own unique cultures and values; as a whole Federation, we have four core values which are central to successfully achieving our vision: Excellence, Collaboration, Support, and Innovation. We are proud of our values because they guide us in how we work allowing us to achieve the best possible outcomes for our young people, communities, and colleagues.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates. We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

Harris has a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

You will also have access to a variety of benefits, support programmes and initiatives including:

• Excellent opportunities for continuous professional development and career progression
• Annual performance and loyalty bonus
• Pension scheme (Teachers' Pension Scheme or Local Government Pension Scheme) with generous employer contribution
• 26 days' annual leave (inclusive of our Christmas Eve closure day) plus bank holidays, rising to 27 days after 2 years' service, or equivalent for staff on term time contracts
• Harris Wellbeing Cash Plan including cover for routine and specialist healthcare
• Employee Assistance Programme for free and confidential advice
• Cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme
• Wide range of shopping, leisure, and travel discounts
• 20% off at Tapi Carpets, exclusive to Harris employees
• Interest-free ICT and season ticket loans

For most non-teaching staff based at our Head Office in East Croydon, we also offer lifestyle friendly working arrangements including flexible start and end times, and hybrid working with two days from home and three days on site.

Salary:Up to £27,000 FTE + Performance and Loyalty Bonus + Pension Scheme (LGPS) + Harris Wellbeing Cash Plan + Additional Harris Benefits