HSE Senior Engineer

KellyOCG; North East; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

KellyOCG has partnered with an automotive and advanced manufacturing leader to recruit a Senior Health, Safety and Environment Engineer for a site in County Durham, UK. This on-site role shapes HSE strategy, delivers improvements, and coaches cross-functional teams to uphold safety, compliance and business continuity.

You will own site-level HSE programmes, lead risk controls, and work with senior operations to benchmark practices and drive continual improvement in a high-performance

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in Health, Safety, Environmental or STEM.
• Professional HSE certification preferred.
• Proven experience designing and implementing HSE programmes in manufacturing, engineering, or comparable technical environments.
• Strong knowledge of industrial safety standards, risk control hierarchy, and regulatory frameworks.
• Skilled in root cause analysis, incident investigation, and HSE management systems.
• Collaborative and pragmatic communicator from shop floor to senior leadership.
• Data-driven mindset with experience using audit findings and metrics to drive continual improvement.
• Courage and influence to challenge, educate, and set standards within a high-accountability environment.

Responsibilities

• Promote and embed a positive health, safety, and environmental culture.
• Design, implement, and manage proactive HSE controls and programmes.
• Provide technical expertise and coaching to manufacturing, engineering, and facilities teams.
• Lead risk and environmental aspect identification, as well as root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Evaluate, interpret, and communicate HSE compliance and audit results at site level.
• Lead training and internal communications on hazard prevention and safe working practices.
• Ensure adherence to internal standards and the latest regulatory requirements.
• Coach and develop others in safe behaviours, technical compliance, and HSE innovation.

Skills

HSE standards

Root cause analysis

Incident investigation

HSE management systems

Cross-functional

Regulatory compliance

Training coaching

Data-driven

Leadership communication

Stakeholder leadership

Education

Health/Safety/Environmental or STEM degree

HSE certification

Job description

Health, Safety and Environment Engineer - Senior

County Durham, UK | Fully Onsite

Automotive & Advanced Manufacturing | Global Fortune 500 (Confidential)

Lead. Influence. Drive Safety Excellence.

An exceptional opportunity for an experienced Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Engineer to step into a high-impact, visible role with a global engineering leader. This role is suited for influential professionals who are ready to set site direction, foster culture, and implement best-in-class systems that ensure safety, compliance, and business continuity.

This is not a compliance checking position - it is a strategic and technical HSE leadership role with the scope to shape site culture, deliver improvement programmes, and support multi-disciplinary colleagues in a high-performance manufacturing environment.

What You’ll Gain

• Ownership of site-level HSE programmes and strategy
• Direct exposure to senior operational leadership and cross-functional teams
• Influence over risk controls, compliance, and safety initiatives
• Opportunity to design and lead training, audits, and continuous improvement
• Internationally benchmarked working practices and tools
• A platform for future career progression within a globally recognised engineering environment

Your Impact

• Promote and embed a positive health, safety, and environmental culture
• Design, implement, and manage proactive HSE controls and programmes
• Provide technical expertise and coaching to manufacturing, engineering, and facilities teams
• Lead risk and environmental aspect identification, as well as root cause analysis and corrective actions
• Evaluate, interpret, and communicate HSE legal compliance and audit results at site level
• Lead training and internal communications on hazard prevention and safe working practices
• Ensure adherence to internal standards and the latest regulatory requirements
• Coach and develop others in safe behaviours, technical compliance, and HSE innovation

You’ll Bring

• Degree or equivalent in Health, Safety, Environmental or STEM discipline
• Professional HSE certification preferred
• Proven experience designing and implementing HSE programmes in manufacturing, engineering, or comparable technical environments
• Strong knowledge of industrial safety standards, risk control hierarchy, and regulatory frameworks
• Skilled in root cause analysis, incident investigation, and HSE management systems
• Collaborative and pragmatic communicator able to partner with all levels from the shop floor to senior leadership
• Data-driven mindset with experience using audit findings and metrics to drive continual improvement
• Courage and influence to challenge, educate, and set standards within a high-accountability environment

Additional Information

• Standard daytime office hours, Monday-Thursday 8am-4:30pm, Friday 8am-1:30pm
• Initial travel required (up to 20% in first 3-4 months for training), then fully based onsite