SHE Lead

Edwards Vacuum; Eastbourne; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Culture of trust and accountability

Lifelong learning and career growth

Innovation powered by people

Comprehensive compensation andBenefits

Health and well-being

Job summary

Edwards Vacuum is seeking a SHE Lead to guide the Eastbourne site’s Safety, Health and Environmental strategy. You will lead the SHE team, drive compliance with ISO standards and foster a proactive safety culture across manufacturing and support functions.

You will mentor managers, coordinate audits and investigations, and balance people leadership with technical SHE expertise to protect employees and the environment. This on-site role requires travel within the UK/Europe as needed.

Qualifications

• NEBOSH General Certificate required or equivalent.
• Strong knowledge of health, safety and environmental legislation and compliance requirements.
• Experience implementing ISO 45001, ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 standards.
• Proven ability to perform risk assessments and COSHH management.
• Experience influencing, coaching and challenging stakeholders to improve SHE performance.
• Experience leading and developing individuals and teams.
• Experience conducting SHE audits and root-cause investigations.
• Ability to develop processes, procedures and deliver effective training.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to make sound risk-based decisions in a manufacturing setting.

Responsibilities

• Lead and promote a positive Safety, Health & Environmental culture through visible leadership and coaching.
• Influence and challenge managers to ensure SHE responsibilities are understood and owned.
• Lead, develop and manage the SHE team, including recruitment and performance management.
• Act as the site SHE subject matter expert and drive proactive safety management.
• Ensure SHE training, competency, policies and systems are maintained.
• Oversee risk, COSHH management and safe systems of work implementation.
• Support assessments, equipment provisioning and changes with SHE risk controls.
• Monitor compliance with legislation and best practice; drive continuous improvement.
• Lead audits, incident investigations and root-cause analysis; implement corrective actions.
• Maintain ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 management systems and support audits.

Skills

Leadership & coaching

SHE compliance & governance

Risk assessment

Audits & investigations

Stakeholder management

MS Office / Excel

Education

NEBOSH General Certificate

Job description

Your role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a SHE Lead to join the Edwarsd team at Product Company Eastbourne.

As a SHE Lead, your mission is to ensure employees, contractors and visitors at the Eastbourne Product Company can undertake their activities safely and with minimal impact on the environment. Through effective leadership of the SHE team, provide expert guidance, coaching and support to managers and employees, fostering a positive Safety, Health and Environmental culture and ensuring compliance with legislative, regulatory and business requirements. You will report to the SHEQ Manager.

You will

• Lead and promote a positive Safety, Health & Environmental (SHE) culture through visible leadership, engagement and coaching.
• Influence, support and challenge managers to ensure SHE responsibilities are understood, owned and effectively managed.
• Lead, develop and manage the SHE team, including recruitment, onboarding, resource planning, performance management, development, engagement and wellbeing to maintain a high-performing function.
• Act as the site SHE subject matter expert, providing professional guidance and driving proactive safety management through leading indicators, behavioural observations and employee engagement.
• Ensure SHE training and competency requirements are identified, maintained and monitored.
• Implement and maintain SHE policies, procedures and management systems in line with legal, corporate and business requirements.
• Ensure risk, COSHH and environmental assessments, together with safe systems of work, are implemented, reviewed and remain effective.
• Support workplace assessments, specialist equipment provision and operational, organisational, engineering and process changes, ensuring SHE risks are identified, assessed and controlled in partnership with managers, HR and other functions.
• Monitor legal and environmental compliance requirements, maintaining effective controls and alignment with legislation and best practice.
• Lead audits, inspections, incident investigations and corrective action processes, ensuring robust root cause analysis and continuous improvement.
• Maintain ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 management systems, including the Significant Environmental Impact Register, and support internal, certification and external audits.

To succeed, you will need

• NEBOSH General Certificate as a minimum qualification.
• Strong knowledge of health, safety and environmental legislation and compliance requirements.
• Practical experience of the application of ISO 45001, ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 standards.
• Experience of risk assessment, COSHH management and implementation of safe systems of work.
• Proven ability to influence, coach and challenge stakeholders at all levels to improve SHE performance and accountability.
• Experience of leading, coaching and developing individuals and teams.
• Experience of conducting SHE audits, incident investigations and root cause analysis.
• Ability to develop and improve processes, prepare procedures and deliver effective training.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management and presentation skills.
• Ability to make sound risk-based decisions within a manufacturing environment.
• Good systems aptitude with strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel, and experience of using electronic management systems for reporting, compliance and record management

In return, we offer

• Culture of trust and accountability
• Lifelong learning and career growth
• Innovation powered by people
• Comprehensive compensation and benefits
• Health and well-being

Job location

On-Site

The SHE Lead is responsible for supporting and coordinating all aspects of Safety, Health and Environmental management across the Eastbourne Product Company. The role supports the delivery of the wider SHE strategy through the implementation, maintenance and continuous improvement of SHE policies, procedures and management systems.

The role supports a complex manufacturing environment comprising approximately 250 permanent employees and up to 350 employees including temporary labour. Operations are undertaken across multiple shift patterns, including weekend working, within a diverse site environment that includes manufacturing areas, laboratories, offices, shipping and logistics functions, together with associated off-site goods-in and parking facilities.

The role works closely with managers across the business, providing guidance, coaching and support to ensure SHE responsibilities are understood and effectively carried out. Whilst managers remain accountable for safety within their own areas, the SHE Lead plays an important role in monitoring compliance, promoting best practice and supporting continuous improvement in SHE performance and culture.

The position includes line management responsibility for up to two SHE team members and requires the ability to balance people leadership, technical SHE expertise and effective stakeholder engagement. Success in the role depends on building positive working relationships, influencing safe behaviours and supporting managers to deliver SHE responsibilities effectively.

The role works closely with Production, Engineering, HR, Facilities, Supply Chain and other support functions, as well as Divisional SHE colleagues and peers across other Product Companies, to ensure consistent application of SHE standards and the sharing of best practice. The role is part of the wider site leadership community and works closely with the Site Leadership Team, providing SHE guidance, support and challenge as required, whilst not being a formal member of the Site Leadership Team.

The role is based in Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK and is a full-time office-based position. Some travel within the UK and Europe may be required, with occasional international travel.