Site Safety Lead

QinetiQ; Portsmouth; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Matched contribution pension scheme

Generous holiday allowance

Health Cash Plan

Private Medical Insurance and Dental

Employee discount portal

Armed Forces Covenant support

Volunteering Opportunities

Job summary

QinetiQ is seeking a Site Safety Lead at its Portsmouth site. You’ll act as a business partner to provide safety advice to the Site Operational Team, helping develop and improve safety culture and management in line with the safety management system and legislative requirements.

You’ll drive a step change in safety culture, lead investigations, deliver training and coaching, and monitor HSE performance while ensuring ISO 45001 compliance and strong stakeholder engagement with regulators,

Qualifications

• NEBOSH Level 3 General Certificate or equivalent is required.
• Experience delivering safety leadership in operational or engineering environments.
• Proven track record of leading change and improving safety performance.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience conducting incident investigations with root cause analysis training.

Responsibilities

• Champion a positive health, safety, and environmental culture across the site.
• Partner with site leadership to ensure statutory compliance and standards.
• Build relationships with regulators, customers, and professional bodies.
• Deliver safety improvements through training, coaching, and competency development.
• Lead and support incident investigations and apply root cause analysis.
• Monitor HSE performance, audit activities, and support ISO compliance.

Skills

Safety Management Systems

ISO 45001

Stakeholder engagement

Coaching

Accident investigation

Root cause analysis

Communication

Change management

Environmental awareness

Education

NEBOSH Level 3 General Certificate

Job description

Package: £47,025– £52,250 (salary dependent on experience) + Benefits

Role ID: SF20059

Are you ready to be part of the future? At QinetiQ, we’re not just imagining tomorrow we are creating it. From cutting-edge defence technology to ground-breaking innovations our mission is to empower and protect lives. Join us as a Site Safety Lead at our Portsmouth site, where you will have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology in partnership with some of the most brilliant minds.

The Role

As a Site Safety Lead, you will act in a “business partner” capacity to provide support, competent and professional safety advice to the Site Operational Team in order to develop and continually improve all aspects of our safety culture, performance and management in accordance with the safety management system and relevant legislative requirements.

Day-to-day, you’ll drive a step change in the safety culture across the business contributing to improved safety performance.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Champion a positive safety and environmental culture by leading by example and promoting best practices across the business
• Partner with site leadership teams to provide expert health, safety, and environmental advice and ensure compliance with legislation, policies, and standards
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including customers, regulators, and professional bodies, to drive effective HSE engagement
• Deliver safety improvements through training, coaching, mentoring, and competency development, ensuring teams can meet their HSE responsibilities
• Lead and support incident investigations, provide expert guidance on hazards and occupational health issues, and drive continuous improvement from lessons learned
• Monitor and report on HSE performance, conduct audits and assurance activities, support ISO compliance, and maintain awareness of emerging legislation and industry best practice

Essential experience of the Site Safety Lead:

• Strong practical knowledge of Safety Management Systems, including ISO 45001 and awareness of ISO 14001
• Experience managing Health & Safety within operational, engineering, or delivery environments
• Proven track record of leading change and driving improved safety performance in complex organisations
• Excellent analytical, coaching, influencing, and stakeholder engagement skills across all organisational levels
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly, with strong written, verbal, and prioritisation skills
• Proactive and solution-focused, with recognised accident investigation training, including root cause analysis techniques

Essential qualifications for the Site Safety Lead:

• Essential qualifications are a NEBOSH (Level 3) General Certificate or equivalent

We value difference and we don’t have a fixed idea when it comes to background or education, provided you can show the required level of experience and willingness to learn then we would like to hear from you.

This role is 37 hours per week based at our Portsmouth site. Travel to Haslar and other QinetiQ and customer sites will be expected.

Portsmouth Technology Park (PTP) is one of QinetiQ’s key facilities, focusing on advanced technology development and engineering services. It is dedicated to research and development, ensuring that complex systems are designed, integrated, and tested effectively to meet operational requirements. The facility utilises sophisticated modelling and simulation techniques to analyse and predict performance.

Please note that all applicants for this role must be eligible for SC clearance, as a minimum.

UKSV National Security Vetting Solution: guidance for applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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Our Recruitment Process:

At QinetiQ we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible and welcoming workplace where everyone feels valued and supported. We believe that a diverse mix of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences drives innovation and leads to better outcomes for our people, customers and communities. We encourage applications from all candidates and are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know by emailing [e-mail]. One of our recruitment team will contact you.

Many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting being completed, applicants who already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment. A number of roles are also subject to additional restrictions, which means factors such as nationality or previous nationalities may affect the roles that you can be employed in.

Why Join QinetiQ?

As we continue to grow into new markets around the world, there’s never been a more exciting time to join QinetiQ. The formula for success is our appetite for innovation and having the courage to take on a wide variety of complex challenges.

As a QinetiQ employee, you’ll experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds, disciplines and experiences enjoy collaborating widely and openly as we undertake this exciting and rewarding journey. Through effective teamwork, and pulling together, you’ll get to experience what happens when we all share different perspectives, blend disciplines, and link technologies; constantly discovering new ways of solving complex problems in a diverse and inclusive environment where you can be authentic, feel valued and realise your full potential.

Visit our website to read more about our diverse and inclusive workplace culture. www.qinetiq.com/en/careers/life-at-qinetiq

• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
• Generous holiday allowance, with the option to purchase additional days
• Options to join Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance
• Employee discount portal: Personal Accident Insurance, Travel Insurance, Restaurants, Cinema Tickets and much more
• We are proud to support the Armed Forces community by honouring the Armed Forces Covenant and maintaining our Gold Award standard in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme
• Volunteering Opportunities - helping charities and local community