Health and Safety Manager

Our Mission

Coventry University Group is a global education group with a mission of creating better futures. Driven by our passion and belief that through education, equity, and innovation our students, people, and communities are empowered to transform their lives and the world around them. Our people are the key to our success and each role within the group plays a key role in shaping the world around us.

Based within CUEL, a sister company of Coventry University, Safety and Security is a multi‐disciplinary team that provides expertise in Health and Safety, Information Security, Physical Security (Protection Services), and operational Business Continuity to protect the Group’s people, operations, and property.  We have an exciting opportunity for an effective Health & Safety Manager to lead our team and spearhead innovative health and safety initiatives and strategies.

The Role

As the Health & Safety Manager, you will be subject matter expert on health and safety matters for the University Group, leading the charge in enhancing our health and safety culture. You will provide tactical and operational leadership to the Health and Safety team, ensuring that our policies, standards, procedures, and systems are not only compliant but also exemplary.

Your role will involve coaching and mentoring team members, developing forward-thinking initiatives and strategies to improve safety, and influencing stakeholders at all levels to foster a proactive and positive health and safety culture.

You will be instrumental in monitoring the effectiveness of health and safety controls, overseeing our programme of audits and inspections, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements, and provision of expert advice and training to increase awareness and competence across the Group.

This role requires a proactive approach to identifying and mitigating risks, as well as the ability to inspire and lead a team towards continuous improvement in health and safety standards.

Person Specification:

The successful candidate will have:

• NEBOSH Diploma (or equivalent), a minimum of Graduate IOSH membership and demonstrable experience as an impactful health and safety professional working across a range of health and safety hazards relevant to a university environment is essential.

• You will be able to show experience of leading and managing a health and safety team, developing and implementing health and safety strategies, and successfully influencing health and safety culture within an organisation.

• Experience of specialist areas of health and safety (e.g., lasers, construction, biological safety, radiation) and experience in the FE/HE/Research sectors are advantageous.

Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with the ability to articulate information clearly and influence stakeholders at all levels is also required for this role, alongside proven ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team, maintaining professionalism and a positive attitude.

You will demonstrate capability to influence behaviour and culture across various management levels and professional backgrounds. Strong problem-solving skills, coupled with the ability to handle sensitive information with a high degree of discretion and confidentiality is essential to this post as are excellent leadership, coaching, and mentoring skills. Ability to develop and implement health and safety initiatives and strategies while organising workload and prioritising effectively for yourself and your team.

You will have a flexible, customer focused outlook, enabling support for new initiatives and approaches to support the Group to achieve its goals. You will have a strong commitment to maintaining and developing knowledge and skills as a health and safety practitioner.

The role is primarily based in Coventry, but there will be some travel to our other UK sites.

The Benefits

As a staff member of Coventry University, you will have access to a wide range of industry leading rewards and benefits including:

• Excellent Employers Pension Contribution
• 30 days Annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• New Holiday Purchase Scheme
• BUPA Cash Plan
• 50% off Tuition Fee’s for staff dependants
• CU Reward Scheme – Discounts across a range of Retailers
• New Electric Car Scheme
• Cycle To work scheme

Our Culture

As a global Education Group, equality, diversity, and inclusion are embedded within the fabric of our organisation and are a key focus of our core values. We harness the power and potential of the diverse cultures, backgrounds, abilities, and experiences of our students, colleagues, and partners to create opportunities for all.

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