Contents Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information Location East Midlands (England), East of England, London (region), North East England, North West England, South East England, South West England, West Midlands (England), Yorkshire and the Humber About the job Job summary This is a Nationally based role Job description Health and Safety Do you have a passion for nature and the environment? Do you want to make a real difference and secure significant environmental gains in the present and the future? Do you enjoy working in a team? Can you see yourself advising communities and customers to maximise gains for the Natural Environment? If this appeals to you, a career at Natural England offers rewarding opportunities to secure environmental improvements and play your part in creating a better future for people and nature. The priority work Natural England is delivering includes: Establishing a Nature Recovery Network to help wildlife thrive. Monitoring environmental changes to identify and help reduce the effects of climate change. Working with farmers and landowners to develop greener food production methods. Advising on plans for new developments to maximise gains for nature, and Providing ways for people to better connect with nature, including green social prescribing. We are the Governments Adviser for the natural environment, playing a vital role in delivering the Governments 25 Year Environment Plan, an ambitious vision which brings new opportunities to protect and enhance and to achieve real outcomes for the environment. Find out more about the work of Natural England at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england Our Team This role sits within our Health and Safety Team, as part of Operational Delivery, supporting the whole of Natural England. We provide professional advice, guidance, and assurance to colleagues in relation to the health and safety risks posed to staff, volunteers, contractors, and the public by Natural Englands work activities to ensure colleagues are able to make sensible decisions that safeguard themselves and others from harm. Health and Safety concerns all risks that may cause injury or ill health including matters related to wellbeing and mental health such as work-related stress. The remit is organisational wide and may be reactive and proactive in nature. Role description As Health and Safety Senior Adviser within our National Operations Team, you'll work across multiple locations and disciplines within Natural England, developing relationships and helping our employees and volunteers to work safely and stay healthy. You will be experienced at working in an advisory capacity, influencing change and supporting the development and implementation of a positive health, safety and wellbeing culture at both senior management and organisational level. You will be flexible in your approach and will be able to work on mixed and sometimes complex projects, with competing demands, ensuring outputs are on time and meet quality expectations. You will have practical experience in carrying out a range of evidence and intelligence gathering activities to support effective regulatory decision making. You will be required to travel to attend face to face meetings with the Team and customers e.g., visits to our National Nature Reserves (including some overnight stays). Your responsibilities will be Develop, influence, monitor and advise on Natural Englands policies and procedures across the organisation. Research, develop and evaluate risk management guidance and training to improve the management of health, safety and wellbeing across all areas of the organisation. Work on or lead specific projects by defining the technical compliance requirements to be incorporated into internal processes relating to managing risks associated with high-risk activities e.g. construction, noise and vibration, tree safety, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) in accordance with Health & Safety Legislation. Promote and monitor incident reporting, guiding others through investigations where necessary. Interpret evidence to provide holistic and robust evidence-based findings, trend analysis and recommendations for improvements. Compile and present reports to Senior Managers and others, leading them to apply approaches to help the organisation deliver a stronger health and safety culture. Support, design and implement H&S inspections and audits of work bases including National Nature Reserves, preparing reports sharing best practice and outlining areas for improvement. Identify changes to legislation and best practice to develop, guide and inform the H&S policy and standards and Wellbeing Strategy and H&S Delivery Plan. Provide specialist technical knowledge on mental health and/or occupational health to help inform policy and decision making on issues such as suicide prevention. Engaging with staff at all levels to understand their health and wellbeing needs to identify and deliver solutions. Using data from our staff survey, occupational health and wellbeing contracts, incident reports, and HR team to spot trends and focus work to improve outcomes. Produce and deliver training using various formats and give presentations designed and delivered for the specific audience. Establish partnership working and networking with other organisations such as DEFRA agencies, National Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) etc., to share best practice; Support the management of external relationships with key stakeholders such as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), The Visitor Safety Group (VSG) and the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). Benefits Wherever possible Natural England accommodates requests for both full-time and part-time hours and other flexible working patterns to help employees achieve a good work/life balance and maintain their health and wellbeing. Natural England provides excellent opportunities for career progression, training and development tailored to your role. From induction to ongoing learning and development, everyone in Natural England is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. Everyone has 10 days to devote to personal learning and development, as well as an additional 3 days to volunteer. You will have access to Civil Service Pension and benefits arrangements and generous leave allowances (33 day per year pro rata), as well as flexible working, to help you achieve a work-life balance that works for you and us. You will have access to a range of benefits including discounts on shopping vouchers, cycle to work scheme, and childcare vouchers. You can also join the Civil Service Sport club which offer discounts on a range of sports and leisure opportunities as well as social events. Natural England is a fantastic place to work, where difference is celebrated. Were committed to fairness and equality for all, so you feel valued for who you are and what you do. Our shared values help us work together to benefit the communities we serve. Our thriving employee-led diversity networks support our inclusive culture and contribute to our Diversity Action Plan. Locations Natural England is adopting hybrid working which means that our staff will work from a flexible range of locations, encompassing home, offices (ours and our partners) and relevant sites. All new staff will be formally linked to one of our 25 offices across England and the expectation is that all new staff will be able to access their local office to be part of the community of staff in their geographic area. Full time staff are expected to attend their associated office for a minimum of one day a week. Staff members are required to carry out all their duties working in this way and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time. Travel expenses will be paid if work related travel is required but does not apply to travel between home and your associated office. This is a national team role and can be based at any of our offices. View a map of our office locations here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-england-office-locations How to Apply We welcome and encourage applications from all communities. Natural England is accredited to the Disability Confident Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the role at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview If you require a reasonable adjustment at interview, or there is anything else you would like the panel to take into consideration, you should notify us of this at application stage where possible, or well in advance of your interview. This vacancy uses competency-based assessment. We'll assess you against the competencies below during the selection process: Technical Skills and Knowledge. Creating Resilient Landscapes and Seas. Personal Effectiveness. Putting People at the Heart of the Environment When completing the application form you should present relevant examples using the STAR format. Give us an example of how you have demonstrated the competency (which can be work related or from another area of your life) and tell us about the Situation, the specific Task you had to undertake, the specific Actions you took, and the Result (both immediate and in a wider context) of your doing so. Please note that STAR format is not required when answering the Technical Skills & Knowledge competency. Examples should be given in no more than 250 words for each competency. If you are successful at the shortlisting stage, you will be invited to attend an interview via MS Teams or a suitable alternative, where you will be asked to give examples for all four competencies as set out in the Job Description. Successful candidates will be allocated roles in merit order based on scores achieved at interview and in accordance with location preferences, taking into account the work area to which successful candidates are most suited, wherever possible. Competencies Competence 1 Professional competency Detail Working safely [Expert] Description Apply relevant legislation and best practice in a meaningful way to Natural England to support sensible risk management across all teams Provide professional advice to individuals and teams on health, safety and wellbeing Develop, deliver and monitor training and guidance that enables people to work in a healthy and safe way Competence 2 Professional competency Detail Putting people at the heart of the environment [Practitioner] Description Nurture trusting partnerships and collaborate to achieve pragmatic outcomes that help deliver Natural Englands vision, mission and aims Listen to and understand our diverse partners and customers so that you achieve the best outcomes for them and Natural England Competence 3 Professional competency Detail Managing a quality service Description Share your knowledge and expertise with colleagues and people in your networks (both internal and external) to help develop their capability Use clear and appropriate language, communication styles and techniques that engage your audience Competence 4 Professional competency Detail Delivering at pace Description Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines (expert) Handle data responsibly, understand your role in good governance, and comply with delegations, policies, and procedures (practitioner) Person specification Please refer to Job Description Qualifications NEBOSH General Certificate in Health and Safety or equivalent minimum Benefits Alongside your salary of £37,950, Natural England contributes £10,994 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. Learning and development tailored to your role An environment with flexible working options A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27% Things you need to know Selection process details Please refer to Job Description Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Nationality requirements This job is broadly open to the following groups: UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). Apply and further information The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window). Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name : Steve Preston Email : steve.prestonnaturalengland.org.uk Telephone : 07747 781146 Recruitment team Email : defra-recruitment-enquiriesgov.sscl.com Further information https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england/about/complaints-procedure https://networkrecruitment.tal.net/vx/appcentre-7/brand-4/spa-1/tmpwid-ff3b_64706714-2755-4fc3-a01b-d4cb59312f63/candidate/so/pm/1/pl/8/opp/6065-6065-Senior-Health-and-Safety-Officer/en-GB Attachments DEF-001h - Candidate Pack Natural England v2.2 Opens in new window (docx, 1199kB) Apply at advertiser's site Share this page Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn GMail