Group Health & Safety Manager

Group Health & Safety Manager

Department: People

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: London (Vadella) - Hybrid

Compensation: Competitive, dependent on experience and qualifications

Description

About Us

Vadella Group is a growing private equity-backed compliance services group comprising Bradley Environmental Consultants, Horizon Specialist Contracting, Aquarius Water, GreenZone/EnviroDuct and Team Safety Services (TSS), with further businesses currently being integrated into the Group.

Operating across environmental compliance, asbestos, water hygiene, health & safety and specialist contracting services, our businesses support clients nationwide with technically excellent, safety-critical services. As the Group continues to grow, we're committed to building a strong, proactive health and safety culture that protects our people, supports operational excellence and underpins sustainable business success.

We're now looking for an experienced and influential Group Health & Safety Manager to join our leadership team and shape the future of health & safety across the Group.

If you're an experienced Health & Safety leader looking for an opportunity to make a lasting impact across a dynamic and expanding Group of companies, we'd love to hear from you.

The Role

Reporting to the Chief People Officer and working closely with the Group CEO, Chief of Staff and Managing Directors across each Operating Company, you will be responsible for leading the Group's health & safety strategy, governance and operational performance.

This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership role where you'll spend significant time within each Operating Company, building relationships with operational teams, supporting leaders and driving continuous improvement across a diverse range of field-based businesses.

You'll act as the Group's subject matter expert for health & safety, ensuring robust governance, regulatory compliance and consistent standards while fostering a positive safety culture across all businesses.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation and continuous improvement of the Group Health & Safety Management Framework across all Operating Companies.
• Maintain Group health & safety policies, procedures and governance to ensure compliance with relevant legislation and industry best practice.
• Develop and deliver the Group audit and inspection programme across multiple operational sites and service lines.
• Produce regular Board-level reports including KPIs, incident trends, audit outcomes and improvement plans.
• Maintain the Group Health & Safety risk register and ensure appropriate controls are implemented and reviewed.
• Manage relationships with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and other relevant regulatory bodies.
• Lead investigations into RIDDOR-reportable incidents, significant near misses and other serious events, producing detailed root cause analysis and corrective action plans.
• Oversee the Group incident reporting and escalation process, ensuring timely communication with senior leadership.
• Provide expert advice and practical support to Managing Directors and operational management teams across the Group.
• Ensure all Operating Companies maintain effective health & safety management systems, including ISO 45001 where applicable.
• Oversee key operational risk areas including working at height, confined spaces, asbestos, legionella, COSHH, lone working and fleet safety.
• Champion a positive health & safety culture, embedding best practice and encouraging proactive behaviours across the business.
• Deliver or coordinate health & safety training programmes tailored to the operational requirements of each company.
• Mentor and support Health & Safety Coordinators and operational managers across the Group.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives through benchmarking, audits and performance reviews.
• Support health & safety due diligence for acquisitions and lead the successful integration of newly acquired businesses into the Group's health & safety framework.

The Ideal Candidate Will Have

• NEBOSH Diploma (or equivalent Level 6 Health & Safety qualification).
• Chartered Membership of IOSH (CMIOSH), or be actively working towards Chartered status.
• Significant experience managing health & safety across multi-site, field-based operations.
• Experience within environmental services, water hygiene, specialist contracting, facilities management or another compliance-led operational environment.
• Strong incident investigation experience, including RIDDOR reporting and root cause analysis.
• A sound understanding of ISO 45001 and health & safety management systems.
• Excellent knowledge of key operational risks including asbestos, legionella, COSHH, confined spaces, working at height, fleet safety and lone working.
• Outstanding communication and leadership skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels, from frontline teams to Board Directors.
• Strong analytical and organisational skills with the ability to prioritise across multiple business units.
• Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions or organisational integration projects (desirable).
• A full UK Driving Licence and willingness to travel regularly across the Group.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary, dependent on experience and qualifications
• A senior leadership role with genuine influence across a growing Group of companies
• Direct exposure to the Group CEO, Chief People Officer and senior leadership team
• The opportunity to shape and embed a best-in-class health & safety culture across multiple businesses
• Hybrid working with flexibility to support work-life balance
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Travel expenses covered
• Pension 3% employer / 5% employee contribution (People’s Pension)
• Life Assurance: x4 annual salary
• Perkbox: Access from day one – retail discounts, wellbeing resources, and peer recognition tools.
• Ongoing professional development and support for continued learning.
• Excellent long-term career progression within a growing private equity-backed Group.

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