Lead Health & Safety Manager - (Hard hats required. Capes optional.)
• London
• £60,000 - £70,000 + package
• Permanent – Full Time
• February 2026
A growing principal contractor delivering to the public and private sector projects across London and the South East has a great new opportunity for you.
Until now, Health & Safety has been outsourced. That’s changing.
They are bringing Health & Safety function in-house and are looking for a Lead Health & Safety Manager to take full ownership of the function. This is a genuine blank canvas role — no inherited lever-arch files from 2009, no “that’s how we’ve always done it” policies. Just the opportunity to build something properly.
The Role
You’ll be the Senior Health & Safety voice across the business — trusted by the directors, respected on site, and not ignored when you say “this needs fixing”.
Your day-to-day will include:
• Setting up and leading the Health & Safety function (from zero to best practice)
• Writing clear, practical Health & Safety policies and manuals that people actually read
• Developing and delivering ISO accreditation (ISO 45001 and related standards — the real thing, not the box-ticking version)
• Providing hands-on Health & Safety support across multiple live construction sites
• Ensuring compliance with CDM Regulations, HSE guidance and UK legislation
• Reviewing RAMS, carrying out audits and inspections, and challenging unsafe behaviours
• Investigating incidents and near misses (hopefully very few of the former)
• Building a positive Health & Safety culture where site teams work with you, not around you
About You
You’re a construction Health & Safety professional who knows the difference between good policy and “policy for the sake of it”. You’re comfortable on site, confident with senior leadership, and able to balance authority with approachability.
You’ll likely have:
• Senior or lead Health & Safety experience within construction
• Experience working for a main contractor or similar construction environment
• A track record of building or improving Health & Safety systems
• Strong working knowledge of CDM Regulations and construction legislation
• Experience developing or managing ISO 45001 accreditation
• NEBOSH Diploma (or equivalent) — because you know your stuff
Why Join?
• A genuine opportunity to build a Health & Safety function from scratch
• Autonomy, trust and direct access to decision-makers
• A role where your input actually shapes how the business operates
• A growing contractor that wants to do Health & Safety properly — not just talk about it
For more information please get in contact via (url removed)