Details
Reference number
430320
Salary
£54,857
On-call allowance of £3000
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP
Job grade
Grade 7
Contract type
Permanent
Business area
MCA - Corporate Services
Type of role
Business Management and Improvement
Health and Safety
Senior leadership
Working pattern
Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time
Number of jobs available
1
Contents
* Location
* About the job
* Benefits
* Things you need to know
* Apply and further information
Location
Southampton
About the job
Job summary
Can you lead and manage the health and safety strategy on behalf of Maritime Coastguard Agency?
Do you have the passion to engage with various stakeholders for the embedding of a safety culture?
Have you developed and designed policies and procedures to improve health, safety and sustainable change?
If so, we'd love to hear from you
You could join the Maritime and Coastguard Agency as our Head of Health and Safety. This influential position leads the Health, Safety, Environmental, and Sustainability (HSES) Team within the Directorate of Corporate Services is responsible for providing guidance, advice, oversight and ensure legal compliance on all aspects of Health, Safety, Environmental and Sustainability Management. Working with stakeholders across the MCA and wider Department for Transport to drive forwards safety improvements and to achieve the Greening Government Commitments and regulatory requirements.
Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:
* Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
* 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King's birthday
* Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Read more in the Benefits section below
Find out more about what it's like working at: Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Department for Transport Careers
Job description
The purpose of the Head of Health and Safety is to lead and manage the organisations health and safety strategy, ensuring a safe working environment for all, and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Enabling the Behavioural, Environmental and Sustainability, and Occupational Health and Safety Leads to deliver by setting clear direction, operationally focussed solutions, and support where appropriate. Engaging with senior stakeholders across the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to embed a Safety Culture.
Your responsibilities will include, but aren't limited to:
* Lead the delivery of a robust and proactive Health, Safety, Environmental and Sustainability function across the organisation.
* Ensure all Health and Safety systems and processes align with Statutory Requirements, MCA Safety Management System and best practice.
* Produce reports on performance, risk, and trends for Senior Leadership. Ensure accurate reporting of incidents, RIDDOR compliance, and appropriate escalation of risks and issues.
* Contribute to responses to internal audits, regulatory inspections, and parliamentary enquiries.
* Oversee development of Health, Safety, environmental and Sustainability Policies, Procedures and Guidance. Provide constructive challenge and expertise to identify opportunities for improvement, championing change to make MCA a safer and environmentally sustainable place to work.
* Complete complex and/or high-profile organisational stress risk assessment. Working with Senior Leaders, Employees, and Volunteers to implement outcomes.
* Act as an escalation point for health and safety matters within the team to provide guidance, direction and support as appropriate.
* Lead on investigations into serious incidents and near-misses, ensuring root cause analysis and corrective actions are identified and implemented.
* Oversee the MCAs compliance responsibilities with respect of Health, Safety, Environmental and Sustainability. Monitoring and providing oversight on inspections, audits, and assurance activities across the MCA.
Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.
For further information on the role, please read the attached role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.
Person specification
Essential qualifications/licenses:
* Chartered membership of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, or Chartered membership of the Faculty of Occupational Hygiene
* Degree or equivalent Health and Safety qualification e.g. BSc (Hons), NEBOSH Diploma etc
* A full UK Driving license
You will be required to provide evidence that you hold any essential qualifications/licenses at some point during the recruitment process. If you cannot provide evidence, your application will be withdrawn.
Required experience:
To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:
* Experience working in a safety critical environment.
* Experience with liaising and influencing internal and external stakeholders at a senior level within a Health and Safety environment.
* IOSH Competency framework - Competent occupational health and safety practitioner
Additional Information
Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) is the largest and most diverse professional community across the Civil Service. Many of us will have an association with several professional communities or specialisms, ODP applies to all public facing roles / or a role that is primarily aligned to supporting the work of those with public facing roles. All critical to the delivery of UK public services.
Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements
Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.
Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 30 hours per week.
This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.
The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.
Regular travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays.
If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).
Visa Sponsorship
Please note that we will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. Therefore, this role is not open to applications from those who require sponsorship – candidates must ensure they have the appropriate right to work in the UK before applying. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.
Security Checks
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
See our vetting charter .
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Licences
A full UK Driving license
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Seeing the Big Picture
* Changing and Improving
* Making Effective Decisions
* Leadership
* Communicating and Influencing
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
* IOSH Competency framework - Competent occupational health and safety practitioner
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £54,857, Maritime and Coastguard Agency contributes £15,892 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:
* Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
* 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
* 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King's birthday.
* Access to the staff discount portal.
* Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
* Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
* 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
* Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Find out more about the benefits of working at MCA .
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
How to apply:
Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's qualifications, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.
The selection process for this role will be:
Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement
Stage 2: Interview
You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Stage 1: Sift
At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
* Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (500 word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:
* Experience working in a safety critical environment.
* Experience with liaising and influencing internal and external stakeholders at a senior level within a Health and Safety environment.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead Success Profile element, experience – working in a safety critical environment. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
The sift will take place week commencing 28/10/2025
Stage 2: Presentation and Interview
At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
Behaviours –
* Seeing the Big Picture
* Changing and Improving
* Making Effective Decisions
* Leadership
* Communicating and Influencing
Technical –
* IOSH Competency framework - Competent occupational health and safety practitioner
You will also be required to create and deliver a presentation to assess the Behaviours: Communicating and Influencing and Changing and Improving, and Technical – Competent occupational health and safety practitioner. Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.
The interviews will take place week commencing 10/11/2025
This interview will be conducted online via in person at our Southampton office (Spring Place, 105 Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1EG). Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.
You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site .
Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.
Further information on the selection process
Feedback on your application can only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Adverts with a reserve list
We will also hold a 12 month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here.
AI Tools and Platforms
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Reasonable Adjustments
As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
Complete the "Assistance required" section in the "Additional requirements" page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Document Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email for assistance.
Further Information
For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.
Pre-employment Checking
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
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)
* 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
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code 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 .
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.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
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 : Simon Hayles
* Email :
Recruitment team
* Email :
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email:
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here