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Overview
Two passionate and experienced professionals are sought to join our national Construction Safety Team as SHEW Advisors. If you’re ready to make a real impact on the safety, health, environment, and wellbeing of major infrastructure projects across England, this could be your next career move. These full-time roles sit within our Capital/Construction team, which sets SHEW standards and assures them through a robust audit and inspection programme. You’ll help shape safer, healthier, and more sustainable construction practices — not just within our organisation, but across the wider industry.
As a SHEW Advisor, you’ll be a trusted expert and role model, helping to raise standards and drive continuous improvement.
Responsibilities
* Conduct audits and inspections of construction sites and delivery partners
* Produce clear, actionable reports and follow up on findings
* Provide technical advice across construction and maintenance activities
* Support incident investigations and embed lessons learned
* Develop and deliver training and awareness tools
* Lead on specialist SHEW topics and contribute to strategic SHEW projects
* Support framework communities of practice and promote best practice
Responding to incidents is a central part of this role. You will be required to have an incident role and be available to respond to or provide business continuity support during an incident. Supporting incident response may attract additional payment and offers opportunities for career development. Full training and alternative working arrangements will be available to support your incident role.
Team and environment
You’ll be part of a collaborative, forward-thinking team that works closely with delivery partners and internal colleagues to ensure SHEW standards are not only met — but exceeded. We provide technical support for investigations and share and embed lessons. We collaborate with our supply chain and wider construction industry to develop and share best practice.
Experience / Skills Required
To succeed, you must meet the minimum qualification criteria:
* Proven health, safety, and wellbeing experience in construction delivery projects
* NEBOSH Health and Safety Management for Construction Certificate (UK)
* Membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. IOSH or IIRSM), ideally Chartered or working towards
Essential Skills
* A strong background in construction safety
* A proactive, solutions-focused mindset
* Excellent communication skills (oral and written) with ability to build rapport, influence stakeholders, and translate complex safety requirements into practical guidance
* Confidence in reviewing and improving ways of working to ensure consistent application of SHEW legislation and best practice
Desirable Skills
* Experience in incident investigation and root cause analysis
* Familiarity with behavioural safety approaches
* Working knowledge of digital safety tools and reporting platforms
* Stakeholder engagement across complex frameworks
* Professional accreditation or chartership (e.g. GradIOSH, CMIOSH)
Contact and other information
The role requires regular travel to construction sites to undertake audits and health, safety, and wellbeing assurance activities. It will be a mix of office / home working with flexible hours and opportunities for professional development. Ideally based in the East or Southeast of England.
Interviews will be conducted on MS Teams during the week commencing 24 November.
For more information about the role, refer to the attached candidate information pack. For an informal chat, contact Jason Hanson at Jason.hanson@environment-agency.gov.uk.
Ready to take the next step? Apply now and help us build a safer, healthier, and more sustainable future.
Competencies and Application Questions
There are a series of competency-based prompts as part of the application process. Each competency includes a description and an application question, with notes for applicants.
* Competence 1 — Build and Sustain Relationships
* Competence 2 — Achieves Results
* Competence 3 — Influences and Persuades Others
* Competence 4 — Takes Decisions and Solves Problems
Notes: CVs or other documents attached to the application will not be assessed for selection. Answers should be based on your own experience. You may use the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) when formulating your responses. See Calaméo - EA Capability Dictionary for more information.
Role specific requirements
Full UK Driving Licence
If applying from the Civil Service, note that Environment Agency is not part of HM Civil Service. Flexible working patterns, including job share, are welcomed. We have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria.
We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and aim to reflect the communities we serve.
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