Health, Safety and Wellbeing Manager

Job summary

Are you passionate about creating safer, healthier workplaces?

Do you thrive on driving positive change and supporting colleagues?

If so, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) invites you to bring your expertise to our Health, Safety and Wellbeing Unit and join us as our Health, Safety and Wellbeing Manager.

We are a small government department with a big mission: to keep food safe, ensure it is what it says it is, and that it is increasingly healthy and more sustainable. With such a diverse remit, it’s important that our teams have everything they need to deliver their important work successfully. The Health, Safety and Wellbeing Unit (HSWU) aims to ensure that staff at the FSA work in an environment that supports their needs. That’s where you come in.

Job description

As our Health, Safety and Wellbeing Manager, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the culture of safety across the Agency. You’ll be the trusted expert, delivering clear, practical advice to managers and staff, maintaining robust safety systems, and spearheading initiatives that drive our health, safety, and wellbeing strategy forward.

This is your opportunity to:

• Lead the development and delivery of innovative policies and projects that make a real difference.

• Guide and support managers through incident investigations, audits, and risk management, ensuring we meet and exceed UK legislation.

• Design and deliver engaging training, analyse performance data to spot trends, and recommend improvements that keep our people safe and empowered.

• Champion a culture of continuous improvement, raising awareness and building engagement at every level—from Trade Unions to senior leaders.

We’re looking for a qualified professional with a track record of delivering results in health, safety, or wellbeing. Your analytical skills, passion for positive change, and ability to build strong relationships will be key to your success. If you’re ready to prioritise, engage, and inspire, we want to hear from you.

At the FSA, you’ll find a supportive environment where your work truly matters. Join us and help ensure our colleagues are safe, valued, and able to deliver their best—so together, we can keep food safe for all.

Ready to make your mark? Apply today and help shape the future of workplace wellbeing at the FSA.

Working pattern guidance

Applicants who wish to work compressed hours are welcome to apply - however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

If applying as a job share partnership you should both complete separate application forms on Civil Service Jobs but should make it clear that you are applying as job sharers. Further details on job sharing can be found here JSF – What is the recruitment process for job sharers? , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)

Due to the nature of the role, we are unable to consider requests for part time working.

Please read before applying

This post is a temporary Fixed Term/Loan appointment available until the return of the substantive post holder, estimated to be 18 December 2026 with the potential, but no guarantee, of extension or permanency.

Candidates that are already established Civil Servants or from non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will come to the FSA on a Loan basis and will need to request permission from their Home Department for the Loan prior to applying for this vacancy.

Note for FSA employees

You must seek approval from your substantive manager before applying for any non-permanent vacancy - please refer to the ‘Temporary internal appointments framework’ on the FSA intranet for more details. Please note that if applying for a temporary post within the FSA or elsewhere on promotion, successful appointment will not automatically result in a permanent promotion - you will revert to your current substantive grade at the end of the Fixed Term or Loan period (unless funding has been approved to make the post permanent).

Person specification

Please read the attached Candidate Pack to discover further details about the role, our organisation, who we are looking for and the criteria we will assess against during the selection process.

We look forward to receiving your application and wish you every success.

Licences

Full Driving Licence (Manual or Automatic) for category B vehicles

Qualifications

A minimum of a level 6 H&S Qualification
and
An IOSH Training qualification (or willing to undertake during the first 6 months in post)

Memberships

A chartered member of IOSH (or application for chartered status underway and due in less than 12 months)

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• A minimum of a level 6 H&S Qualification.
• A chartered member of IOSH (or application for chartered status underway and due in less than 12 months)
• An IOSH Training qualification (or willing to undertake during the first 6 months in post).

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £42,596, Food Standards Agency contributes £12,340 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.Our candidate pack details the benefits that the FSA has to offer. Please also refer to the attached Terms and Conditions statement.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

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 candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.

Full details of the selection process are detailed in the attached candidate pack.

Application and shortlisting

You will be asked to provide personal details (not seen by the Panel) and to confirm your eligibility to apply for the role.

Technical: You will be asked two question to confirm that you meet the following Technical requirements of the role.

• A minimum of a level 6 H&S Qualification and a chartered member of IOSH (or application for chartered status underway and due in less than 12 months)

• Full Driving Licence (Manual or Automatic) for category B vehicles

If you cannot answer yes to both questions – you will not be able to proceed further with your application.

You will then be asked to complete an application which will be used to assess you against the following essential criteria.

Essential criteria

Technical - Lead Criteria

• A minimum of a level 6 H&S Qualification

and

• A chartered member of IOSH (or application for chartered status underway and due in less than 12 months)

and

• An IOSH Training qualification (or willing to undertake during the first 6 months in post)

Experience

• Significant practical experience of working in health and safety within a complex, multi-site organisation

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with experience of influencing a wide range of internal and external stakeholders - effectively managing competing demands and perspectives

• Experience in participating in training development and delivery

• Demonstrable experience of identifying and acting on trends through analysis of performance data

Lead Criteria An initial sift will take place on the Lead Criteria.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, the minimum pass mark for the Lead Criteria may be raised at shortlisting stage. Candidates who apply under the DCS, GPTW or RIS schemes and meet the minimum requirements will be unaffected by the pass mark raise.

Interview

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to the interview stage which will consist of an interview and ​briefing exercise​, during which you will be assessed against the criteria below.

Experience

• Significant practical experience of working in health and safety within a complex, multi-site organisation (Assessed via briefing exercise sent 24 hours prior to interview)

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with experience of influencing a wide range of internal and external stakeholders - effectively managing competing demands and perspectives

• Experience in participating in training development and delivery

• Demonstrable experience of identifying and acting on trends through analysis of performance data

Technical

• A minimum of a level 6 H&S Qualification

and

• A chartered member of IOSH (or application for chartered status underway and due in less than 12 months)

Details of assessment exercise

Full details of arrangements for the briefing exercise will be included in the invitation to interview.

Expected Timeline

Advert closes: 25 January 2026 (23:55)

Sift: Expected to take place during week commencing 26 January 2026

Final panel interview: Expected to take place during week commencing 2 or 9 February 2026

Interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams. (If you do not have the Microsoft Teams application installed on your computer, you can join on the web without installing the application).

Please note that indicated dates may be subject to change.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to the Food Standards Agency from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare.

Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Reserve List

A reserve list will be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made.

Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that the FSA does not offer visa sponsorship and cannot provide advice on visa applications

Making a complaint

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

If you feel your application has not been treated fairly in accordance with the principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should email the FSA’s Director of People at jo.bushnell@food.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

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.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 theCivil 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

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) 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 : Louise Butler
• Email : Louise.Butler@food.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hr.recruitment.campaigns@food.gov.uk

Further information

If you wish to raise a complaint then please email hr.recruitment.campaigns@food.gov.uk in the first instance.

Attachments

Terms and Conditions as at April 2020 (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 42kB)v1.0 Candidate Pack - Health Safety and Wellbeing Manager (SEO) FTA Jan 26 (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 995kB)