HM Inspector Assistant

Job summary

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is the independent economic and safety regulator for Britain’s railways and monitor of performance on England’s strategic road network.

This is an exciting time to join ORR, we are delivering a significant transformation programme to create a consistently agile and enabling organisation, with the right capability and a strong, inclusive culture that reflects our talented people. This will ensure we continue to operate as an independent, expert regulator, fit for the future and equipped with the capabilities and ways of working required to support sector-wide rail reform, while contributing to the government’s broader agenda on regulatory reform and economic growth. Further detail on our future role is set outhere.

Job description

Railway Safety Directorate ensures duty-holders in the railway industry manage health and safety risks effectively and comply with their statutory duties. We are looking to recruit five new HM Inspector Assistants, with successful candidates expected to start on 1 September 2026, with one role aligned to each of the following teams:

• Scotland Team, based in Glasgow
• Northwest & Central Team, based in Birmingham or Manchester
• Freight Team, based in Manchester or London
• Eastern Team, based in London or York
• TFL Team, based in London

Working within an inspection team, you will collaborate closely with inspectors and colleagues to plan, deliver and support regulatory activity. You will contribute to a supportive and inclusive team environment, sharing knowledge, learning from experienced inspectors and working together to ensure the railway industry meets its health and safety obligations.

The Inspector Assistant plays a vital role in supporting operational HM Inspector of Railways to deliver the Railway Safety’s (RS) workplan efficiently and safely. You will contribute to both reactive and proactive regulatory activity by independently undertaking site visits, gathering evidence, taking statements, and carrying out initial enquiries into often complex and complicated incidents, including fatalities and suicides.

Using your warranted powers under the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA), you will also be expected to assist with major incident responses and proactive inspection activities, helping to assess compliance with health and safety legislation and the effectiveness of duty holders’ risk controls.

Through a blend of formal classroom training and on the job training, you will develop your regulatory skills and technical knowledge of railway operations and risks You will provide clear, informed advice to Inspectors, stakeholders and support ORR’s wider assessment of industry performance through effective collaboration, intelligence sharing and high-quality reporting. You will be in a team with Inspectors, based in one of our ORR offices as referred to above, working directly to a Principal Inspector. You will mainly work within your home region which require travel and work away from your home.

Person specification

For key responsibilities please see the attached job description.

Additional Information

At ORR, our hybrid working means that we currently work from our workplace location a minimum of 40% of our working week, although requirements to attend other offsite locations for official business, also count towards this level of attendance. Working arrangements are subject to continuous review.

Licences

Full UK driving licence

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

A Civil Service Pension with employer contribution of 28.97%

Details of our employee benefits can be found in the attached Candidate Information Pack.

Find out what our colleagues have to say about their ORR careers Our people Office of Rail and Road (orr.gov.uk).

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 Behaviours and Experience.For information on the selection process, please see the attached Candidate Information Pack and Job Description.

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.

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.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 : Caroline Barter
• Email : Caroline.Barter@orr.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : peopleservices@orr.gov.uk

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 ORR via email: peopleservices@orr.gov.uk 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: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitme…

Attachments

HM Inspector Assistant Job Description Opens in new window (pdf, 136kB)ORR Job Information Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1954kB)