Senior Process Safety Specialist (Band 3/SEO)

Job summary

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Great Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.

HSE's Science, Engineering and Analysis Division (SEAD) is a world-leading provider of health and safety solutions to industry and government. Our Science and Research Centre, based in Buxton, Derbyshire, is the heart of our scientific and technical capability, where the most creative and innovative scientists and engineers can come together to address some of the biggest challenges on the national agenda.

The scope of our work requires a diversity of talented individuals, and our capabilities encompass a wide range of topics including fire, explosion, process safety and engineering; occupational and environmental health; risk assessment; work environment; and specialist photographic and analytical services. This breadth of expertise underpins our strength in creating multidisciplinary teams to support HSE’s work on major incident investigations and policy and regulatory development, as well as undertaking high quality research.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Process Safety Specialist to join the Risk Sciences Unit with SEAD. You will apply process safety expertise and risk assessment methodologies to a wide range of health and safety-related applications. Your work could include assessing risks associated with hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation and storage technologies, supporting major incident investigations, contributing to policy and regulatory developments, and exploring how artificial intelligence could affect safety in high hazard workplaces.

Working pattern

Part time working hours are available for this role. We can accept part time applicants who can commit to working a minimum of 30 hours per week.

Travel

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. The office is in a rural location with no direct public transport What3words:///safely.rules.eclipses. There will be a requirement to travel to the office on a regular basis for various activities e.g. collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

As part of this role there will be some occasional UK and international travel required; this may include travelling for meetings and events.

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and motivated Senior Process Safety Scientist to join our Risk Team. The team undertakes a broad range of complex technical work, including assessing the safety of carbon capture, utilisation and storage technologies, hydrogen applications, onsite experimental work, and emerging energy technologies; and technical support for HSE process safety inspectors and other professions within HSE and other government departments.

The work is project based and varies considerably in scope and complexity. Projects may include internally and externally funded research, regulatory support, technical safety consultancy and supporting major incident investigations. There is a strong emphasis on team working and collaboration, and you will be expected to work with specialists and technical experts across many other disciplines.

Key responsibilities:

• Deliver quantitative and qualitative process safety and technical risk assessment work for a range of high hazard industries
• Lead and facilitate process safety studies and risk assessment workshops, including HAZID, bow tie analysis, SWIFT, DSEAR and FMEA where appropriate.
• Undertake consequence modelling and interpret and communicate the results to support risk-based decision making.
• Apply technical expertise to support research, regulatory and policy decisions in process safety topic areas such as; process design, pressure relief sizing, safety equipment and risk reduction measures.
• Report the outcomes of scientific work through writing reports and papers, presentations and providing verbal feedback to customers.
• Liaise and collaborate with colleagues in other parts of HSE to support multi-disciplinary teams to offer the best possible service to customers
• Contribute to the development of future work for the Team by seeking opportunities for work for external organisations and developing bids.

Person specification

Essential Skills and Criteria:

• Demonstratable experience with process safety topic areas such as; process design, pressure relief sizing, safety equipment, risk reduction measures and participating in or leading hazard identification and risk assessment studies, including HAZID, HAZOP, bow tie analysis, FMEA and LOPA.
• An in-depth understanding of process safety and risk management methodologies for high hazard industries with significant experience of applying these within an industrial, research or regulatory setting.
• Experience of applying quantitative and semi quantitative risk assessment methods, including QRA, consequence assessment and evaluation of risk reduction measures.
• Practical experience of consequence modelling including critically interpreting and communicating the results
• Proven experience in leading the delivery of scientific or technical projects .
• Developed communication skills, including technical or scientific report writing and presenting to customers.

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement, and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work.

There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities, e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, you will be expected to attend the office, or other business-related site, for 60% of your working week. The arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account.

Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

Qualifications

A Higher degree (Masters or above) or equivalent such as a Level 7 Diploma or Doctorate within a Science & Engineering topic area relevant to the advertised role - e.g. Chemical Engineering or equivalent and relevant industry experience including experience of process safety, risk assessments research, Hazard identification and developing technical solutions. (For equivalent experience, please tick yes and provide detail within the CV section of your application)

Behaviours

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

• Developing Self and Others
• Managing a Quality Service

Technical skills

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

• Government Science and Engineering Career Technical Framework: Designing systems and solutions - Applying knowledge

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £55,063, Health and Safety Executive contributes £15,951 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

We invest in our people with;

• Competitive rates of pay
• Access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme to which HSE contribute 28.97% far more than in the private sector.
• Family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career
• Carer friendly policies to help create a supportive working culture
• 185 hours annual holiday increasing to 222 hours after 5 years' qualifying service, plus public holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave (recorded as 7.4 hours in addition to your annual leave balance)
• Parental leave benefits
• As a member of HSE you will gain access to a wide range of fantastic benefits that you can take advantage of such as the Cycle to Work Scheme, E-Gift Cards, and Vouchers via our partner EdenRed.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

Application Information

As part of your application, you will be invited to complete an anonymised CV which should include your career history and qualifications alongside demonstrating how your experience meets the needs of the role.

You will also be asked to complete an anonymised Personal Statement, of no more than 750 words which demonstrates how you meet the essential skills and criteria of the job advert.

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/

Sift Information

The sift will take place from week commencing 31st of August 2026 when you will be assessed on your CV and Personal Statement.

Interview Information

Interviews will take place in person from week commencing 21st of September 2026 in our Buxton office, HSE, Harpur Hill, Buxton SK17 9JN where you will be assessed on the advertised Behaviours as well as your experience and Technical skill against the GSE Framework: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/61a605f2e90e07043d677dd0/gse-career-framework-v2.pdf

You will also be asked to prepare a 10 minute Technical Presentation to assess your Technical Skill. Details of the Presentation will be sent to candidates invited to interview.

Please note that sift and interview dates may change due to panel availability.

Sponsorship

This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.

Further Information

Due to the nature of security checks undertaken, applicants must have 3 years continuous residency in the UK up to the date of the application and, Home Office approval for indefinite leave to remain within the UK.

Please note that a Reserve List will be held for the period of up to 12 months. There is no guarantee you will be offered a role from our reserve lists, so if you see a vacancy on Civil Service Jobs that you are interested in, we recommend you apply.

HSE reserve the right to conduct additional checks, including Google and social media checks, when recruiting candidates into a role within HSE. These checks will be carried out in line with the Civil Service Commission Principles and, if used all candidates will be subject to these additional checks.

From 23rd June 2025, if you are successful at interview, as part of your pre-employment checks, HSE’s Recruitment Team are required to check your details against the Internal Fraud Hub (IFH), using your personal details – name, NINO, and date of birth. If you are included on the database, you will be refused employment. If you believe that there has been an error in the inclusion of your data and wish to make an appeal, please contact the CO email box internal.fraud@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

Details of the types of internal fraud/dishonesty covered by this process are defined by the Cabinet Office and can be found here Internal Fraud Register privacy notice - GOV.UK

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached HSE Terms and Conditions document.

Progression through pay ranges is subject to annual pay awards as permitted within annual Civil Service pay remit guidance and negotiations with Trade Unions.

HSE is proud to be a part of the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS). As a Disability Confident employer, we positively welcome applications from disabled people. We are committed to making workplace adjustments to ensure anyone can participate in the recruitment and selection process.

If, during the application or interview process, you require any assistance due to a disability or a medical condition, please contact us at the email address below to discuss how we can support you. For example, if you have a disability, and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk

If successful in securing your role, HSE can provide suitable workplace adjustments to support you throughout your career with HSE.

Any move to HSE 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 here.

Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further;
Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary acti

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).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.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 : David Griffiths
• Email : david.griffiths@hse.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk

Further information

If you believe that Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition have not been met, you can raise a complaint by emailing: HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk or by writing to HSE at the following address:

HR Resourcing Team, 2.3 Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 7HS. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact Civil Service commissioners:

https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/code/civilservicecode…

Attachments

HSE Terms and Conditions - CSJ Advert Annex Opens in new window (pdf, 116kB)