Head of Health and Safety
Who we are
People First is an independent customer-led charitable organisation that has worked in Cumbria for over 35 years.
The Well Communities is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company, led by people in recovery from substance misuse.
This role will work across both People First and The Well communities, who work in Partnership across the North of England.
We are passionate about our values of equality, respect, and inclusion. We provide a wide range of support and information services across Cumbria, Lancashire, and Teesside, all aimed at helping people to live informed, respected, healthy and fulfilled lives.
Purpose of job
An exciting opportunity has arisen to work for our organisations during a time of growth and development.
We are seeking an organised, highly detail-focused Health and Safety Lead to lead on all aspects of Health and Safety across PF and TWC offices and residential properties.
The Health and Safety Lead will provide full oversight and strategic leadership for health and safety across all offices and residential properties throughout Cumbria and Lancashire. The role includes ensuring legal compliance, conducting and signing off risk assessments, leading event health and safety planning, supporting policy development, overseeing annual audits and fire risk assessments, and acting as the primary point of contact for all partner organisations, contractors, and internal health and safety representatives.
Due to the requirements of the job it is essential that all applicants have a Full driving license, access to their own transport and willingness to travel across Cumbria, the North East and Lancashire.
The person
As a prerequisite, the successful candidate must believe in the core values of People First and The Well Communities and be driven by their missions.
• Must be highly organised with a keen eye for detail
• Be able to prioritise tasks to meet deadlines
• Be an effective communicator and able to liaise with Trustees, Directors, Managers, staff, members, customers, and key stakeholders
• Be a team player
• Be proactive and able to work in a fast-paced environment
Skills, knowledge, and experience
Essential
• NEBOSH general certificate or equivalent as a minimum.
• NEBOSH fire safety certificate or level 3 certification in fire safety.
• First Aid at work certification.
• Understanding of the legal compliance related to health and safety management.
• Experience overseeing health and safety across multiple sites or properties.
• Proven experience conducting and signing off risk assessments.
• Experience managing contractor compliance and oversight.
• Experience in health and safety management.
• Strong working knowledge of UK health and safety legislation.
• Experience delivering audits, fire risk assessments, and building safety checks.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to lead, influence, and collaborate with internal and external partners.
Desirable
• Experience working in a fast-paced or changing environment
• Experience working within a charity, social housing, or residential support setting.
• Membership of IOSH or similar professional body.
• DSE assessor training.
• Asbestos awareness.
• Safeguarding training.
• Legionella awareness training.
Duties will likely include:
• Lead on all aspects of health and safety across the charity’s offices and residential properties.
• Ensure monthly buildings checks are carried out in all offices and residential properties.
• Conduct, oversee, and sign off risk assessments, including complex and site‑specific assessments.
• Co-ordinate and deliver annual health and safety audits and ensure timely completion of actions.
• Lead on event-related health and safety management, including risk assessments, site inspections, and documentation.
• Act as the primary point of contact for all health and safety representatives across partner organisations.
• Manage contractor health and safety compliance, including documentation checks, inductions, and ongoing oversight.
• Conduct fire risk assessments and ensure appropriate follow‑up actions are tracked and completed.
• Carry out routine building and safety checks, identifying hazards and co-ordinating corrective actions.
• Support the development, review, and implementation of organisational health and safety policies.
• Deliver and co-ordinate health and safety training for staff, volunteers, and partner teams.
• Investigate incidents and near misses, producing reports and monitoring corrective action plans.
• Oversee and maintain compliance with all relevant UK health and safety legislation.
• Provide expert advice to senior leadership on emerging risks, compliance requirements, and best practice.
• Liaise with external regulators, contractors, auditors, and emergency services as required.
• Lead a monthly health and safety meeting with health and safety representatives across PF and TWC.
• Produce a monthly health and safety report for the Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees for assurance.
Other duties
• Evening and weekend work may be required
• The duties outlined above are not intended to be exhaustive and may change as the needs of the organisation alter in line with current agendas. Due to the developing nature of our organisation we require staff to remain highly flexible in their approach, and work to meet the changing needs of the projects
• Please note that the successful candidate will be required to subscribe to the DBS update service which requires all People First staff to pay an annual subscription fee
Salary Band Justification
This role sits within £ 40,000 - £45,150 FTE due to the level of responsibility, autonomy, and specialist skills required.
Competency Framework
During the probation period the successful candidate will be monitored against the competency framework below:
1. Technical Competence and compliance
a. Health and safety knowledge
b. Risk Assessment capability
c. Audit and inspection delivery
d. Event health and safety management
2. Communication and partnership working
a. Internal communication
b. External and cross-organsiational liaison
c. Contractor oversight
3. Problem solving and decision making
a. Incident investigation
b. Safety planning and risk prioritization
4. Commitment to the mission and values
a. Professional integrity
b. Values alignment
Driving
A current driving license and access to own transport is required for this role.
This post requires you to have the appropriate ‘business use’ insurance in place as occasional business use of your car is required to carry out tasks, such as (but not limited to) the following:
• Travel to customer or business meetings
• Running business errands during the day
• Travel between different People First business sites
• Transporting colleagues/volunteers/members/customers or business contacts, for example, to business meetings or self-advocacy groups
• Making deliveries or collections
• Carrying extra equipment
For more information
If you’d like any further information about the role or if you have any questions, please contact our Head of Business : [email protected]
To Apply
If you’re interested in the role and think you’d be a good fit, we’d like to hear from you.
To apply for this position, please email a copy of your CV including details of two references, to [email protected] or alternatively, you can post for the attention of Barry to People First Conference Centre, Milbourne Street, Carlisle, CA2 5XB
Please note that we may choose to shortlist and close the application process earlier depending on the volume and quality of CVs submitted. Individuals may be asked to attend a 1st stage Microsoft Teams meeting as part of the shortlisting process.
All applications should be clearly marked: Confidential – Head of Health and Safety
To arrive no later than 3rd August 2026 this date may change depending on the volume of applications).
Interviews to take place 7th August 2026 – Please note this may arranged earlier depending on applications.