Workplace Risk & Safety Manager

Location

Watford, but with regular visits to other Canada Life UK offices.

Canada Life UK

Canada Life UK is a division of Great-West Lifeco, operating since 1903, providing retirement, investment and protection services to individuals, families and companies in the UK. The company is focused on customer, employee, and colleague wellbeing and is transforming to become more customer focused, offering financial and tax planning, home finance, annuities, and collective fund solutions.

Job Summary

You will be responsible for Health & Safety and workplace risk across our offices, creating a safe, secure and compliant environment for our people and visitors. You will own and continuously improve our Health & Safety and physical security framework, advising leaders and colleagues, reducing risk and disruption, and enabling the effective delivery of business objectives.

What you will be doing

• Develop, implement and maintain Health & Safety and workplace risk policies, procedures, standards across all CLUK sites, ensuring consistent application through site visits and stakeholder engagement.
• Identify, assess and manage key workplace risks, including completing and reviewing risk assessments and Workstation and Workplace Needs Assessments.
• Oversee Health & Safety and physical security incident reporting, escalation, investigation, and follow up, ensuring lessons learnt drive continuous improvement.
• Monitor and support compliance with internal policies and external legal, regulatory and professional Health & Safety and security requirements, including leading internal audits across CLUK offices.
• Lead workplace emergency preparedness (evacuation and lockdown procedures and drills) in support of business continuity.
• Design and deliver Health & Safety and physical security training, induction, and awareness activities, maintaining accurate records (COSHH register, training logs, statutory inspections, budgets and other compliance documentation).
• Work closely with internal stakeholders and external suppliers/contractors to embed effective Health & Safety and workplace risk management, including contractor control in line with Permit to Work procedures.
• Apply the company risk management framework to workplace risks, ensuring appropriate controls, monitoring and reporting.

What experience you will have

• Proven Health & Safety expertise in a corporate environment, including risk assessment and core safety disciplines, with up to date knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance.
• Solid understanding of physical security principles and controls to protect people, buildings and assets, with experience of end to end risk management (identification, assessment, control design, monitoring and improvement).
• Track record of creating, implementing and maintaining Health & Safety and workplace risk frameworks across multiple sites or complex organisations.
• Ability to prioritise effectively, solve problems pragmatically and work to deadlines, providing balanced advice that protects both people and the organisation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, able to draft clear policies, procedures, guidance and reports, and to deliver training and presentations at all levels.
• Skilled at building relationships and influencing, working collaboratively across functions and with external partners to embed good safety and security practice.
• Competent IT user (particularly Microsoft Office and SharePoint), with a commitment to ongoing learning and an interest in how changing ways of working affect Health & Safety.

Qualifications Essential

• Recognised Health & Safety qualification (e.g. NEBOSH General Certificate or equivalent).
• Evidence of continuing professional development in Health & Safety and/or risk management (e.g. courses, memberships).

Desirable

• Higher level Health & Safety qualification (e.g. NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent).
• Professional membership of a relevant body (e.g. IOSH, IIRSM) or working towards membership.
• Training or certification in physical security, security management or business continuity.

Benefits of working at Canada Life

We believe in recognising and rewarding our people, so we offer a competitive salary and benefits package that's regularly reviewed. As a Canada Life UK colleague, you'll receive a competitive salary and comprehensive reward package including a generous pension and bonus scheme, along with income protection, private medical insurance and life assurance. We also offer a range of other benefits and support services as well as regular personal and professional development.

How we work at Canada Life

Our culture is unique and incredibly important to us. We care about doing the right thing for our people, customers and community and helping others to build better futures. Our blueprint behaviours shape and influence how we work, and are central to the relationships we have with others. Every day we are encouraged to be more curious, own the outcome, face into things together and find a way forward. We invest in the development of our people, technology and workplaces, offering a range of training, flexible working and opportunities to grow and develop.

Diversity and inclusion

Building an inclusive workplace with a diverse workforce where everyone can feel they belong and achieve their potential regardless of gender, ethnicity or any other characteristic is a key commitment for us. We are proud of the progress we're making in DEI, and we continue for it to be a significant focus.

Flexible work

We appreciate that everyone has different work and life responsibilities. We're happy to discuss flexible working arrangements, including part time, for any of our roles should this be a requirement for you.