JOB DESCRIPTION

Honing a safe place. Smooth operations. Impacting the future.

Senior Health & Safety Manager

£51,000- £61,000 + benefits

Reports to: Head of Assurance

Grade: P3

Directorate: Chief Operating Office

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time 35 hours per week

Location: Stratford, London. Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)

Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.

Closing date: 05 December 2025, 23:55

This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment. If you require more time to apply as part of a reasonable adjustment, please contact [email protected] as soon as possible.

Recruitment process: Initial telephone interview followed by one to two competency-based interviews (depending on the volume of applications)

Interview date: From the week commencing 01 December 2025. We will be shortlisting on a rolling basis, so please do not delay in applying.

How do I apply? We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly, and objectively.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We are professionals with purpose, beating cancer every day. But we need to go much further and much faster. That’s why we’re looking for someone talented, someone who wants to develop their skills, someone like you.

The Chief Operating Office is at the heart of engaging and inspiring Cancer Research UK’s people by delivering operational transformation and an employee experience that enables us to be an inclusive and agile organisation. We aim to become the hub for operational management ensuring we govern, prioritise, and are effective and efficient in all we do.

Our Health & Safety team is crucial to this mission by creating a safe and healthy environment for our staff and volunteers. With a presence spanning over 600 stores, 4 distribution hubs, 4 scientific research institutes (laboratories), multiple events involving the public and volunteers, and 2 head offices across the UK- the team provides wide-ranging and expert safety, health and wellbeing support. This involves managing accidents and incidents and ensuring compliance with regulations and good practices in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders.

We’re searching for a Senior Health & Safety Manager to lead Cancer Research UK’s Health, Safety & Welfare Strategy, ensuring a safe, compliant, and supportive environment that protects our people and all those impacted by our work from health and safety risks. In this leadership role, you’ll be the driving force behind our health and safety culture, acting as our designated ‘competent person’ responsible for ensuring our safety, health, and welfare framework is appropriate and effective for Cancer Research UK’s diverse range of environments. From shaping and overseeing risk management and continuous improvements to leading a high-performing team and partnering with and influencing stakeholders and senior leaders to ensure legal compliance and operational excellence, you’ll play a critical role in embedding safety into everything we do.

If you”re a NEBOSH Diploma-qualified Health & Safety Manager with experience leading safe and compliant operations in line with UK legislation and best practices within large, complex, and hybrid organisations (both onsite and remote-based), we would love for you to join our mission.

What will I be doing?

• Leading, owning, managing, and governing Cancer Research UK’s organisation-wide Health, Safety & Welfare Strategy & Framework, reviewing as appropriate to ensure they are fit for now and the future.
• Building and maintaining a shared understanding and ownership of safety practices across all activities and directorates, ensuring a compliant safety culture is embedded and understood at every level, from shops and offices to events and laboratories.
• Acting as Cancer Research UK”s designated ‘competent person’ under the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999, providing expert guidance, leadership, and support to ensure legal compliance and a safe working environment.
• Developing, maintaining, and monitoring the health & safety management system to ensure it remains effective and fit for purpose for the team, function, and wider organisation.
  • This includes overseeing safe systems of work, risk assessments, policies, training, communications, monitoring, assurance, and reporting; ensuring compliance with all relevant, current, and emerging health & safety legislation, regulations, and best practices.
• Leading, developing, and motivating the Health & Safety team of 3-4 direct reports, helping them to:
  • Maintain collaborative stakeholder relationships across the charity.
  • Deliver continuous improvements in health and safety practices and drive a culture where health, safety, and welfare are considered in all activities.
• Developing and delivering Cancer Research UK’s Annual Operating Plan, including:
  • Ongoing hazard and risk identification.
  • Supplier due diligence and management.
  • End-to-end accident and incident management and monitoring.
  • Budget management.
  • Providing management information, reporting, and analysis.
  • Running health and safety forums and committees.
• Providing professional advice, guidance, and support, partnering with key internal stakeholders and teams (including Risk, Property, Inclusion & Wellbeing, and Safeguarding), and external third parties (such as enforcement agencies).
• Exercising sound judgment in health, safety, and welfare matters—making timely decisions, escalating issues when necessary, and providing strategic recommendations to senior leadership to support operational excellence and regulatory compliance.
• Providing relevant management information, including data analysis, trends, and actions to address risks and issues through verbal and written reports to the Head of Assurance and other stakeholders (e.g., Executive Board and Trustees as required).
• Undertaking other tasks as necessary to contribute to the wider success of the Health & Safety team, the wider Assurance department, and Cancer Research UK’s strategy.

What are you looking for?

• NEBOSH Diploma level+ qualified Health & Safety Manager who has led on health and safety management in large, complex, and hybrid organisations (both onsite and remote-based).
• Expert knowledge of UK Health & Safety legislation, requirements, and best practices with experience applying this knowledge across a diverse range of environments.
• Has successfully built credible and collaborative cross-functional stakeholder and senior leadership relationships with demonstrable interpersonal, influencing, and negotiating skills with a proven ability to communicate effectively with a wide-ranging audience.
• Demonstrates strong prioritisation and organisation skills, with a track record of working independently with minimal supervision, managing multiple priorities and projects from initiation to completion, and consistently meeting deadlines while delivering high-quality outcomes.
• A proactive approach to problem-solving with a continuous improvement mindset for identifying and implementing continuous improvements and interventions, encouraging innovation, promoting best practices, and challenging conventional organisational approaches and thinking.
• Some experience in either direct line or matrix management, or supporting more junior members of a team, with the ability to lead, empower, motivate, and coach others and drive high performance.
• Ability to work as part of a team and senior leadership team, using wider thinking and contributing towards the team’s collective success.
• Demonstrable leadership skills with experience influencing and supporting stakeholders and teams in driving change and health and safety compliance.
• Able to occasionally travel across the UK on an ad-hoc basis as necessary.

Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.

Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination

Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism

Human: Act to have a positive impact on people

Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively

We’re looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.

If you’re interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience we’d still love to hear from you.

What will I gain?

We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.

You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page.

Additional information

Owing to the nature of this position, any offer of employment for this role will be subject to professional qualifications checks (e.g., NEBOSH).

For more information about working with us please visit our website or contact us at [email protected].

For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.

We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen. Please contact [email protected] or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.