Background
Wave Active is an award-winning charity and social enterprise, supporting our local communities with facilities, activities, and services to inspire active lifestyles.
Our purpose is to “Inspire Active Lifestyles” and vision, “To be at the heart of the improvement of health and wellbeing in the Community”.
We are passionate about providing services and opportunities that support individuals to gain, regain or maintain health, fitness and wellbeing improvements. Managing a number of leisure facilities and Newhaven Fort, across the Lewes District and Eastbourne Borough of East Sussex we provide health and fitness services for both members and non-members of all ages to participate in, whether that be through sport, group exercise, gym, swim, play or health services.
While we offer a range of facilities and activities across our multifunctional spaces, our team is key to creating an approachable environment enabling individuals to prioritise their wellbeing and their health journey.
Formed in 2006 Wave Active continues to ensure all surplus revenues generated from activities are reinvested back into the community in the form of facility developments and refurbishments, new programmes of activity and to support those with health conditions to make health improvements.
The Post in Context
To lead the development, implementation and continuous improvement of Wave Active's health, safety and environmental compliance framework, ensuring the organisation meets all statutory and regulatory obligations, fostering a positive culture of safety, accountability and continuous improvement.
The post holder will act as the organisation's competent Health & Safety advisor, oversee environmental compliance and monitoring, lead information governance and data protection arrangements, and provide assurance to the SLT Team and Board that organisational risks are effectively identified, managed and monitored.
Key Responsibilities
1. Health & Safety Leadership
- Develop and deliver the organisation's Health & Safety Strategy.
- Ensure compliance with all relevant health and safety legislation.
- Oversee Planned and Reactive Maintenance programmes.
- Maintain and review Health & Safety policies and procedures.
- Lead accident, incident and near-miss investigations, identifying root causes and implementing improvements.
- Oversee risk assessment programmes and safe systems of work.
- Manage fire safety arrangements and emergency planning.
- Ensure statutory inspections are completed.
- Monitor contractor safety and permit-to-work systems.
- Provide professional advice to managers and staff.
- Deliver health and safety training across the organisation.
- Prepare performance reports for SLT and Board.
2. Compliance & Governance
- Maintain the relevant compliance framework, ensuring compliance with statutory, regulatory and contractual obligations.
- Develop relevant compliance monitoring programmes.
- Coordinate internal compliance audits.
- Support external audits and regulatory inspections.
- Maintain relevant organisational policies and governance documentation.
- Monitor related legislative changes and advise on implications.
- Promote continual improvement across all relevant and related systems.
3. Data Protection & Information Governance
- Act as the organisation's Data Protection Officer
- Ensure compliance with UK GDPR and Data Protection legislation.
- Maintain privacy notices and records of processing.
- Lead Data Protection Impact Assessments.
- Manage subject access requests.
- Investigate data breaches.
- Deliver GDPR training.
- Advise managers on information governance risks.
4. Environmental Management
- Lead environmental compliance.
- Develop sustainability initiatives.
- Monitor environmental legislation.
- Ensure compliance with environmental permits where applicable.
- Reduce waste, energy consumption and carbon emissions.
- Lead environmental reporting.
- Support achievement of environmental objectives.
- Promote sustainable operational practices.
5. Risk Management
- Maintain the corporate risk register.
- Identify emerging compliance risks.
- Support business continuity planning.
- Coordinate organisational investigations where appropriate.
- Monitor corrective actions.
- Produce compliance dashboards and KPIs.
- Provide assurance reporting to senior leadership.
6. Culture & Improvement
- Promote a proactive safety culture.
- Coach managers in compliance responsibilities.
- Develop awareness campaigns.
- Encourage reporting of hazards and near misses.
- Benchmark against sector best practice.
- Drive continuous improvement across all compliance systems.
Key Accountabilities
The postholder will be accountable for:
- Health & Safety compliance.
- Data Protection compliance.
- Environmental compliance.
- Corporate compliance framework.
- Risk management systems.
- Health & Safety Committee.
- Incident reporting and investigations.
- Compliance training.
- Internal audits.
- Regulatory inspections.
Person Specification
Experience (Essential)
- Managing Health & Safety within a multi-site organisation.
- Conducting investigations.
- Developing policies and procedures.
- Delivering training.
- Managing audits.
- GDPR compliance.
- Environmental monitoring and compliance.
- Producing reports for senior leadership.
- Influencing managers across an organisation.
Qualifications (Essential)
- NEBOSH General Certificate (minimum)
- IOSH Membership
- Data Protection qualification (or willingness to obtain)
- Full UK Driving Licence
Specialist Knowledge (Essential)
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act.
- Management of Health & Safety Regulations.
- Fire Safety legislation.
- UK GDPR.
- Environmental legislation.
- Risk management.
- Relevant and related Audit methodology.
Skills (Essential)
- Excellent communicator.
- Strong analytical ability.
- Investigation skills.
- Report writing.
- Influencing and coaching.
- Policy development.
- Project management.
- Organised and able to prioritise.
- High attention to detail.
Success Measures (First 12 Months)
- Zero material Health & Safety enforcement notices.
- 100% statutory compliance maintained.
- Corporate compliance dashboard established.
- Health & Safety audit score improved.
- GDPR compliance framework fully embedded.
- Environmental action plan implemented.
- Board receives quarterly assurance reports.
- Organisation demonstrates improved safety culture through increased near-miss reporting and reduced incident rates.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: £40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- Gym membership
- On-site gym
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Work Location: In person
