Exceptional graduates will be considered
We manufacture specialist medical-grade paper used by hospitals and laboratories around the world from our mill in the South Cumbrian countryside.
We are looking for an intelligent, practical and highly motivated person to take ownership of health, safety and environmental improvement across our manufacturing site. This opportunity is open both to candidates with relevant industrial experience and to exceptional STEM graduates capable of learning quickly and taking on significant responsibility.
This is not a conventional, desk-based compliance role. You will spend time on the production floor, in the laboratory and with the engineering and operational teams, developing a detailed understanding of how the mill works. You will identify risks, investigate problems from first principles and ensure that improvements are implemented properly—not simply recorded in a report.
The successful candidate will be analytical and scientifically minded, but also practical, organised and comfortable working in a demanding industrial environment. You will need the confidence to challenge poor practices, the curiosity to understand complex processes and the persistence to see actions through to completion.
What you will do
- Take day-to-day ownership of health, safety and environmental standards across the site.
- Maintain a visible presence on the production floor, working directly with employees, engineers, contractors and managers.
- Learn the mill’s manufacturing processes in detail and understand how equipment, materials, chemicals and operating decisions affect risk.
- Develop, implement and continuously improve the site’s health, safety and environmental management systems.
- Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, environmental permits, internal procedures and recognised industry standards.
- Produce and maintain clear risk assessments, safe systems of work, procedures and technical specifications.
- Review higher-risk activities, including machinery operation, isolation and lock-off, confined spaces, work at height, lifting operations, hot work and contractor activities.
- Lead investigations into accidents, near misses, unsafe conditions and environmental incidents, identifying root causes rather than stopping at immediate explanations.
- Turn investigation findings into practical corrective actions and ensure those actions are completed.
- Carry out workplace inspections, process observations, audits and environmental monitoring.
- Undertake practical laboratory and site-based testing where required, including the collection, analysis and interpretation of samples and data.
- Monitor matters such as waste, water, effluent, emissions, chemical storage, spill prevention and environmental performance.
- Analyse operational and HSE data to identify trends, recurring failures and opportunities for improvement.
- Prepare clear reports, procedures, specifications and customer-facing technical documents.
- Develop and deliver practical training, briefings and toolbox talks.
- Support managers in improving standards while ensuring that operational teams retain ownership of safety within their own departments.
- Manage contractor controls, including competence checks, inductions, permits and site supervision.
- Liaise professionally with regulators, customers, auditors, insurers and other external organisations.
- Support emergency planning, fire safety arrangements and business continuity exercises.
- Promote a culture in which problems are raised early, unsafe practices are challenged and everyone takes responsibility for maintaining high standards.
What we are looking for
- A 2:1 or above in a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in STEM or a closely related discipline. No equivalent qualifications will be considered.
- Strong A-Level results.
- Strong practical laboratory skills and the willingness to work on the production floor as well as at the bench.
- An analytical, structured and first-principles approach to solving problems.
- Genuine intellectual curiosity and the appetite to learn a complex industrial process.
- The ability to absorb technical information quickly and translate it into practical action.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- The ability to produce clear, accurate reports, procedures, specifications and customer-facing technical documents.
- A proactive, self-starting approach and the ability to work without close supervision.
- Strong organisation and the determination to follow actions through to completion.
- The confidence to question assumptions and challenge unsafe or ineffective practices constructively.
- A willingness to take responsibility beyond a narrowly defined job description.
Previous health, safety, environmental, manufacturing or industrial experience would be beneficial, but it is not essential. We are prepared to invest in the right graduate who demonstrates the intellectual ability, practical judgement and personal drive required for the role.
A recognised health and safety qualification, such as NEBOSH, would be advantageous. Where the successful candidate does not already hold one, they will be expected to work towards an appropriate professional qualification.
The person we are looking for
We are not looking for someone who simply identifies problems, quotes regulations or produces paperwork for others to implement.
We want someone who will become deeply familiar with the site, understand why problems occur and work with the relevant people to put lasting solutions in place. The right person will be equally comfortable analysing data, conducting practical testing, writing a technical report and walking the production floor to check that an agreed improvement is actually working.
This role offers an unusual level of responsibility and breadth. For an ambitious graduate, it is an opportunity to learn a complex manufacturing operation from the ground up and develop rapidly into a capable industrial leader. For an experienced candidate, it is an opportunity to take genuine ownership and make a visible difference to the safety, environmental performance and overall standard of an important manufacturing site.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: £35,000.00-£45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- On-site parking
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Milnthorpe LA7 7AR: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Application question(s):
- Do you meet BOTH of the following requirements: (1) a 2:1 or above in a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Science, or a closely related scientific discipline from a UK university, AND (2) A-Level Chemistry at grade B or above with strong grades in your other A-Levels?
Education:
Language:
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
