Health and Safety Manager
30 hours per week | All Year Round | Permanent | Actual starting salary of up to £38,490.81 per annum
You've built systems. You've managed contractors. You've delivered compliance. But when was the last time you had the chance to shape an entire organisation's approach to safety?
At Bridgwater and Taunton College Trust, this isn't a role where you inherit a manual and tick boxes.
You'll be our Designated Competent Person for Health and Safety, working directly with leaders across a family of schools that are anything but identical. From a state boarding school with a working farm, to alternative provision settings, mainstream primaries and secondary schools, you'll help us build a culture where safety isn't something that happens to people – it's something they own.
If you're looking for a role where your judgement carries weight, your advice influences strategic decisions and you can see the difference you've made every day, we'd love to talk to you.
What you'll do:
- Act as the Trust's Designated Competent Person for Health and Safety.
- Provide strategic advice and assurance to senior leaders, the Trust Executive Team and Trustees.
- Develop and embed our Trust-wide health and safety strategy.
- Lead audits, inspections and assurance activity across multiple sites.
- Maintain oversight of our compliance risk profile and statutory obligations.
- Investigate incidents and ensure organisational learning follows.
- Support leaders through critical incidents and emergency situations.
- Work alongside estates colleagues to provide independent assurance on premises compliance.
- Deliver training that builds capability rather than dependence.
- Provide oversight of educational visits and off-site learning arrangements.
This is a role with genuine influence and visibility, reflecting its purpose as the Trust's Designated Competent Person.
About you
You'll bring:
- A NEBOSH Diploma (or equivalent Level 6 qualification).
- Significant experience in a senior health and safety role within a complex, multi-site environment.
- Experience advising senior leaders and governing bodies.
- Strong knowledge of UK health and safety legislation and best practice.
- Experience of audits, investigations and assurance frameworks.
- The credibility to support, challenge and influence leaders at every level.
Education experience would be helpful, but it isn't essential. We're equally interested in hearing from people working in sectors such as construction, infrastructure, manufacturing or other highly regulated environments who are looking to apply their expertise somewhere they can have broader impact.
Why BTCT?
Most organisations ask you to implement somebody else's design. Here, you'll help shape it.
Our schools serve very different communities across Somerset. They aren't branches of one model and our central teams exist to support, not control. That means there is genuine opportunity to influence systems, strengthen culture and leave things better than you found them.
Alongside that you'll benefit from:
- Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions of more than 19%
- Employee Assistance Programme and counselling support.
- Flexible working conversations from day one.
- Free parking.
- TrustEd employee rewards.
- The opportunity to work with colleagues who genuinely care about the communities they serve.
Interested?
We'd actively encourage an informal conversation or visit before you apply.
If you'd like to find out more about the role and the challenges ahead, please contact Steve Redman, Head of Operations at [email protected].
Closing Date for applications: Sunday 30th August 2026 at 11:59pm
We believe in hiring for potential and this means that we value individuals for the knowledge skills and experience that they have developed in every aspect of their lives. If you don’t feel that you meet all of the criteria listed in the person specification, we would still encourage you to apply.
We care about our staff and provide a number of benefits in addition to salary including a positive and supportive working environment, employer pension contribution of at least 19%, generous annual leave entitlement for all-year round staff, on-site gyms, free parking, access to a retail discounts platform and Employee Assistance Programme. Helping you achieve a good work life balance is important to us. Lots of our colleagues work flexibly including part time hours and/or job shares and we are happy to discuss these opportunities with you.
We truly believe that diversity of thought, culture, background and perspective secure the best outcomes for our students. We strive to build teams that represent our local communities and welcome applications from individuals who identify as members of an under-represented group and in particular individuals who identify as BAME, disabled or LGBT. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.
Bridgwater & Taunton College Trust is dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share its commitment. Our mission is that all children achieve. This post is exempt from Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974). A comprehensive screening process will be undertaken on all applicants, which will include a check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
