Health and Safety Lead

Job Type:

Permanent

Build a brilliant future with Hiscox

Position: Group Health and Safety Lead

Reporting to: Head of Supplier Risk and Operations

Location: York – Hybrid working

The Role

The Group Health and Safety Lead is the most senior health and safety role within the Hiscox Group and is responsible for shaping, leading and continuously improving the global health and safety framework. This role provides strategic oversight and practical guidance across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring the organisation meets legal obligations, manages operational risk effectively and maintains a consistent approach to health and safety across offices, colleagues, suppliers and third-party partners.

The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on delivery. The successful candidate will act as the organisation’s senior subject matter expert on health and safety, influencing senior stakeholders, leading the GATES (Group and Territories Employment Safety) network and ensuring that policies, systems, training, audits and incident processes are effective, practical and aligned to business needs.

Key focus areas of the role include:

• Leading the Group health and safety management system and embedding consistent standards, governance and assurance across the global organisation.
• Acting as the UK statutory competent person and providing expert advice on legal compliance, risk mitigation and proportionate controls.
• Managing and developing the GATES network, including onboarding, guidance and oversight of local health and safety activity.
• Overseeing audits, incident reporting, investigations, corrective actions and training to strengthen organisational resilience and continuous improvement.
• Partnering with internal stakeholders and external suppliers to ensure health and safety risks are identified, managed and monitored effectively.

Key Responsibilities

• Fulfill the UK statutory requirement for a competent person to provide health and safety advice to the Hiscox organisation.

• Provide the Hiscox senior management team, Board, Business Unit Owners and the rest of the organisation with advice on H&S compliance, management and risk mitigation, including appropriate liability insurance purchase.
• Design, update and implement the Hiscox Group HSMS.
• Lead the international network of Hiscox colleagues (GATES network) responsible for H&S in their offices, covering legal compliance in each jurisdiction.
• Lead or assist as required in the management and control of third-party suppliers involved in H&S-related activities.
• Work with Learning and Development on the design and implementation of H&S training across the Hiscox Group.
• Design and implement a system for the reporting, recording and investigation of incidents, including near misses; to be compliant with all local legal requirements.
• Design and deliver an audit programme to provide the Board with confidence in legal compliance and implementation of Hiscox’s HSMS.

Essential connections:

• Group Executive Committee/Board
• Group Risk and Compliance
• Group Procurement and Property Services
• Group HR/People Team
• GATES network
• Third parties: total FM provider, Hiscox employers’ liability/workers’ comp insurers, Group H&S Leads from companies comparable with Hiscox

Reporting line

This role reports to Head of Supplier Risk and Operations. There are no direct reports to this role. The GATES network representatives have a dotted / function reporting line into this role.

Qualifications and Experience

• Ten years’ experience in a senior H&S role, those with less year and the right level of knowledge will be considered

• NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent

• Significant experience of managing H&S in an international organisation

• A good understanding of the commercial context for Hiscox Group

• An ability to connect, consult and advise with colleagues throughout the organisation

About Hiscox

As an international specialist insurer, we are far removed from the world of mass market insurance products. Instead, we are selective and focus on our key areas of expertise and strength - all of which is underpinned by a culture that encourages us to challenge convention and always look for a better way of doing things.

We ensure the unique and the interesting. And we search for the same when it comes to talented people. Hiscox is full of smart, reliable human beings that look out for customers and each other. We believe in doing the right thing, making good and rebuilding when things go wrong.

Everyone is encouraged to think creatively, challenge the status quo and look for solutions.

Scratch beneath the surface and you will find a business that is solid, but slightly contrary. We like to do things differently and constantly seek to evolve. We might have been around for a long time (our roots go back to 1901), but we are young in many ways, ambitious and going places.

Some people might say insurance is dull, but life at Hiscox is anything but. If that sounds good to you, get in touch.

Diversity and flexible working at Hiscox

At Hiscox we care about our people. We hire the best people for the job, and we are committed to diversity and creating a truly inclusive culture, which we believe drives success.

Working life does not always have to be in the office so we have introduced hybrid working to encourage a healthy work life balance.

This hybrid working model is set by the team rather than the business to enable you to manage your own personal work-life balance. We see it as the best of both worlds; structure and sociability on one hand, and independence and flexibility on the other.

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Work with amazing people and be part of a unique culture