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Posted 05 August, 2026

Head of Environment, Health, and Safety

Principal People
Greater Manchester, ENG, GB Full Time

Job Description

Head of Health and Safety - Distribution – Home Based with Travel – £70,000 - £85,000 + Benefits Package

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Principal People is excited to be working exclusively with a leading distribution organisation to recruit a Head of Health and Safety.

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This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced Health and Safety leader to join a well-established national organisation and take ownership of the Health, Safety, Environment and Facilities strategy across a large multi-site division.

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The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership across multiple business units, working closely with senior stakeholders to drive a positive safety culture, ensure legal compliance and lead the continual improvement of Health, Safety, Environmental and Facilities performance.

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This is a highly influential leadership role with the opportunity to shape divisional strategy, develop high-performing teams and make a lasting impact across the business.

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The key duties include:

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  • Developing and delivering the divisional Health, Safety, Environment and Facilities strategy, ensuring compliance with legislation and company standards.
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  • Leading the Health, Safety, Environment and Facilities Management Systems, including ISO 45001, ISO 14001 and ISO 9001, while driving governance, audit and continuous improvement programmes.
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  • Partnering with senior operational leaders to embed a positive safety culture, manage strategic risks and improve health, safety and environmental performance across the division.
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  • Leading incident investigations, risk management and performance reporting, ensuring effective corrective actions and continual improvement initiatives are implemented.
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  • Driving environmental sustainability programmes, business resilience and facilities compliance to support operational excellence across multiple sites.
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  • Leading, coaching and developing the HSEF team while building capability through training, stakeholder engagement and best practice sharing across the business.
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Why should you apply for the role?

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  • An opportunity to join a nationally recognised organisation with an excellent reputation.
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  • A highly strategic leadership position with significant influence across a large multi-site division.
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  • The chance to shape Health, Safety, Environment and Facilities strategy across a complex national operation.
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  • Join a business that is committed to continuous improvement, operational excellence and sustainability.
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  • Work closely with an engaged senior leadership team where Health and Safety is recognised as a key business priority.
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  • Lead and develop an experienced HSEF team while driving meaningful cultural change across the division.
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  • Excellent opportunity for long-term career progression within a large national organisation.
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We would love to see CVs from people who have:

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  • A Level 6 Health and Safety qualification such as the NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent.
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  • Significant experience leading Health and Safety within a multi-site operational environment such as retail, logistics, distribution or a similar sector.
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  • Strong working knowledge of ISO 45001, ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 management systems.
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  • Proven leadership experience including developing and managing high-performing teams.
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  • Strong commercial awareness with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive strategic improvements.
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  • Excellent communication, leadership and relationship-building skills.
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