Lead Safety Adviser

Step into a senior leadership role where your expertise shapes the safety culture of one of the UK's largest local authorities. As a Lead Safety Adviser, you will drive the strategic direction of health and safety across Birmingham City Council, ensuring the wellbeing of employees, residents and partners. This is a high-impact position for a confident, forward-thinking professional who can lead people, influence senior stakeholders and deliver meaningful organisational change. You will develop and deliver a strategic approach to health and safety, manage a team of professional advisors, and act as the key client lead for major directorates. Your work will span policy development, risk management, major-incident support, training, audits and performance improvement. This is a role for someone who thrives on responsibility, collaboration and shaping long-term outcomes. What you will do

• Set strategic direction - define key outcomes, priorities and objectives for your lead area
• Lead and manage a professional team - allocate work, develop staff, manage performance and drive continuous improvement
• Act as client lead for major directorates, ensuring needs are understood and services delivered to a high standard
• Provide expert advice on legislation, safe systems of work and organisational compliance
• Support senior leaders in identifying risks, prioritising actions and developing safety plans
• Shape policy and guidance including toolkits, procedures and best-practice frameworks
• Lead audits, inspections and investigations to identify trends and root causes
• Deliver and oversee training across all levels of the organisation
• Engage with unions and external bodies including HSE, emergency services and legal teams
• Promote pragmatic, proportionate and cost-effective risk management across the Council
  
  Proven leadership capability - able to manage staff, drive change and deliver strategic improvements
• Deep technical expertise in legislation, ACOPs and best-practice safety management
• Strong advisory experience in a complex, multi-disciplinary organisation
• Training design and delivery skills that engage and motivate diverse audiences
• Excellent communication with the ability to influence at all levels, including senior leadership
• Political awareness and the ability to operate effectively in a local-authority environment
• Analytical and organisational strength - able to manage competing priorities under pressure
• Behavioural-safety leadership - able to inspire safe behaviours and embed a positive safety culture
• IT competence including Microsoft Office, SAP and other relevant systems
• A proactive, flexible and solutions-focused approach to all aspects of safety management
• Trained to at least NEBOSH Diploma standard or equivalent
  
  Working for Birmingham City Council is more than just a job; it's about making life better for the 1 million plus people who live and work in the city., The Council is a fantastic place to work. You will find an organisation that is both challenging and supportive; with a leadership impatiently adventurous in its pursuit of excellence.
There is a clear vision which is ensuring that the Council is working for communities today and building for tomorrow, we focus our resources on five key priorities:
• A Prosperous Birmingham: through a focus on inclusive economic growth, tackling unemployment, attracting inward investment, and maximising the benefits of the Commonwealth Games.
• An Inclusive Birmingham: through a focus on tackling poverty and inequality, empowering citizens, promoting diversity and civic pride, and supporting and enabling all children and young people to thrive.
• A Safe Birmingham: through a focus on making the city safer, safeguarding vulnerable citizens, increasing affordable housing, and tackling homelessness.
• A Healthy Birmingham: through a focus on tackling health inequalities, encouraging physical activity and healthy living, supporting mental health, and improving outcomes for adults with disabilities and older people.
• A Green Birmingham: through a focus on street cleanliness, improving air quality, continuing the route to net zero, and becoming a city of nature.
We see the Council's role as providing strategic leadership - that's being able to visualise a new future for the city and equipping others to share our vision. We want to ensure the provision of services for all, so we can support those least able to support themselves by working with partners and putting citizens and neighbourhoods at the heart of our decision-making. We are always looking for people who put the customer at the centre of their approach, with a commitment to excellence to help us achieve our vision. We will support you to develop and thrive in your role, building a pathway for long-term success, with lots of development opportunities, such as apprenticeships.

In return, we offer you excellent terms and conditions, generous annual leave, a great pension scheme, well-being support, annual travel passes and discounts at a number of city centre establishments.