Senior Health & Safety Manager (Infrastructure)

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Job Description:

Parsons are recruiting for a highly skilled Senior Health & Safety Manager – Roads, Civils & Structures to join their team!

You will be responsible for leading the health, safety, and wellbeing strategy across major road and civil infrastructure projects. The role ensures that robust H&S systems are implemented and consistently applied for complex construction activities involving highways, tunnels, bridges, earthworks, temporary works, and structures, driving a culture of zero harm and regulatory compliance.

What You'll Be Doing;

• Develop, implement, and maintain the project H&S strategy, policies, and plans in line with corporate standards, legal requirements, and best practice (e.g. ISO 450014500145001).
• Provide strong visible leadership and act as the senior H&S authority for roads, civils, and structural works.
• Establish H&S governance arrangements, committees, and reporting lines across all contracts and project packages.
• Set clear H&S objectives and targets, including leading and lagging indicators, and monitor performance against them.
• Design, roll out, and maintain a comprehensive H&S management system tailored to heavy civil and structural construction.
• Develop and approve procedures and guidelines for high-risk activities, including:
  • Deep excavations and earthworks.
  • Working at height and bridge construction.
  • Tunnel construction, confined spaces, and underground works.
  • Heavy lifting, crane operations, and temporary works.
  • Traffic management, lane closures, and work adjacent to live traffic.
• Ensure effective risk assessment, method statements, and permit-to-work systems are in place and consistently applied.
• Ensure full compliance with applicable H&S legislation, codes, and industry standards for construction and infrastructure.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of regulatory requirements and changes; advise project leadership and contractors accordingly.
• Lead engagement with regulators, statutory bodies, and external auditors regarding H&S matters.
• Oversee preparation and submission of required H&S documentation, notifications, and statutory reports.
• Lead and oversee H&S risk assessments for key construction phases and critical activities.
• Facilitate HAZID and other structured hazard identification workshops for complex civil and structural operations.
• Ensure hierarchy of controls is applied and that engineering controls, safe systems of work, and PPE are appropriate and effective.
• Review and endorse contractor method statements, risk assessments, and construction sequencing for high-risk works.
• Plan and lead regular site inspections, audits, and walkdowns across roads, earthworks, structures, and tunnels.
• Monitor compliance with H&S standards, procedures, and legal requirements; identify non-conformances and improvement opportunities.
• Work closely with site teams to ensure rectification of H&S issues and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Provide clear, practical guidance to project managers, supervisors, and foremen on safe and compliant site operations.
• Oversee the reporting, recording, and investigation of all incidents, near-misses, and unsafe conditions.
• Lead or support investigations for serious incidents and high-potential events, ensuring robust root-cause analysis.
• Develop and communicate lessons learned and ensure implementation of systemic corrective actions across the project.
• Produce high-quality incident reports and trend analyses for senior leadership and stakeholders.
• Set H&S expectations and requirements for contractors, designers, and suppliers; contribute to prequalification and selection.
• Assess contractor H&S capabilities, plans, and performance; challenge and support improvement where required.
• Ensure alignment of contractor and subcontractor H&S systems with project standards and management system.
• Promote collaboration and consistency across multiple contractors and joint ventures on mega projects.
• Identify H&S training needs for staff and workforce; coordinate delivery of induction, refresher, and specialist training.
• Promote a strong safety culture and behavioural safety programmes, encouraging reporting, engagement, and ownership.
• Coach and mentor H&S advisors, supervisors, and line managers to enhance their H&S leadership capability.
• Lead initiatives focused on wellbeing, fatigue management, and mental health in demanding construction environments.
• Engage with design teams to ensure safety in design principles are applied to roads, civils, and structural solutions.
• Review and provide input on constructability, temporary works design, and staging from a safety perspective.
• Support CDM or equivalent regulatory requirements for designer and client duties, where applicable.
• Ensure that residual risks are documented and communicated for future operation and maintenance phases.
• Develop and maintain H&S reports, dashboards, and metrics for project leadership, clients, and regulators.
• Track key performance indicators such as:
  • Lost-time injury frequency rate
  • Total recordable incident rate
  • Near-miss reporting rates.
  • Close-out of actions and inspection findings.
• Present H&S performance, risks, and improvement plans at management and client review meetings.

What Required Skills You'll Bring;

• Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Health & Safety, Environmental Health, Engineering, Construction Management, or related discipline.
• Recognised professional H&S qualification (e.g. NEBOSH Diploma, Level 666 or equivalent), and membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. IOSH, IIRSM).
• Typically 15+ years’ H&S experience within construction, with significant focus on:
  • Major road and highway projects.
  • Bridges, tunnels, heavy civils, and complex structures.
  • Large, multi-contractor or joint venture environments.
• Proven track record in a senior H&S leadership role on large / mega infrastructure projects.
• Strong understanding of:
  • Construction techniques for highways and heavy civil engineering.
  • Temporary works, groundworks, and structural construction risks.
  • Applicable national H&S regulations and international standards
• Excellent leadership and influencing skills with the ability to drive culture change and secure buy-in from site teams and management
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills for incident investigation and risk control.
• Clear, confident communication skills – written and verbal – with the ability to engage operatives, supervisors, and executives.
• Ability to manage multiple sites, contractors, and priorities in a fast-paced construction environment.
• High level of integrity, resilience, and professionalism, with a commitment to continual improvement.
• Competent user of H&S reporting systems, incident management tools, and standard office software.

Parsons equally employs representation at all job levels no matter the race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information.

We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY!

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