Network Rail
Head of Workforce Health, Safety & Environment - 12 month fixed term opportunity!
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Who We Are
Join Network Rail! Where People and Connections Matter
At Network Rail, we're dedicated to keeping passengers and freight moving safely and efficiently across the country. When you join us, you're not just part of a team- you're part of something that matters to millions. We believe that our people are at the heart of what we do, and every role plays a vital part in building a better, more connected railway.
We're committed to creating a diverse, inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. To discover more about our ED&I commitments click here. We value flexibility and understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance. As a Disability Confident Leader, we'll do everything we can to accommodate any needs throughout the recruitment process.
Safe behaviour is a requirement of working for Network Rail. Applicants should be able to demonstrate their awareness of our safety vision.
About The Role
The Head of Workforce Health, Safety & Environment is responsible for leading the health, safety and wellbeing strategy across Works Delivery, ensuring the safe planning and delivery of a multi-million-pound programme of renewals, enhancements and reactive works. The role provides strategic leadership and assurance across multiple disciplines, leading a culture where safety is at the heart of everything we do. The role is accountable for the safety performance of Network Rail employees and the effective management of contractors and Principal Contractors working on our behalf, ensuring compliance, continuous improvement and the highest standards of workforce health, safety and wellbeing.
The role also has a critical responsibility for supporting and maintaining Works Delivery's Principal Contractor capability and licence, ensuring that the governance, assurance, competence and management arrangements required to retain Principal Contractor status are effectively implemented and continuously improved. Working closely with operational leaders and delivery teams, the postholder will provide assurance that Principal Contractor obligations are consistently discharged across the portfolio.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
You will be the professional lead for workforce Health, Safety & Environment across Works Delivery, setting standards, providing expert advice and holding leaders to account for safety performance. Through visible leadership and effective governance, you will drive a culture where the safety, health and wellbeing of our people and supply chain remains our highest priority.
This is a 12-month fixed term opportunity
What's in it for you?
We offer a competitive salary and a great range of benefits to support you at work and at home, including:
- 28 days annual leave, with the option to buy or sell more
- A choice of pension schemes
- Up to 75% season ticket and leisure discount on rail and underground travel for you and your family (subject to approval year on year)
- Private healthcare
- 5 days paid volunteer or carers leave
- A flexible benefits platform with national and local retail discounts
This vacancy is Band 4c, salary £71,163-£86,801 per annum
Location: East Coast Route
Contract: Fixed-term contract 12-months
Closing date: 22 September 2026
Join us and lead from the front-making a real difference to how we run trains and serve our passengers every day.
Applying
Click 'apply' and login to Employee Self Service to submit your CV. If you do not have an Oracle account, email your CV to iRecSupport@networkrail.co.uk quoting the IRC number of the vacancy. You can also visit Evenbreak Careers for additional accessibility support.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
For more information, please contact the hiring manager Antonia Bailey at Antonia.bailey@networkrail.co.uk
Your Experience And Skills
To Succeed In This Role, You'll Need To Have
- Must be a member of the Institute of Occupational Health and safety (IOSH) at Chartered (CMIOSH) level or above
- Degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline, such as Occupational Safety and Health or Construction Management
- Experience of working at a strategic level within safety, health or environment in an infrastructure organisation
- Experience of successfully leading a team in a complex dynamic environment
- Experience of developing strategic improvements in a safety critical environment
- Exceptional influencing and communication skills
- Experience building a strong safety culture across directly employed staff and supply chain organisations.
- Strong leadership credentials with the ability to provide clear direction, challenge and coaching to senior managers and operational leaders.
- Significant experience in a health and safety role the rail or construction industry, or similar safety critical environment
- Track record of delivering measurable improvements in workforce safety, wellbeing and organisational learning.
You'll Also Need To Have
- Qualification in the alternative disciplines to the main qualification i.e. if main qualification is in environment, then additional qualification in safety and health.
- Understanding of the performance regime and financial systems
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location