East West Rail

East West Rail is an infrastructure programme connecting communities between Oxford and Cambridge, a region currently underserved by transport. We have a once in a generation opportunity to improve prosperity for people and places across the corridor.

East West Railway Company was created by the Department for Transport to oversee delivery of East West Rail, from construction through to wheels in motion, ensuring the railway comes together in the right way.

Role Summary

The Senior Delivery Health and Safety Manager plays a key leadership role within the Health, Safety and Security function, supporting the Director of ETS and the Head of HSS in setting strategic direction, driving consistent standards, and embedding a positive health, safety and security culture across the programme and all delivery operations.

The role combines strategic leadership with day-to-day management of the Delivery HSS team, providing direction, coaching and assurance to ensure health, safety and security risks are effectively managed and behaviours align with organisational values. Acting as a trusted partner to the Head of HSS, the role helps translate EWR strategy, guiding principles and the HSMS into delivery, influences senior stakeholders, and leads continuous improvement across the function, delivery teams and suppliers.

Function

The Health, Safety and Security function sets EWR Co's strategic direction for health, safety and security, working with the Director of ETS and Head of HSS to embed consistent standards and a positive safety culture across the programme and delivery operations. The function provides leadership, coaching and assurance across the Delivery HSS team, and works closely with delivery partners and suppliers to ensure risks are effectively managed.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you will:

• Support the Head of Health, Safety and Security set strategic direction, translating priorities into clear requirements for the Delivery HSS team and ensuring effective implementation against agreed objectives and milestones.
• Act as a senior point of contact for health and safety matters, representing the function at programme, project and leadership forums.
• Shape and maintain governance, assurance and reporting arrangements that give the Executive team confidence in health and safety performance and risk management.
• Provide day-to-day leadership of the Delivery Health and Safety team, including workload planning, prioritisation and performance management, and lead quarterly performance conversations that set clear, measurable objectives.
• Coach and develop team members, building capability, confidence and professional competence across the function.
• Drive a systematic approach to risk management, strengthening assurance frameworks and embedding a proactive safety culture across the business.
• Champion positive safety leadership and behaviours at all levels, setting clear expectations and role-modelling the standards required.
• Maintain oversight of day-to-day Delivery health and safety activity across all projects, providing senior support and constructive challenge in managing incidents, investigations, audits and assurance activities.
• Build and maintain relationships with senior leaders, project teams, delivery partners and external stakeholders, providing pragmatic advice that integrates health, safety and security considerations into planning and delivery.
• Oversee supply chain compliance and performance, ensuring robust governance and consistent delivery of safe, high-quality outcomes across all suppliers.
• Represent the HSS team at key meetings and forums, including Working Groups, PMEC and industry forums, and build relationships with regulators such as the ORR, HSE and Network Rail.
• Promote and embed EWR's Safe and Secure guiding principles across the project lifecycle, acting as a role model and taking responsibility for your own and others' health, safety and security.