Health and Safety Manager

Location: Gravesend, Essex
Salary: Circa £70,000
Industry: Large Food Manufacturing
Team: Managing a small H&S team
Focus: Behavioural Safety & Continuous Improvement

Are you a passionate Health & Safety professional looking to step into a leadership role where you can make a real impact? We are a large, well-established food manufacturing business seeking an experienced Health & Safety Manager to lead our safety strategy and drive a positive, proactive safety culture across our Gravesend site.

Health and Safety Manager - The Role

As our Health & Safety Manager, you will take full responsibility for developing and delivering our site health & safety initiatives, with a strong focus on behavioural safety and employee engagement. You will lead and support a small, dedicated H&S team, ensuring high standards of compliance, risk management, and continual improvement within a fast-paced production environment.

Health and Safety Manager - Key Responsibilities

* Lead, mentor, and develop a small on-site H&S team.

* Champion behavioural safety and embed safe working habits across all departments.

* Ensure full compliance with relevant UK health & safety legislation and industry standards.

* Conduct and oversee risk assessments, audits, incident investigations, and root-cause analysis.

* Drive safety training, toolbox talks, and awareness programmes.

* Collaborate closely with operations, engineering, and quality teams to support a “safety-first” culture.

* Report on safety metrics, trends, and improvement initiatives to the senior leadership team.

Health and Safety Manager - About You

* NEBOSH General Certificate required; NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent preferred.

* Strong experience in food manufacturing, FMCG, or a similar fast-paced production environment.

* Proven background in behavioural safety programmes and cultural change.

* Confident leader with the ability to influence, engage, and communicate at all levels.

* Hands-on, proactive, and passionate about driving continuous improvement.

Why Join Us?

* Opportunity to shape and champion the safety culture for a leading food manufacturer.

* Supportive environment with real autonomy and influence.

* Competitive salary and benefits package (circa £70k).

* Career development opportunities within a growing organisation