HSE Improvement Lead
Finsbury Food Group
Date: 2 weeks ago
City: Whitefield, England
Contract type: Full time

Location: Manchester
Shift: Monday to Friday
Salary: Competitive
Finsbury Food Group is a leading speciality bakery manufacturer. We constantly raise quality and efficiency standards, and build long-term relationships with major multiple retailers and the foodservice channel. Established in 1985, Kara offers a wide range of quality sweet and savoury bakery products, including both gourmet butter and vegan brioche buns, doughballs and teacakes. The Kara Bakery can bake over 1 million baps and burger buns every day.
The role will play a major part in building and embedding a culture of proactive system & process improvement and development, to ensure that FFG is a safe place to work and visit, while delivering on its sustainability & group strategy ambitions.
The HSE Improvement Lead will provide competent advice at all levels and to ensure the highest possible standards of HSE management are achieved in compliance with Finsbury Group Health & Safety and Environmental Policies and to lead the development and implementation of the Group Sustainability Agenda.
These decisions can however impact significantly on production / operational activities and cause substantial on cost to the business, therefore the HSE lead must be able to show considered and well evaluated decision making when making decisions such as this.
Apply Now
Shift: Monday to Friday
Salary: Competitive
Finsbury Food Group is a leading speciality bakery manufacturer. We constantly raise quality and efficiency standards, and build long-term relationships with major multiple retailers and the foodservice channel. Established in 1985, Kara offers a wide range of quality sweet and savoury bakery products, including both gourmet butter and vegan brioche buns, doughballs and teacakes. The Kara Bakery can bake over 1 million baps and burger buns every day.
- JOB PURPOSE
The role will play a major part in building and embedding a culture of proactive system & process improvement and development, to ensure that FFG is a safe place to work and visit, while delivering on its sustainability & group strategy ambitions.
The HSE Improvement Lead will provide competent advice at all levels and to ensure the highest possible standards of HSE management are achieved in compliance with Finsbury Group Health & Safety and Environmental Policies and to lead the development and implementation of the Group Sustainability Agenda.
- Role Key Accountabilities
- Support the HSE Business Partner & HSER Director in the development & implementation of group & cluster HSE strategies, procedures, and processes as part of a robust HSE Management System, consistent with Group Policy ensuring procedures are deployed in a consistent way.
- To ensure the highest levels of excellent Safety, Health and Environmental management by providing expert advice throughout the sites operations to ensure the effective management of all safety, health and environmental requirements and to maintain compliance with all current statutory and legislative regulations.
- Responsible for ensuring that Risk Assessments/ Impact Assessments are in place (as required) and that a risk assessment register is maintained on site and that this is reviewed regularly.
- Support site management in ensuring risk assessment are conducted and managed including but not limited to process, task specific, manual handling, push/pull and repetitive task risk assessments using the FFG/HSE/Safety system templates – including MAC, ART & RAPP
- Support site management in implementation of controls identified as part of Risk Assessments, accident & incident investigations, hazard spots and other improvement projects.
- Support the HSE BP & SLT in the management and reduction of risk within the business; inclusive of maintenance of the sites master risk profile register.
- Responsible for assisting Cluster & Site Senior Leaders and their teams, in identifying areas where the prevention or reduction of incident rates, or work-related ill health can occur. Either as specific HSE projects, or as part of other business function-based projects/system improvements, operations/manufacture/technical/logistics.
- Setting in conjunction with Departmental Heads, effective KPI’S aimed at reduction of accident trends and improvement of employee wellbeing.
- Assist specific teams or departments in the creation of cluster, site, or specific operation plans with engagement from staff at all levels, contractors, Safety Representatives or other specialist third parties.
- Ensure that plans, improvements, or developments include full process development from research, trials, sourcing and provision, the development of presentations, businesses cases to obtaining funding, risk assessment, the delivery and implementation of the equipment, controls, training and process improvements.
- To support and challenge the sites performance in relation to HSE and to drive continuous improvement.
- Work closely with the SLT in the development and assessment of works & Safe Systems of works to undertaken by Contractors and Third parties.
- Work with the site & Cluster teams to help define and manage the Sustainability strategy within their area of responsibility .
- Support the collation and interpretation of Sustainability data to allow for action plans to be developed to further improve sustainability metrics. This includes areas relating to food and general waste, energy usage and water usage. This will be achieved using systems such as ClearVue.
- Support the development and implementation of environmental management systems to support the group ambition of achieving ISO14001 and ISO50001.
- Act as the Subject Matter Expert to support and advice site leadership teams about activities required to improve sustainability performance.
- To support in assisting Site Senior Leaders, and their teams, in identifying areas where Environmental improvements can occur. Also, setting in conjunction with Departmental Heads, effective KPI’s aimed at environmental improvement.
- Support and facilitate Sustainability Improvement Teams for the locations they are responsible for.
- Accountable for ensuring conformance to site specific internal Safety, Health and Environmental audits and inspections to ensure continual improvement.
- Accountability for coordination of action deployment and ensuring, through on-site resource the delivery of the corrective action implementation process against all key H&S business audit standards i.e. HomeSafe, ISO & Insurance Audit Standards.
- Supporting the HSE Business Partner and SLT in ensuring that the HSE management system requirements are delivered in line with defined KPI’s or timeframes.
- Support the HSER Director & HSE Business Partners in the management of HSE digital reporting and other electronic systems and data.
- Supporting the implementation of the Group Training Blueprint, in conjunction with HR, to ensure training provisions are in place for the site teams and that H&S leadership training is continually being developed and implemented.
- Where required support and/or deliver specific training and development sessions, as part of the effective communication & management of HSE management system and FFG policies
- Responsible for ensuring the development of wider business leadership to achieve HSE and Sustainability ambitions of the business by taking a coaching and mentoring approach.
- Actively promote HSE awareness and consideration across all staff .
- Engage with staff daily to promote safe practices, reporting of safety events, concerns or suggestions for improvements, and a challenge and be challenged behaviour.
- Lead by example in all aspects of Health, Safety & Environmental delivery, and instill a ‘challenge & be challenged’ approach to safety.
- To support the implementation of the strategy and to ensure that this is deployed in a consistent manner throughout the area of their control and to work with their peers (HSE Improvement Leads & HSE Advisors) to ensure that this is replicated throughout the business.
- To support site leadership to develop a strong HSE culture, encourage strong leadership through the development of competent individuals, worker engagement, behaviours etc at the location(s).
- Attend meetings in support of or as deputy for the HSE Business Partner ensuring positive representation from the HSE Team.
- To undertake such work as you are assigned in a careful and efficient way and in compliance with current legislation, industry standards and FFG, Cluster or site procedures & management system.
- Limits of authority & financial effects
These decisions can however impact significantly on production / operational activities and cause substantial on cost to the business, therefore the HSE lead must be able to show considered and well evaluated decision making when making decisions such as this.
- Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- Confident and assertive personality with a proactive solution focused approach to HSE and Sustainability.
- NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent qualification e.g. Level 5 Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety
- Recognised Environmental qualification i.e. IEMA Foundation certificate.
- A team player with a ‘can do’ attitude; ability to interface and influence people at all levels of the organisation.
- Strong facilitation, organisational and project management skills, with the ability to prioritise workload and multitask coupled with a high attention to detail.
- Good Microsoft Office skills (specifically Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint).
- Previous Safety, Health and Environmental experience at a senior level or in providing such professional support at or to Senior management.
- Strong communication skills, both written & verbal.
- Ability to learn and undertake new responsibility areas.
- Understanding of current and proposed Safety, Health and Environmental legislation.
- Knowledge and Experience of ISO type management systems.
- Current Full Driving Licence.
- Chartered Member (or working towards chartered membership (CMIOSH)) of an approved Safety Organisation i.e. IOSH
- Practitioner Member (or working towards practitioner membership (PIEMA)) of a recognised Environmental Organisation i.e. IEMA
- Understanding of current and proposed environmental legislation.
- Experience within a food manufacturing environment.
- A train the trainer qualification.
- Lead auditor status.
- Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Leave to allow quality time with your new arrival!
- Enhanced Pension Scheme for our employees
- Death in Service Benefit
- Free Employee Assistance Programme (open to colleagues and their families)
- Retail discounts accessible via our Benefits Hub platform!
- Company shop available at sites (heavily discounted, yummy products!)
- Refer a Friend Scheme (up to £300 per referral – t&cs dependent)
- Employee Recognition Awards· Extensive Learning & Development opportunities (including opportunities for sponsored professional memberships and our own in-house development course!)
- An opportunity to be part of a fantastic, growing organisation. Head over to our LinkedIn page to find out more!
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