Do you care about the safety of products and want to protect people and places? Can we use your skills, knowledge and experience to enable UK business to thrive? If the answer is yes, then we would like to hear from you!

We are the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. We are here for the purpose of making regulation work to deliver real world impact. Regulation is a powerful Government tool to address market failures, influence behaviour and promote positive action. Crafted and delivered well, regulation can be an enabler of growth, innovation and efficiency.

Since early 2018 we have been building a positive and creative team that enjoys a position of influence and respect within an organisation that continues to grow, most recently with the addition of the regulation of construction products planned for 2022.

Our mission: To be a trusted product regulator for the UK.

Our goal: To be a leader of good regulatory practice and a champion of local regulation.

Further information can be found on our website here.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. We embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for people with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

We are Inclusive

We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible and recognise how important inclusivity is to achieve the best outcomes. We hope to attract applications from all underrepresented groups.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Job description

About the Team

We are a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers delivering testing capability across the whole portfolio of OPSS regulatory requirements. The team works across our new laboratories at the Centre of Product Testing and Research which include metrology, mechanical, electrical, chemical and flammability facilities. We seek to implement fit for purpose practices and procedures to deliver robust, scientific outputs. In collaboration with other internal evidence teams including those in science, engineering, research and analysis, our outputs inform the development of policy, and the delivery and enforcement of product regulations across the OPSS remit.

About the Role

We require a Quality, Health & Safety and Environmental Manager to lead and shape our internal systems and processes, embracing a culture of continuous improvement and ensuring OPSS continues to deliver a high-quality technical service. You will have a strong focus on providing knowledge and direction on the safe operation of the laboratories and you will develop and maintain Integrated Management Systems to drive improvements. This is a key post at our newly refurbished Teddington site, working closely with our lab-based and estates functional teams to ensure the effective, efficient and safe operation of our laboratories.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Quality, Health & Safety and Environmental (QHSE) systems across OPSS laboratories, develop and monitor improvement initiatives and strategies, keeping current systems under review to ensure efficiency and fitness for purpose.

• Conduct laboratory risk assessments and set up safety operation procedures to identify and minimise hazards.

• Lead internal audits and external audit planning with minimal disruption and ensure laboratory operations are carried out in accordance to relevant regulatory and organisational policies and procedures.

• Identify and investigate areas of lab-related non-compliance, assign root cause analysis, and implement comprehensive corrective action to promote improvement planning.

• Work with others in OPSS and BEIS to identify areas for improvement and deliver training where appropriate.

• Assist our estates and leadership team to develop, manage and monitor the QHSE performance of the organisation.

• Manage QHSE communications on lab-related activities.

• Develop and maintain a profile in the area of QHSE by attendance and participation in relevant external networks, meetings and training events.

To apply, please click the apply button.

Closing date: 11:55pm, Sunday 10th July 2022.

Successful applicants may be entitled to Specialist Government Science & Engineering allowance £5150