Part Time: 22.2 hours per week

Devon County Council is seeking to appoint an experienced Health & Safety Adviser to join our established and supportive Health and Safety Team. This is an opportunity to play a key professional role in helping to keep people safe across a large, complex organisation that delivers essential public services to communities throughout Devon.

The post is based in Exeter, and will require travel across Devon, working with a wide range of services and establishments, offering variety, challenge and the opportunity to build strong professional relationships across the organisation.

You will provide comprehensive, practical health and safety advice and support to managers and staff, helping services to apply legislation, guidance and Approved Codes of Practice in a proportionate and effective way. The role includes leading and contributing to health and safety audits, monitoring performance, investigating accidents and incidents, and supporting services to continuously improve their health and safety arrangements. You will also play an important role in identifying training needs and designing and delivering health and safety training to a wide audience, both face‑to‑face and remotely.

This role offers significant professional autonomy and influence. You will interpret new and emerging legislation, provide advice on enforcement and litigation matters where required, and liaise with external bodies such as the Health and Safety Executive, Fire Authority and other enforcing authorities. You will also contribute to the management of hazardous materials and processes and support services in embedding effective risk management into their planning and review processes.

We are looking for a self‑motivated health and safety professional with strong technical knowledge and the confidence to influence at all levels of the organisation, including senior managers and trade union representatives. You will hold a NEBOSH Diploma (or equivalent) and be a member of a relevant professional body such as IOSH, or actively working towards this. You will bring practical experience of applying health and safety legislation in a complex working environment, along with excellent communication and presentational skills and a systematic, solutions‑focused approach to safety management. Experience within a local authority or other large, multi‑site organisation would be an advantage.

In return, Devon County Council offers a supportive and collaborative working environment, where professional expertise is valued and where you can make a meaningful contribution to the safety and wellbeing of employees, service users and the wider public. We are committed to flexible working, equality of opportunity and supporting continuous professional development, enabling our people to balance high professional standards with a healthy work‑life balance.

Regretfully, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. We can therefore only consider applications from candidates who already have the right to work in the UK without the need for visa sponsorship.

For an informal discussion about this post, please contact Simon Bates on 01392 381863 or email [email protected].

Please note that we reserve the right to close this advert early if sufficient applications are received, therefore early application is encouraged.

How to apply
Please ensure when completing your application form that you provide a supporting statement which demonstrates how you meet the essential and desirable criteria as described in the person specification of the job description. Applications may not be taken forwards if the supporting statement is not adequately completed.

Internal Applicants, please note: If you are an existing DCC employee, please use your iTrent Employee Self Service (ESS) details to log in and apply.

Please click Apply Now to see further information.

• DCC embraces the positive benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to providing an environment that is inclusive and safe. We welcome applications from people who share our commitment to stop discrimination, challenge inequality and promote diversity across Devon. More information can be found on our Equality and Diversity webpages.
• Happy to Talk Flexible Working – The Council offers flexible working arrangements in terms of when and where people work e.g. hybrid working, part-time, condensed hours etc.
• We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
• This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.
• Personal data we collect from you will be processed in accordance with the Applicant privacy notice.
• For more information about Working for Devon please visit our Working for Devon page.
• We cannot consider visa sponsorship at this time. UK Right to Work is required. For further guidance on right to work in the UK, please visit: Work in the UK – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
• This role requires a DBS disclosure.