Safety Management Systems (SMS) Policy Manager

Job summary

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is the independent economic and safety regulator for Britain’s railways and monitor of performance on England’s strategic road network.

This is an exciting time to join ORR, we are delivering a significant transformation programme to create a consistently agile and enabling organisation, with the right capability and a strong, inclusive culture that reflects our talented people. This will ensure we continue to operate as an independent, expert regulator, fit for the future and equipped with the capabilities and ways of working required to support sector-wide rail reform, while contributing to the government’s broader agenda on regulatory reform and economic growth. Further detail on our future role is set outhere.

Job description

Rail Safety Capability sits within the Rail Safety, strategy & policy team and delivers a range of policy, regulatory and corporate functions as well as providing strategic direction to RSD’s work through risk ranking and prioritisation, data analysis and business planning.

This role plays a key part in helping to make Britain’s railways safer for passengers, workers and the public. By leading ORR’s approach to safety management and working with industry to improve how organisations identify, manage and control risk the post holder will help drive continuous improvement in health and safety performance across the rail industry.

The roles leads the development of ORR’s strategy, policy and regulatory approach to Health and Safety Management Systems (HSMS), ensuring that duty holders have effective arrangements in place to manage safety and learn from experience. Through promoting ORR’s Risk Management Maturity Model (RM3), the postholder supports industry to strengthen safety culture, improve decision making and achieve excellence in risk management.

As ORR’s specialist lead in this area, the role provides expert advice, guidance and training to colleagues and industry stakeholders. Working collaboratively with industry stakeholders, the postholder influences improvements in health and safety management systems and helps ensure that lessons are shared across the industry, delivering better outcomes for those who use and work on Britain’s railways.

Person specification

For key responsibilities please see the attached job description.

Additional Information

At ORR, our hybrid working means that we currently work from our workplace location a minimum of 40% of our working week, although requirements to attend other offsite locations for official business, also count towards this level of attendance. Working arrangements are subject to continuous review.

Qualifications

Level 6 Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety (or equivalent qualification), or ability to demonstrate performance and experience at an equivalent professional level.

Memberships

Current chartered membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. IOSH, IRM, IIRSM, IET, SaRS) or able to demonstrate an equivalent level of knowledge and expertise through substantial relevant experience, typically evidence by the ability to meet the requirements for Chartered status of a relevant professional institution (for example, IOSH).

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Detailed knowledge of health and safety management systems, risk management principles and their practical application within major hazard or safety-critical industries.

Benefits

A Civil Service Pension with employer contribution of 28.97%

Details of our employee benefits can be found in the attached Candidate Information Pack.

Find out what our colleagues have to say about their ORR careers Our people Office of Rail and Road (orr.gov.uk).

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.For information on the selection process, please see the attached Candidate Information Pack and Job Description.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the