39091 - Health and Safety Advisor
We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity
Organisational context
We are an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). We provide civil and criminal legal aid and advice in England and Wales to help people deal with their legal problems.
Our people are at the heart of achieving excellence. Employing around 1,450 colleagues in offices in towns and cities across England and Wales. We feel proud to have some of the best People Survey results in the Civil Service.
The Corporate Centre helps shape and enable the priorities of the Chief Executive, Executive Leadership Team and Executive Committees to be delivered.
The role of Health and Safety Adviser is a new post and sits within the Legal Aid Agency’s Corporate Centre Assurance Team reporting to the Health and Safety Manager. The team provides advice and assurance on the Agency’s strategic management of risk, information security, physical security, business continuity planning and health & safety. The Health and Safety Adviser will focus on the operational support across all our directorates.
Our offices cover 16 sites in England and Wales, ranging from single occupancy to shared office space alongside other government departments and private companies. Our people are primarily office based; however, as a business we are increasingly promoting flexible working practices that allow everyone the opportunity to work from regional hubs and home. We also employ contract managers, solicitors and advocates, who routinely work alone and drive as part of their role, while our main postal hub and records centre highlight the importance of safe manual handling and work at heights.
The LAA fully supports smart and flexible working. Members of the Corporate Centre and the Assurance Team are based in multiple locations across England and Wales. Travel and overnight stays will be required on occasion.
Job summary
Are you passionate about making a difference to the health, safety and wellbeing of staff?
Do you enjoy collaborating with colleagues across varying roles to make things happen?
Are you ready to achieve your full potential by being fair, proud and supportive of others?
Do you enjoy a fast paced decision making role?
Key duties and responsibilities:
- To provide advice to the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) to ensure it meets the requirements of Health and Safety legislation and support the delivery of the corporate Health and Safety strategy and arrangements.
- To advise managers on the implementation and delivery of the corporate Health and Safety Policy, procedures and the LAA Health and Safety Delivery Plan, while utilising the support of Site Leads and network of regional H&S representatives.
- The post holder will develop and maintain key contacts across government departments H&S teams to provide consistent and balanced advice relevant to LAA offices promoting a positive health and safety culture.
- The post holder will be required to complete investigations, audits and deliver training related to all aspects of health, safety and wellbeing.
- The post holder will be required to work with colleagues in security, facilities management, agency partners and communications to support cross MOJ agendas.
- Deliver reports, information, data and recommendations in all aspects of health and safety operational delivery that help drive improvements and engagement with the ambitions of our assurance team.
- Work collaboratively within the corporate centre assurance team learning new skills and shared expertise in business continuity and physical security.
- All roles involve providing a degree administrative support
- The role includes travelling to inspect and delivery support across all LAA offices with occasional overnight stays dependent on base location.
- Promote and maintain practices which are free from discrimination, support equality of opportunity and reflect the LAA diversity and equality policy.
Person specification
Essential criteria
- Minimum qualification: Minimum of NEBOSH or NCRQ Certificate Level 3 which would qualify you to membership of IOSH as a TechIOSH.
- Evidence of current and up to date Health and Safety CPD.
- Ability to efficiently plan, organise time and workload to ensure delivery of plans.
- Ability to communicate with colleagues at all levels.
- Ability to interact and engage colleagues – beyond your own team - to achieve shared goals.
- Ability to work autonomously, identify and mitigate risks and spot opportunities to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of staff.
- Knowledge and understanding of health, safety and wellbeing strategies to provide competent and trusted advice.
- A personal commitment to professional development, a desire to work towards National and Vocational Qualification (NVQ/SVQ) Level 5 Occupational Health and Safety Practice or to a level such as that would satisfy the criteria for Graduate Membership of IOSH.
Desirable criteria
- Experience in fire safety, water hygiene and asbestos risk management.
- Ability to write engaging copy with some experience of writing for impact e.g. policy, procedures and risk assessments.
- Experience of a variety of digital and remote working tools.
- Experience of facilitation of workshops, design and delivery of training and planning and delivering events.
- Knowledge and/or experience of how to use quantitative and qualitative data to inform future plans, including ISO standards in H&S.
Qualifications
Minimum of NEBOSH or NCRQ Certificate Level 3 which would qualify you to membership of IOSH as a TechIOSH;
Evidence of current and up to date Health and Safety CPD.
This role can be based in any LAA Office or be based from Home. The LAA has offices in Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Darlington, Leeds, Liverpool, London Canary Wharf, London Petty France, Manchester, Nottingham, Pontypridd, South Tyneside (Jarrow) and Swansea.
Assessment approach
Candidates will be invited to a short interview and complete an exercise in responding to incident reports and requests for advice or guidance.
In the application we will assess you against the following behaviours:
Communicating and Influencing
Managing a Quality Service
Making Effective Decisions
In the interview we will assess you against strengths that are relevant to the role and the following behaviours:
Delivering at Pace
Seeing the Bigger Picture
Working Together
Our LAA commitment
The LAA is committed to diversity and inclusion and we positively promote flexible working, including job shares.
We will consider all applications on merit regardless of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, religion, ethnicity, preferred working pattern and except for exceptional circumstances your working location.
As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. Under the Equality Act 2010 a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months.
If you are responding to a role within the Legal Aid Agency and would like to be considered under the guaranteed interview please ensure that you attach the Guaranteed Interview Form when you return your application. You can use the same form to let the recruiting manager know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the sift or later selection processes.
Working Arrangements & Further Information
Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.
Flexible working hours
The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices.
Benefits
The MoJ offers a range of benefits:
Annual Leave
Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.
There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
Pension
The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.
Training
The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.
Support
- A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
- Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits,retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
- For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers
- Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
- Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.
Networks
The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code 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. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order
1- To Shared Service Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com);
2- To Ministry of Justice Resourcing (resourcing-services@justice.gov.uk);
3- To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity.
There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
Grading Structure Review
The Ministry of Justice is currently undergoing a review of posts which are currently graded at Band A to realign our grading structure with the majority of the wider Civil Service.
Posts advertised at Band A may be graded at either Grade 6 or Grade 7 once the review has taken place.
02/12/2020, 23:55 hours.
To discuss the role, please email LAAHealthandSafety@justice.gov.uk and include "Health and Safety Recruitment Query" as the subject of the email.
If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com Please quote the job reference - 39091.
To apply for roles in MOJ you will need to confirm your employment history for at least 3 years prior to the date of application so that pre-employment checks (BPSS) can be undertaken. If you have spent significant time abroad (a total of 6 months in the past 3 years) you would be required to give a reasonable account of the reasons why.
For some roles you will be required to successfully complete National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorism (CTC), Security Clearance (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV) level as a condition of appointment. To meet CTC/SC/DV requirements you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3/5/10 years prior to the date of application (The level of checks that are required are stated in the advert).
If you do not meet the above requirements, you may still be considered if, for example:
- You've been serving overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of HM Government
- You were studying abroad
- You were living overseas with parents
In such cases you will need to be able to provide referee cover for the period(s) of residence overseas. The duration of overseas residence and the country of abode will also be taken into account.
Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.
We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.
Application form stage assessments
Interview stage assessments
A Great Place to Work for Veterans
The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans
Redeployment Interview Scheme
Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.
MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.
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) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
· 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) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules
This Vacancy is closed to applications.