Head of Health & Safety  

Food Manufacturing experience is essential. 

Monday to Friday 

Join COOK as our Head of H&S to provide leadership for the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) agenda across Operations and Retail and to continually develop the culture of HSE in the business, ensuring the appropriate culture and resources are in place to meet all obligations in relation to occupational health, safety, environment, liability and physical risk

About COOK

COOK is a pioneering frozen food company, since 1997 we’ve been making remarkable food for your freezer, prepared by hand at our Kitchens in Kent (savoury) and Somerset (puddings) using the same ingredients and techniques you would at home. It means our food looks and tastes homemade maybe even a bit better.

We’re market leaders and (more importantly) our food tastes incredible. We have over 90 shops and a rapidly growing online business.

We’re independent (family-owned) and always will be because it allows us to do things the right way, not the fast way. We believe in business as a force for good in society and have certified as one of the UK’s first B Corporations to help us measure what matters when it comes to our impact on our environment, our people and our community.

We share 5% of our annual profits with staff.

About the role

Strategic leadership

*         Deliver a compelling HSE vision, strategy and annual plan which the company buys into

*         Implement an HSE management system which ensures that the company meets all statutory requirements

*         Chair COOK HSE steering meeting to ensure progress against delivery of HSE strategy

*         Proactively engage with the Operations and Retail leadership teams, ensuring HSE objectives are fully reflected and owned within departmental and team strategies and plans

Health and Safety Leadership

*         Ensure policies, procedures and monitoring processes are in place and communicated effectively to ensure regulatory compliance

*         Provide guidance on legal compliance and keep the business up to date with changes in regulatory standards, enforcement policy and emerging risks

*         Demonstrate a deep understanding of the risks involved through the current operations and retail processes and future developments to enable proactive mitigation

*         Support the development and delivery of the Culture of Care safety strategy and identify improvements in processes and ways of working that will reduce risk of injury or ill health

*         Develop and implement review and control processes that deliver ongoing performance monitoring and enable decision making and resource allocation that improve standards and reduce risk

*         Advise on competence and training requirements to ensure compliance with standards

*         Co-ordinate and guide managers with liability and claims management

*         Support the proactive management of relationships with the Health and Safety Executive and other authorities

Environmental Leadership

*         Champion the sustainability agenda within Operations and Retail to ensure compliance and continuous improvement in performance

*         Identify waste streams and work with Operations Leadership to reduce food and packaging waste and increase reuse

*         Ensure systems and procedures are in place to drive and monitor improvements

*         Engage with the engineering, projects and impact teams to identify and implement routes to reduce energy and water usage

Team development:

*         Effectively lead and develop the HSE team ensuring clear accountabilities and development plans

*         Identify future stars and aid their growth through appropriate L&D plans and coaching support

*         Ensure training for each team member is up to date and there is an active plan to keep teams trained to the appropriate level in health and safety.

*         Deliver an annual HSE team get together allowing time to connect for the team

*         Guarantee a thriving Churchills Pig culture is active through the team and regular feedback is delivered

*         Drive utilisation of the Team selfies, ensuring co-creation and active participation

*         Deliver a regular recognition culture for celebrating when a job is well done

About you

*       Demonstrate a commitment to learning and personal development to stay at the forefront of Health, Safety and Environment developments and knowledge

*       Recognise the importance of the COOK values and seek to influence through these Essential Ingredients to Leadership

*       NEBOSH Diploma / Degree or equivalent in relevant subject

*       Proven experience of working in a senior HSE role within a manufacturing environment, preferably within the food industry

*       Membership of IOSH or other relevant professional body

*       Environmental qualification – minimum EMA Certificate or equivalent

*       On-going professional development and strong knowledge of industry and regulatory developments

*       Experience in team and individual leadership

*       Good communicator with suitable IT Skills

*       Full UK driving licence

Other bits

Excellent Benefits including paid breaks, free food, CookieJar Smart Spending discounts on leading brands, profit share, 30% staff discount and birthdays off and much more.

Ask us about flexible working.

Our vision for COOK has always been that we are a place where EVERYONE is welcome. We want everyone to feel like they belong at COOK. We all have different roles, different abilities and different personalities. By collaborating we can do remarkable things. Whatever your story, if you would like to grow with COOK please apply.

Based in Sittingbourne, Kent

INDHP