Head of Health & Safety

Overview

Head of Health, Safety, Fire and Environment

apetito is the leading producer of delicious and nutritious food for nurseries, schools, care homes and hospitals. Our Wiltshire Farm Foods brand is enjoyed by our many consumers and we are very proud of the food that we provide to some of the most vulnerable people in society.

With sales of £250 million per annum and consistently strong sales growth, we are looking for a Head of Health, Safety, Fire and Environment to join our senior team.

This is a varied role and covers our 2 main sites as well as satellites across the UK, altogether we employ around 2,000 staff:

• The Trowbridge production kitchen produces over 2 million meals per week made by circa 400 people. 
• Our Portbury Distribution Centre is the hub for our UK distribution activities, housing around 10,000 pallets of frozen food and employing over 300 warehouse staff, transport team, customer service and drivers. 
• The Wiltshire Farm Foods operation employs nearly 900 staff at 42 sites.

 With a new factory build, and significant development of our distribution facilities planned for the next 3 years, we are entering a very exciting period of change.

If you are passionate about promoting health, safety, fire, and environmental excellence and are eager to make a positive impact in a leading food manufacturing company, we encourage you to apply to us at apetito.  

As the Head of Health, Safety, Fire, and Environment at apetito UK, you will play a critical role in ensuring the health, safety and environmental sustainability of our team and operations.

Reporting to the Director Manufacturing and Supply Chain, you will lead a dedicated team with 3 direct reports and drive initiatives to create a safe and environmentally responsible workplace.

Join us in our mission to provide nutritious food solutions while prioritizing the well-being of our employees and the environment.

Working hours: Primarily Monday – Friday based around 8.30-5.00 but with flexibility as required.

Location: Based at Trowbridge, Wiltshire so you'll need to live in viable daily commuting distance. 

Nationwide travel to our Wiltshire Farm Foods and supply chain/logistics teams will also be required.

The role is focused on our front-line activities so has very little scope for home-working.

Who we are

apetito is the UK’s leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors serving more than 1,300 care homes, health care and education settings.

Our meals are expertly crafted by our dieticians and chefs, and then frozen to lock in the goodness.

Wiltshire Farm Foods, our sister company, is the UK’s largest ready meal supplier cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK.

Responsibilities

Health and Safety

• Work with the apetito team to achieve year-on-year reductions in the number of Riddor-reportable and other accidents.
• Safe management of major change/building projects.
• Liaison with enforcing authorities, external audit bodies and other key stakeholders.
• Management of 3 direct reports

 Fire Safety

• Minimise fire risk to protect our people and our business.

 Culture

• Develop a “Work Safe, Home Safe” culture which enables colleagues to work safely and return home safely at the end of each day.
• Strategic vision and tactical leadership. 
• Build and maintain a committed team of Safety Champions throughout the business.

 Systems and processes

• Hazard analysis and risk assessment.
• Develop processes and systems to ensure legal compliance and best practice.
• Ensuring managers and employees have sufficient training and information on HSF&E issues.
• HSF&E performance indicators and communication, interpretation and presentation of these to appropriate teams/groups.
• Documented H&S, fire and environment management systems.
• Ownership of HSF&E management systems to ensure continuous improvement and ongoing conformity to ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001.

 Sustainability

• Work with apetito’s sustainability team to improve environmental performance.

Qualifications/Personal Qualities

Qualifications and experience

You will have excellent communication and leadership skills.  You will be KPI focused and will work closely with senior colleagues to deliver excellent results across our business.

• Proven experience in a senior health, safety, fire, and environment role, preferably within the food manufacturing or related industry.
• Degree in Occupational Health and Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering or a related field. Advanced degree or professional certification (e.g., NEBOSH Diploma, Chartered Membership of IOSH) preferred.
• Strong knowledge of health, safety, fire, and environmental legislation, regulations, and standards.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement effective programmes and initiatives.
• Expert knowledge of fire risk mitigation methods.
• Safe delivery of major capital projects.
• Good financial acumen with experience of delivery within a budget. The HSFE budget is c. £500k.

Personal Qualities

• Team spirited with a sense of urgency and agility.
• Creative, innovative and involving approach.
• A personal reputation for high standards of health and safety.
• Adheres to high standards of ethics and values – “does the right thing”.
• High standards of people management and leadership, motivating and empowering others.
• Adapts interpersonal style to suit different people or situations.
• The ability/skill to identify, highlight/flag and take action when things are going off track.
• Unimpeachable integrity.

Company Benefits

• Very competitive salary – accredited Living Wage employer
• Company car
• 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days annual leave per year
• Generous annual bonus scheme
• Pension scheme - employer matched contributions up to 4%
• Life assurance scheme worth at least 1x annual salary
• Subsidised canteen
• Free parking
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas
• apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts

Our Values

As a family-owned business, we take great pride in being a company that makes a real difference and is dedicated to creating outstanding meals to be proud of.

We develop a range of products designed to enhance health and well-being for all our customers.

We are driven by a passion for service, and dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people.

We proudly support British food and farming, focusing on using the best ethical and sustainable produce in alignment with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.

Our ethical standards are recognised by the ETI and we are an accredited Living Wage employer.Learn more about apetito’s commitment to a more sustainable future.

We embrace inclusion, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Our commitment to making a real difference extends to customers, communities, and staff and we're on a mission to build an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.