About the job

Job summary

Great Britain’s health and safety record is the envy of much of the world. Central to this is our work to protect people by managing risk in a proportionate and effective way, supporting innovation and increasing productivity.

We are proud of the support we provide to businesses – through free guidance and advice. By giving employers the confidence to manage risks correctly, we boost productivity, support the economy and contribute to a fairer society.

HSE leads the way but doesn’t act alone. Working in partnership is one of our strengths. It’s at the heart of how we protect workers and the public. We are firm and fair when using our legal powers. Inspection helps us check that serious risks are managed sensibly. When things go wrong, investigation helps us get to the truth and learn lessons. We hold employers to account for their failures and get answers for victims and make workplaces safer.

Our team of noise and vibration specialists work in a wide range of industries with thousands of workers. This role provides a unique opportunity to apply your technical knowledge and practical experience, influencing whole industry sectors as well as helping individual employers understand the right controls to have in place. Contributing to the policy development and industry guidelines will broaden your knowledge and your professional credibility like no other role can. You will see a clear line of sight between your input and reducing ill-health in the workplace.

A career with HSE gives you a rare opportunity to visit and interact with many different and diverse employers and work activities - one day you could be working in a large food factory and the next in a local woodworking shop. You’ll work alongside general inspectors and other technical specialists to ensure work activities are operating within the law by: inspecting, investigating, intervening and taking enforcement action where required to secure compliance with the law. Working with the widest range of health and safety specialists in Britain, you’ll be helping to protect thousands of people, whilst working in an inclusive environment where all of our people can thrive and be themselves.

Job description

Noise and vibration specialist inspectors are involved in front line regulatory work and developing technical policy. You will work as a member of a specialist regulatory team, led by a Principal Specialist Inspector, regulating workplaces to ensure that workplace health risks have been identified, evaluated and eliminated or adequately controlled. Specialist Division supports other Divisions in HSE, covering many employment sectors including agriculture, construction, general manufacturing, engineering, waste and recycling, education, health services, utilities and transport, government departments and domestic gas safety.

You will provide in-depth technical expertise through planned and reactive support to regulatory inspectors gaining noise and vibration experience across a wide range of issues and industries, whilst developing skills in intervening in businesses and enforcing the law. You will be expected to provide independent expert witness input to court, securing justice for sufferers of ill health in the workplace.

Developing operational and technical policy is about influencing and raising standards of control and clarifying legal requirements. You will work with others on projects and initiatives to review and inform health and safety policy, developing guidance and identifying any changes needed to expected standards and published information. You will also work with specialist and non-specialist colleagues helping to influence strategic stakeholders and campaigns.

This is a hugely varied and rewarding role. Whilst there are technical challenges to overcome, you will be working with many different people at every level and every part of your work will be geared to achieving one goal: protecting people's health and safety at work.

At the HSE, in order to fully understand the legal and enforcement requirements of this front-line role, you develop your regulatory expertise completing a 2 year specialist training programme (the STP). This includes a mixture of e-learning and face to face tutorials. As well as learning on-the-job, you will continue your development. You’ll also have wider learning opportunities through your Civil Service access. You will receive appropriate training and will need to complete and pass a legal assessment.

You will be office-based but as part of your role, you will be required to inspect and visit sites across Great Britain. This will require regular travel and overnight stays. You will also be required to spend short periods working away from home.

Key Responsibilities

• Applying noise and vibration expertise and providing opinion in a wide variety of workplaces, working on your own or supporting colleagues inspecting, investigating and enforcing the law to secure risk controls.

• Advising HSE’s inspectors on compliance of machinery with requirements on suppliers’ concerning noise and vibration.

• Forensic analysis following incidents and reported concerns, comparing conditions with minimum legal requirements and good practice to identify underlying causes and support legal action to avoid further risk.

• Providing specialist opinion and expert evidence in reports for legal proceedings and expert witness statements, and when required, presenting these to courts and tribunals.

• Developing an evidence base and advising HSE colleagues working on operational policy, guidance and procedures on noise and vibration matters.

• Share information, including HSE policy, research and guidance, at national and international forums involving other Government departments, professional bodies and trade associations. 

Person specification

Essential skills and criteria

To excel at this role, you will:

• Have in-depth knowledge and current practical experience in the field of noise and vibration and a proven track record of identifying control issues and solving problems.

• Use sound analytical skills to identify underlying gaps and challenge deficiencies in risk management, with a practical understanding of hazard identification and risk assessment techniques, such as taking/interpreting measurements and applying the hierarchy of principles for controlling exposure to noise and vibration.

• Apply initiative and decisiveness to influence organisations to bring about improvements, making sound decisions based on available and incomplete evidence, and writing clear, accurate and concise reports that present complex information in a way that is easy for others to understand.

• Build influential relationships, engaging with HSE colleagues at different levels and with employers and other partners including shop-floor workers, technical advisers and the most senior levels within an organisation.

• Maintain your professional competence within the noise and vibration discipline through relevant training, networking and continuing professional development.

• Prioritise and organise your work to deliver on time and to the expected quality, as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work. There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, the arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £52,045, Health and Safety Executive contributes £14,052 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Application information

As part of your application, you will be invited to complete a CV and 250 words detailing an example relating to the behaviour 'Managing a Quality
Service.'

You will also be asked to submit a Personal Statement of no more than 750 words that demonstrates how you meet the essential skills and criteria for the role.

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply 
and how to complete a personal statement https://www.civilservice-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/ 

Sift information

At sift, we will assess you on your CV, Personal Statement and your 250 words detailing an example relating to the behaviour 'Managing a Quality
Service.'

Sift will take place during the week commencing 17th June 2024.

Interview information

At interview, we will assess you against the behaviours and technical skills detailed within the advert.

As part of your interview, you will be required to deliver a 10 minute presentation. Further details of this will be sent out with your interview invite, if successful at sift.

Interviews will be held week commencing 1st July 2024.

AI Tools & Platforms

During the application process candidates are allowed to utilise AI (artificial intelligence) platforms and Tools to support them in writing their Behaviours, CV’s and Personal Statements. However, all information submitted must be factually accurate. This includes presenting the ideas and experience of others, or those generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. All presented information will be assessed at the Interview Stage. 

Further Information

Please note that sift dates and interview dates may be subject to change due to panel availability.

A reserve list will be held for the period of up to 12 months.

Sponsorship 

This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn. 

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached HSE Terms and Conditions document.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil 
Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy. 

HSE is proud to be a part of the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS). As a Disability Confident employer, we positively welcome applications from disabled people. We are committed to making workplace adjustments to ensure anyone can participate in the recruitment and selection process.

We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for all disabled applicants who provide evidence of meeting the minimum requirements necessary for the post. 

If, during the application or interview process, you require any assistance due to a disability or a medical condition, please contact us at the email address below to discuss how we can support you. For example if you have a disability, and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk

If successful in securing your role, HSE can provide suitable workplace adjustments to support you throughout your career with HSE. 

Any move to HSE from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at here

Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further; Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action. 

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a 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. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.