About the job

Job summary

Diverse Perspectives and experiences are critical to our success, and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role. We look forward to receiving your application. 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.

At HSE, we work with one goal in mind – to help keep Britain’s workforce safe and healthy.

Our Offshore Human Factors (HF) safety specialists help one of Britain’s most hazardous – and essential – industries work safely and well. And in this role, you can utilise your considerable technical knowledge to influence not only individual employers but the whole of the offshore oil and gas industry.

A career with HSE gives you a unique opportunity to visit and interact with different and diverse employers and work activities, including those with minimal understanding of human factors and the benefits it can bring, not only to their employees, but their business as a whole

Job description

You’ll work alongside other technical specialists to optimise human and organisational performance to help improve safety across a wide range of activities within the UK offshore major hazard industries.

Your work will make the most of your experience and will see you influencing the offshore oil and gas industry through the application of behavioural science knowledge and techniques – whether that’s inspecting an offshore installation, helping an employer understand the right controls to have in place, or contributing to the development of industry policy and guidelines. As you can see this role will broaden your knowledge and your professional credibility like no other role can.

Together with the widest range of health and safety experts in Britain, you’ll be helping to protect thousands of people, whether that is from our offices or out on an offshore installation.

Inspections and investigations may take you to sites across Great Britain, including on offshore oil and gas installations, thus requiring regular travel and overnight stays. Part time working hours are available for this role. We can accept part time applicants who can commit to working a minimum of 30 hours per week.

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.

Specialist Training Programme (STP)

On joining HSE, all new specialist inspectors are required to complete a 2-year Specialist Training Programme (STP). This two-year programme comprises of both in depth legal training and assessments and any further technical training that may be required.

Person specification

Key responsibilities include;

• Inspect offshore installations as part of a multidisciplinary team, to make sure that risks are managed safely, driving improvements and gaining commitment to comply with health and safety law.
• Advise on HF matters by analysing how working conditions compare with minimum legal requirements and good practice.
• Analysis of human factors related concerns, accidents and reportable incidents to identify the root cause and where necessary, lead the technical aspect of the investigation, calling in other expert support and supporting legal enforcement action to prevent a recurrence.
• Provide expert opinion in reports to guide enforcement decisions.
• Appear as specialist/expert witness at tribunals, inquests and legal proceedings.
• Secure intelligence, share information and advice towards policy, research, and guidance to benefit other Government departments, the public, industry, professional bodies and trade associations.
• Contribute as a member of the HF team to promote Health and Safety improvements to national and international standards at various forums, and at relevant conferences.

Essential Skills and Criteria;

• Have substantial practical Human Factors experience within the offshore oil and gas industry.
• A practical understanding and experience in the following areas; human factors in risk assessment, safety critical task identification and analysis, accident investigation, prevention of maintenance error, human factors engineering/ human factors in design including control systems and alarm management, staffing levels and workload assessment, safety critical communications and fatigue and environmental effects on human performance.
• Understand Human Factor principles including Human Reliability Assessment (quantitative methodologies and integration into process safety risk assessment techniques such as LOPA and Bow-Tie analyses).
• Experience in the operation or safety appraisal of offshore or other major hazard technologies.
• Have good numerical skills with the ability to analyse quantitative data.
• In addition, you’ll have made some impact in your career so far making intelligent, measured decisions in your area, with good analytical skills to spot underlying issues. Communication is key in this role and you will be able to persuade and influence people at all levels. We value people who respect others, work well in a team and can build robust relationships with employers and other stakeholders.
• You must be able to satisfy the UK offshore medical & survival training requirements.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £66,657, Health and Safety Executive contributes £17,997 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 a personal statement of up to 1250 words which demonstrates how you meet the essential skills and criteria of the job advert.

Application Guidance

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

Sift information

At Sift you will be assessed on your CV and your statement of suitability. The Sift will take place date/week commencing 15th January.

Interview information

Interviews will take place from week commencing 29th January onwards.

At interview, you will be assessed against the behaviours detailed within the advert. In addition, we will assess you on your technical skills against the GSE framework ‘building and applying Human Factors knowledge‘ for these technical skills during the selection process:

• Applying knowledge
• Developing and maintaining expertise

Please note that these dates could be subject to change.

Further Information

Please note that a Reserve List will be held for the period of up to 12 months.

Due to the nature of security checks undertaken, applicants must have 3 years continuous residency in the UK up to the date of the application and, Home Office approval for indefinite leave to remain within the UK.

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 document. 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 here

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

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. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.