Accommodation & Commercial Services

Grade 8: - £42,149 - £50,296 per annum
Open-Ended/Permanent - Full Time
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 07-Feb-2022, 7:59:00 AM

Job Family: Business Process and People Services

Job Title: Health and Safety Business Partner (Biological, Chemical and Radiation) (Two Posts)
Responsible to: Head of Health and Safety Service
Grade: Grade 8
Contract type: Permanent
Working arrangements: Full-time, Nominal 35 hours

Role purpose

The Health and Safety Business Partner (Biological, Chemical and Radiation) will provide University-wide, specialist, professional, frontline health and safety services across all areas, as part of a team.

Core responsibilities

• Provide expert, professional health and safety expertise, advice, guidance and support, and problem-solving skills.
• Act as recognised practitioner within health and safety, shaping activities, processes and systems.
• Responsible for operational activity across different areas.
• Oversight of short-term or temporary project teams/strands, taking responsibility for decision making as appropriate.
• Engage with key stakeholders and internal and external contractors to influence opinion, delivery and reputation of services.
• Act as specialist point of contact dealing with complexity of data and information sources, interpretation and analysis.
• Significant input into the scoping and resource planning across a range of activities at operational and possibly strategic level.
• Carry out project scoping, initiation, planning and implementation for large-scale/University-wide initiatives.
• Responsible for shaping the development and learning of others outside of team, through the design and delivery of training sessions.
• Lead on the design, implementation and monitoring of policy and quality standards, procedures and systems ensuring effective working and continuous improvement.
• Promote and develop a deep understanding of organisational policy and external developments.
• Promote the improvement and efficiency of health and safety services by implementing and managing reviews and improvement procedures.
• Ensure all activities, processes and transactions are accounted for accurately and promptly to meet regulatory and professional service and policy standards.
• Implement processes to manage the integrity and security of all commercially and professionally sensitive and personal data.
• Lead internal business meetings, working groups and sub-committees at operational service level to influence governance, organisational policy and standards for the service.

Role responsibilities

• Act as the lead specialist on all Biological, Chemical and Radiation matters, including liaising with all relevant enforcement authorities and other expert practitioners, in respect of Biological, Chemical and Radiation safety.
• Manage quality and regulatory audit process for health and safety services over-arching systems and procedures.
• Work with team members, stakeholders and Trade Union representatives to build and maintain excellent working relationships.
• Contribute to operational leadership teams and decision making to shape the nature and level of support services.
• Provide professional guidance to stakeholders regarding health and safety.
• Lead and deliver professional development and support initiatives that would apply across the University.
• Produce communications for promoting health and safety, and providing regular reports to key stakeholders and committees, designing and structuring information and facts, applying creative and innovative principles to influence and engage.
• Deliver professional expertise with Health and Safety Executive investigations; making recommendations and identifying priorities to develop business plans and achieve business outcomes and objectives.
• Maintain an oversight of the service and performance metrics to provide reports for higher level managers and committees.
• Represent the Health and Safety Service at a wide range of meetings and committees.
• Develop external relations and networks, identify and develop opportunities for communities of practice, employers, alumni and donors via extra-curricular activities and increased levels of participation.
• Provide or coordinate occupational hygiene monitoring, as required.
• Receive information on, and investigate, incidents and accidents, formulating and implementing any follow-up actions.
• Undertake risk assessments and health and safety inspections.
• Resolve health and safety matters, with minimal direct oversight.
• Ensure that all necessary notifications, risk assessments and licence applications, relating to work with pathogenic biological agents, genetically modified organisms, or organisms that represent a hazard to agriculture or the environment are carried out appropriately; and that all necessary statutory registrations are obtained.
• Act as the lead contact for the University’s Radiation Protection Adviser(s).
• Any other reasonable duties.

Specific role requirements

• May be required to work evenings and weekends, as business demands.
• There may be a requirement for the post-holder to participate in local on-call arrangements, as relevant to this role.
• Attend all training and development, as required.

Hybrid Working Arrangements

At Durham, we recognise that our staff and students are our greatest asset and we want to support the health and wellbeing of all. Hybrid working supports this ethos and provides many benefits to our colleagues, including empowering people, where their role allows, to work in a manner which is more suitable for them, whilst encouraging our commitment to environmental sustainability.

Depending on the needs of the business and the job role, Durham University is piloting hybrid working for all Professional Services colleagues in the academic year 2021/2022, which may include the opportunity to work both on and off campus and to flex working hours. If appointed to the post, your line-manager will discuss the specific arrangements with you. Any hybrid arrangements are non-contractual and may change within the pilot and when the pilot ends.

Reward and Benefits

To support the delivery of the University's People Strategy to attract, retain and reward the very best, we offer a fantastic range of rewards and benefits to our staff, including:

• 30 days annual leave, plus 4 customary days and 8 bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time) and the option to purchase additional leave
• Automatic enrolment into a pension scheme
• Corporate and local discounts
• Wellbeing resources and discounted health benefits
• Health discounts on sports and activities at Maiden Castle Health and Activity Centre
• Reward and Recognition Schemes
• Personal and career development
• And SO much more!

Recruiting to this post

In order to be considered for the role, candidates must be able to evidence, in the CV, covering letter, application questions, or interview, each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification (including those listed in the section ‘Realising Your Potential Approach’).

In some cases, the recruiting panel may also consider the desirable criteria, so we recommend you evidence all criteria in your application.

Please note that some criteria will only be considered at interview stage.

How to apply

We prefer to receive applications online.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.dur.ac.uk/ig/dp/privacy/pnjobapplicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

What you are required to submit

1. A CV.
2. A covering letter, clearly demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria and the realising your potential approach criteria.

Please ensure that you submit the documentation listed above or your application will not be considered.

Contact details

For further information please contact: Andy Mulligan, andrew.mulligan@durham.ac.uk.

At Durham University, our aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force, including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.

Person specification - skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience required

Essential Criteria

1. Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
2. Proven IT skills, including use of Microsoft Office and Office 365.
3. Educated to degree level, or equivalent, in a relevant discipline (laboratory-based science degree), or relevant equivalent experience working in a similar environment.
4. NEBOSH Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety, or equivalent.
5. Chartered Safety and Health Practitioner, such as CMIOSH or CFIOSH, or equivalent or in some circumstances, working towards an equivalent, may be accepted.
6. Professional practitioner with specialist up-to-date health and safety law knowledge and expertise used to influence events and activities within the organisation.
7. Continuing professional development required to maintain professional recognition.
8. Extensive post-qualification health and safety practice experience.
9. Extensive experience of undertaking research in a laboratory based science discipline
10. Experience in undertaking and reviewing scientific research risk assessments, including biological, GM and chemical.
11. Experience in submitting necessary notifications, risk assessments and license applications relating to work with pathogenic biological agents and genetically modified organisms
12. Experience in acting as the lead specialist contact for relevant enforcement authorities in respect of BCR health and safety.
13. Knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines.
14. Experience of providing specialist health and safety advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues, including more senior colleagues.
15. Ability to contribute to planning at operational and strategic levels.
16. Experience of being able to network effectively and develop strong and productive working relationships, to influence perceptions of the University.
17. Experience of undertaking, and the ability to understand and assess, scientific and technical content of research risk assessments.
18. Ability to apply the principles of good practice in health and safety risk management to unusual and non-standard problems, proposing practical and proportionate solutions.
19. Practical experience of developing and implementing health and safety management systems.
20. Experience of auditing health and safety management systems against a recognised standard.

Desirable Criteria

1. Experience of working as a radiation protection supervisor or similar
2. Confident and engaging trainer.
3. Demonstrable, relevant, previous experience working in a large complex organisation.
4. Experience of applying health and safety practice in a higher education institution or similar research environment.

Realising Your Potential Approach

Providing Leadership and Direction: seeing the work that you do in the context of the bigger picture and taking a long-term view. Communicating vision clearly and enthusiastically to inspire and motivate others.

1. Not losing sight of the vision in dealing with day-to-day pressures.
2. Breaking down ‘silo’ thinking and encouraging an organisation-wide perspective.

Working Together: working co-operatively with others in order to achieve objectives. Applying a wide range of interpersonal skills.

1. Working across boundaries to develop relationships with other teams.
2. Reflecting the principles of a responsible organisation and the organisation values in dealing with people and conducting business.

Achieving Results: planning and organising workloads to ensure that deadlines are met within resource constraints. Consistently meeting objectives and success criteria.

1. Critically evaluating the success of projects; disseminating lessons that can be learned.
2. Being effective in gaining buy-in without direct authority.

The Department

The Estates and Facilities Directorate provides a number of essential services to Durham University and is responsible for managing, maintaining and developing the infrastructure and building fabric of the various campuses, including:

• maintaining and regularly reviewing a maintenance programme which takes account of short, medium and long term needs of all buildings and University grounds;
• implementing the works identified and funded within the various maintenance programmes and operating a system for dealing with day-to day requirements, including the provision of an out-of-hours emergency service;
• providing a professional, technical service to the University for the design, construction and procurement of new buildings and adaptation works to existing buildings;
• identifying and recording the use of space and advising on ways of increasing space utilisation;
• property and asset management;
• acquisition and disposal of built environment related assets;
• procuring and managing utilities and services;
• providing postal, delivery and security arrangements and advice to the University; and
• delivering a wide-range of customer-facing services, including: contract management; estates and facilities relationships management; housekeeping and cleaning, business resilience, event management; reception helpdesk; university retail; business support; health and safety; and management information.

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.