Job Purpose / Overview
The HSE Manager is the custodian of Fidra Energy's operational Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) culture for Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) assets.

The role is accountable not only for developing the operational HSE Management System, but for ensuring that HSE requirements are embedded, understood, applied, and continuously improved throughout the full operational lifecycle of the assets.

The HSE Manager will join during construction to prepare the site for operations, ensuring that all operational HSE systems, controls, competencies, and documentation are ready for handover, and that safety expectations established pre-operation are sustained and reinforced once the site becomes operational.

Construction HSE remains the responsibility of the EPC / Principal Contractor; however, this role is responsible for ensuring alignment between construction practices and future operational safety, maintainability, and environmental performance.

Contextual Information

Operating Environment

The HSE Manager has overall accountability for the safety leadership and strategy of the Thorpe Marsh and West Burton C BESS, and potential future projects.

The HSE Manager is responsible for developing, embedding, and sustaining Fidra Energy's safety culture, ensuring that policies and procedures translate into consistent behaviours, decision-making, and operational discipline across all sites and contractors.

The HSE Manager will report to the Station Director and be based at the Fidra Technical and Engineering hub at Thorpe Marsh BESS project. Travel across the UK will be required.

Principal Accountabilities

Build and Embed the Operational HSE Framework

• Create, own, and embed a comprehensive Operational HSE Management System that is actively applied in day-to-day operations and continually refined based on operational experience, incidents, near misses, and regulatory change compliant with:
• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
• MHSWR 1999
• Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
• PUWER, LOLER, COSHH, DSEAR
• Environmental Permitting Regulations & UK environmental guidance (PPG/GPP)
• Produce all core operational policies, procedures, and safe systems of work, including:
• H&S Policy and Environmental Policy
• Permit-to-Work System
• LOTO (Lockout-Tagout) procedures
• Operational risk assessment processes
• Emergency Response Plan (including BESS fire/thermal runaway scenarios)
• Incident reporting & investigation procedure
• Waste management procedure and Duty of Care compliance
• Environmental monitoring & reporting processes
• Site security management strategy
• Safety Document compliance processes (including electrical safety documentation)
• Operational Routines compliance framework (scheduled checks, safety routines, and statutory tasks)Act as the visible owner of the operational HSE framework, ensuring it is consistently applied by site teams, contractors, and partners - not treated as a purely document-based system.
• Establish feedback loops so that operational learning directly informs updates to HSE procedures, training, and controls.

Operational Readiness Phase (Advisory Role During Construction)

The HSE Manager is advisory only and does not manage construction HSE.

Key duties:

• Review RAMS (Risk Assessment & Method Statements) provided by EPC/contractors to ensure operational alignment and future maintainability.
• Review O&M manuals, commissioning plans, and as-built documentation for HSE compliance.
• Prepare operational risk assessments, COSHH assessments, and SSOWs ahead of handover.
• Design the operational environmental management system, including:
• Waste management compliance
• Spill response
• Noise, air quality and pollution controls
• Environmental compliance logs and reporting templates
• Develop a site security strategy covering access control, perimeter security, CCTV, intrusion detection, and emergency access.
• Challenge construction-phase practices that may introduce future operational safety, environmental, or maintainability risks, ensuring these are addressed prior to handover where reasonably practicable.
• Establish competency, training, and induction requirements for future site staff and contractors, ensuring expectations are clearly set and aligned to Fidra's operational safety culture from day one.
• Plan all operational routines and statutory checks (e.g., HV routine inspections, fire system testing, emergency lighting, environmental sampling).

Handover & Operational Phase

Once the site becomes operational, responsibilities include:

• Act as the operational HSE authority on site, providing visible leadership, challenge, and intervention where standards or behaviours fall short.
• Implementing all HSE procedures developed during readiness.
• Lead incident reporting, investigation, and learning processes, ensuring outcomes drive behavioural change, procedural updates, and sustained risk reduction - not just compliance closure.
• Conducting and maintaining operational risk assessments and SSOWs.
• Own and enforce the Permit-to-Work system, including assurance of quality, field compliance, and appropriate challenge of unsafe or poorly controlled work.
• Monitoring waste streams and ensuring compliance with Waste Duty of Care, SWMP (if required), and licensed disposal requirements.
• Completing environmental reporting, including emissions, waste, spills, and regulator-required submissions.
• Ensuring full compliance with Safety Documents, including electrical authorisations, switching documentation, and safe access/working controls.
• Monitoring and enforcing Operational Routines compliance, ensuring all scheduled checks (e.g., HV/LV equipment, fire systems, emergency equipment) are completed and documented.
• Leading site security oversight, reviewing logs, security vendor performance, and incident trends.
• Acting as the main point of contact for regulators (HSE, EA, Fire Service, local authority).
• Build an ISO 45001 and ISO 14001-aligned framework ready for future certification.
• Drive continuous improvement in safety performance through trend analysis, audits, and lessons learned programmes.
• Ability to embed a strong safety culture through visible leadership, coaching, and constructive challenge - including the confidence to stop work where necessary.
• Ability to balance operational delivery with uncompromising safety and environmental standards.

This list is not exhaustive:

Dimensions

• Direct reports - 0

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications & Experience

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong working knowledge of CDM 2015, UK environmental regulation, and best-practice safety management.
• Ability to lead incident investigations using UK-recognised methodologies (e.g., 5 Whys, TapRooT, root-cause analysis).
• Good understanding of BESS safety risks and HV/LV electrical safety.
• Confident communicator with contractors, EPC partners, and regulatory bodies.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Qualifications & Experience

Essential

• NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent Level 6 qualification.
• Minimum NEBOSH Construction or General Certificate.
• IEMA or environmental management training desirable.
• First Aid at Work, Fire Safety, and Environmental Management (IEMA) qualifications advantageous.
• Strong experience developing operational HSE systems in energy, utilities, renewables, or industrial environments.
• Demonstrated experience writing and implementing HSE procedures and management systems from scratch.
• Experience with risk assessment, RAMS review, and operational compliance systems.
• Strong environmental management knowledge including waste and regulatory reporting.

Desirable

• IOSH membership (GradIOSH or CMIOSH preferred).
• HV/LV safety training advantageous.

Key Competencies

• Visible and proactive safety leadership.
• Strong organisational, auditing, and reporting capabilities.
• Ability to influence across contractor and client teams.
• Practical problem-solving approach with robust understanding of UK HSE legal duties.