SHE Manager

SHE Manager

About us

The RNLI is a charity with the purpose to save lives at sea, with a vision to save every one. The RNLI provides a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service, lifeguards, fundraising, and drowning prevention. Our frontline lifesavers and fundraisers need a dedicated, professional and talented team behind them, and that is where you come in.

We’re looking for an experienced SHE Manager to join our RNLI Safety Team. This is an exciting and influential role, where you’ll provide support, guidance, training and assurance to those with Safety, Health and Environmental (SHE) responsibilities across the RNLI, helping to keep our people safe and our organisation compliant.

About the role

As a SHE Manager, you’ll play a key role in supporting leaders and teams across the organisation by providing expert SHE advice and guidance. You’ll work collaboratively at all levels, helping colleagues with SHE responsibilities to deliver effectively and confidently.

In this role, you will:

• Provide expert, credible SHE guidanceto leaders, managers, volunteers and teams, including on compliance, risk management and the RNLI Safety Management System.
• Lead and support organisational safety improvement, driving continuous improvement, resolving SHE issues, facilitating safety learning reviews and contributing to the RNLI Safety Community of Practice.
• Coordinate site‑level emergency preparedness, overseeing first aid and emergency response arrangements at Poole Campus as part of the Site Safety Group, liaising with fire risk assessors and other specialists.
• Promote a positive safety culture, engaging people across the organisation, delivering training and helping embed ourSafety Takes Couragenarrative.
• Support and lead SHE projects and change programmes, ensuring safety is integrated into organisational development.

About You

You’ll thrive in this role if you enjoy working as part of a large and sometimes dispersed team, understand the organisation‑wide impact of safety decisions, and are motivated by equipping others to deliver safely and effectively. The role is based at our Poole Lifesaving Support Centre, with occasional travel across the UK and Ireland, so a full driving licence is essential.

You will be qualified to Level 6 NVQ in Occupational Health & Safety (or equivalent) and ideally be a Chartered member of IOSH, supported by significant vocational experience.

To succeed, you’ll bring:

• Extensive experience in health and safety management within dynamic or complex environments.
• Strong capability in active risk management, safe systems of work, H&S training, assurance, compliance and policy.
• Proven experience leading teams or initiatives that deliver meaningful change, with the ability to problem‑solve and work independently.
• Excellent communication skills, able to brief senior leaders, managers and volunteers clearly and credibly.
• Sound judgement and the ability to make decisions that influence multiple teams or functions.

If you’re someone who can inspire, influence and adapt — with a positive, proactive approach in a dynamic environment — we’d love to hear from you.

If our people are at risk of harm, our lifesaving mission is at risk too. To learn more about how we make our people safer all round, search online for RNLI One Crew – One Plan 2026–2030.

The RNLI is a proud partner of the UK Armed Forces Covenant, a national pledge to ensure those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly.

Safeguarding

The RNLI is committed to safeguarding; protecting a person’s health, wellbeing, and human rights, enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment and have a zero-tolerance approach. The suitability of all prospective employees and volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment. This will include relevant criminal record checks being carried out dependent on the eligibility of the role. (England & Wales; DBS check, Scotland; Disclosure Scotland PVG, Northern Ireland; Access NI, Republic of Ireland; Garda Vetting; International, International Child Protection Certificate process).

Diversity at the RNLI

Our staff and volunteers have been saving lives at sea without prejudice for 200 years. We respect and value diversity of background, skills and perspectives within our teams, and consider it essential to help us deliver a world-class lifesaving service. We are an inclusive organisation and welcome applications from everyone. In addition to having the skills needed for the role, we also look for applicants who share our commitment to living our RNLI values (trustworthy, courageous, selfless, and dependable), and helping us work towards Our Vision: To save Every One.