We’re a values-driven, charitable organisation on a mission to make a real difference in Sunderland. Every day, we provide more than 60,000 people with a place they’re proud to call home.
Our vision is clear: everyone deserves a good-quality home they can afford. We invest millions of pounds each year to keep our homes safe and decent, while also playing a part in tackling the UK housing crisis by building hundreds of modern, energy-efficient homes for rent right here in Sunderland.
If you share our passion for creating thriving communities and want to be part of something that truly matters, we’d love for you to join us and help achieve our vision.
If you have any accessibility needs or require adjustments, please let us know—we’re here to support you.
We may close this vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date if we receive a large number of applications. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible to ensure your application is considered.
£44,969.00
Make a real difference by helping colleagues work safely, confidently and well.
Are you passionate about creating safer, healthier workplaces and helping people confidently put health and safety into practice?
We’re looking for knowledgeable and approachable Health and Safety Advisors to join our Health, Safety, Risk and Assurance team.
You’ll provide practical advice, guidance and support to colleagues and managers across Gentoo, helping us meet our legal responsibilities and continually improve our health and safety performance. You’ll play an important role in promoting a positive safety culture where colleagues feel informed, supported and empowered to make good decisions.
This is a varied and visible role. You’ll work closely with teams across the organisation, visit our offices, depots and operational sites, and support the delivery of our wider health and safety strategy.
We believe in the power of collaboration and flexibility, so you can expect to spend time at our Sunderland office, across our operational locations and working flexibly where the role allows.
You’ll enjoy a 36-hour working week, Monday to Friday, with an early finish on Fridays and a great work-life balance.
We’re also proud to be Great Place to Work® certified and recognised as one of the UK’s Top 50 Best Workplaces™ 2026.
A full UK driving licence is required for this role.
As one of our Health and Safety Advisors, you’ll:
Provide clear, practical health and safety advice to managers and colleagues across Gentoo.
Support the development and delivery of our health and safety strategy and management system.
Build strong relationships with operational teams, helping them manage risks and improve safety within their services.
Carry out audits, inspections, site visits and health and safety conversations, providing constructive advice and challenge where needed.
Support colleagues to complete effective risk assessments and put appropriate control measures in place.
Help identify emerging risks, trends and opportunities for improvement.
Support investigations into incidents and recommend practical actions to prevent them from happening again.
Develop and deliver engaging health and safety training, briefings and awareness sessions.
Work collaboratively with colleagues, contractors, trade union safety representatives and other stakeholders.
Promote positive health and safety behaviours through coaching, engagement and everyday conversations.
We’re looking for candidates who can make health and safety clear, practical and relevant. You’ll be comfortable working with people at every level, offering support while also providing constructive challenge when needed.
You’ll need:
Strong knowledge of current health and safety legislation and recognised best practice.
A NEBOSH Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety Management.
A NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent qualification, or a willingness to work towards one.
Experience providing practical health and safety advice to operational teams.
Experience of audits, inspections, investigations and assurance activities.
Experience delivering health and safety training, inductions, briefings or engagement activities.
The ability to influence managers and colleagues and encourage positive safety behaviours.
Strong analytical skills, with the ability to identify trends and develop practical solutions.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
The confidence to communicate complex health and safety matters clearly to different audiences.
A full UK driving licence.
The role requires knowledge of property-related safety matters, including gas, fire, asbestos, legionella and mechanical and electrical safety. An understanding of the relationship between workplace safety, landlord responsibilities, customer safety and consumer regulation will also be important.
We’d also love you to have:
Experience working within social housing, property or another regulated environment.
Experience delivering face-fit testing or managing respiratory protective equipment programmes.
We may begin interviews before the closing date, so we encourage you to apply early.
We may close this vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date if we receive sufficient applications.
We encourage you to apply as soon as possible to ensure your application is considered.
Some of our great benefits include:
We are a values-led, charitable organisation that provides more than 60,000 people in Sunderland with a place they can call home.
We have a clear vision and a social purpose. We believe that everyone has the right to live in a good quality home that they can afford.
We invest millions of pounds every year to keep our existing homes safe and decent. We also play our part in helping to deal with the UK housing crisis by building hundreds of new, modern homes for rent in Sunderland.
