Job Description

Pay £19.81-£21.50ph depending on skills and experience

Shift Available: Mon-Fri 0800-1630

The role

In this newly created, hands-on role, you will be the driving force behind safety across our national network of six Regional Service Centres and our Recycle Centre. Reporting to the Distribution Operations Safety Manager, you’ll lead a dedicated team of safety technicians and coordinators to ensure our teams work in the safest environment possible. Your focus will be on delivering our national safety plan, turning strategy into action, and building a culture where safety is everyone’s priority. Whether you’re based at Redhouse or travelling to our various sites, you’ll have the full support of our senior management team and access to continuous professional development to help you lead our safety operations into the future.

What you'll take on

• Drive safety standards by implementing and monitoring H&S systems across all Regional Service Centres to reduce incidents and accidents.
• Lead a specialist team of safety technicians and environment coordinators, providing clear direction and support to ensure daily operational excellence.
• Conduct site walkthroughs to identify hazards and implement practical control measures for staff, visitors, and contractors.
• Manage incident investigations, performing root cause analysis and reporting key statistics to General Managers and H&S leadership.
• Oversee site facilities and MHE, managing the manual handling equipment fleet, MHE damage analysis, and site consumables budgets.
• Collaborate with internal partners to gain "buy-in" at all levels, ensuring a proactive approach to safety and environmental regulations.
• Coordinate minor site projects, including cosmetic enhancements, repairs, and pest control services.

What you'll bring

• Technical expertise: You hold a NEBOSH Certificate (or equivalent) and have a solid background in health and safety within a fast-paced distribution or warehouse environment.
• Leadership skills: You are a natural people manager who can lead by example, coaching your team to hit their targets while maintaining high standards.
• Great communication: You can influence and engage with people at all levels, from warehouse operatives to senior stakeholders, even during difficult conversations.
• An organised mindset: You’re comfortable managing budgets and complex workloads, with the ability to prioritise tasks in a busy operational setting.
• A proactive approach: You use your initiative to seek out improvements, solve problems, and implement change effectively.
• Flexibility: As this is a national role, you have a full UK driving licence and are happy to travel to our different sites to stay connected with the operation.

You know Next, but did you know we’re a FTSE-100 retail company employing over 44,000 people across the Next group. We’re the UK’s 2nd largest fashion retailer and for Kidswear we’re the market leader. At the last count we have over 450 stores, plus the Next Online and it’s now possible to buy on-line from over 80 countries around the world! So we’ve gone global!