AMS PSR

On behalf of HSE, we are looking for a Senior Policy Advisor Inside IR35 for a 3 month contract based Hybrid Working (2/3 days per week in Bootle or London Office and remaining WFH).

At the Health and Safety Executive, we believe everyone has the right to come home safe and well from their job. Our mission is to prevent work-related death, injury, and ill health.

Our roots stretch back to 1833. The modern HSE is an independent regulator with a wide reach across many employment sectors. Using world leading science, we have helped protect millions of people from devasting injury and suffering through our diverse regulatory activities.

We concentrate effort on the most serious risks, targeting industries with the greatest hazards, and sectors with the worst risk management record. We hold people to account where we have to, and we are firm but fair when using our legal powers. We also provide support to businesses through free guidance and advice tailored to business needs. By giving them the confidence to manage risks sensibly, we boost productivity, support the economy, and contribute to a fairer society. We work hard to help maintain an effective regulatory framework, playing our part in providing proportionate and accountable legal requirements.

The world of work is always changing. We use science to understand these changes. And that understanding helps us all prepare for the workplaces of tomorrow... so Great Britain continues to be one of the safest and best places to work and do business.

Job summary 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is establishing the new Building Safety Regulator (BSR) with the intention of keeping high-rise buildings safe and enabling people to feel safe within their homes. Working with residents and industry to make sure everybody has a voice, BSR will oversee changes to the safety and performance of all buildings and raise industry professional standards year on year. BSR will serve as a lasting tribute to those who have lost their lives due to poor and substandard buildings and will help ensure tragedies of such proportions as Grenfell are consigned to the past. Over the coming years, as the powers of BSR increase, we will continue to build our team.

Building Safety Division / MHCLG: 

The government announced on 30 June 2025 that the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is to become an Executive Agency of Ministry for Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) and will be moved out of HSE. This is the natural next step in the development of the regulator and was always a likely outcome once BSR was established. Any successful candidates recruited to this vacancy will initially be onboarded to HSE, with a move to the new Executive Agency to be undertaken in due course.

Job description 

As part of the Government’s response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy HSE is establishing a new Building Safety Regulator (BSR). The development and implementation of the legislative framework and operational arrangements to create the BSR offer a unique opportunity to contribute to, and experience working in, an exciting and high-profile area of Government policy that aims to ensure that people living in high-risk buildings (HRBs) are both safe and feel safe.

You will need to work flexibly, often at pace, in line with the demands of the policy area you are working in to ensure that HSE interests and priorities are met. You will have the opportunity to help develop policy and processes in emerging areas of work. You will also be involved in reviewing and, if necessary, amending existing practices and processes to ensure they best support HSEs and Government’s wider objectives.

To succeed you will need to quickly establish credibility with both HSE colleagues and a range of external stakeholders by developing a good understanding of the underpinning policy, regulatory frameworks, technical and legislative issues and by maintaining and developing collaborative networks The high-profile nature of HSE’s policy work and the rapid pace of activity coupled with working with uncertainty is particularly challenging. This will require you to be, creative and confident to raise issues to help keep projects moving forward. You will need to work well as part of a team, building an understanding of overall objectives and priorities so you can co-ordinate your work effectively with others, identifying common interests and opportunities for collaboration.

You will be expected to travel to meetings with stakeholders in the UK to build and maintain these relationships. This may sometimes be at short notice and involve occasional overnight stays. At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office.

The main duties and responsibilities of the Senior Policy Advisor would be to:

• Work as part of a team to support the development of evidence-based policy proposals, including contributing to the preparation of high-quality advice and briefing to HSE senior management and Ministers;
• Support the delivery of the projects and workstreams associated with residents engagement, through planning and managing your work so you can work effectively with others to meet agreed objectives and timescales;
• Work effectively with colleagues in other government departments and other key stakeholders to provide advice and represent HSE’s interests;
• Develop and maintain a network of contacts and work collaboratively and inclusively to ensure that policy proposals are joined up with related policy programmes across HSE and wider Government.
• The work requires a flexible approach and someone who is ready to take on new challenges and areas of work when needed.
• Get to grips quickly with new information and to understand not just the technical and legal aspects but the implications for HSE, to demonstrate your analyses are well-informed but also to ensure your findings stand up to scrutiny.
• Work quickly and to be able to communicate purpose and direction and someone who enjoys the challenge of achieving objectives through mutually beneficial relationships with a diverse stakeholder community.

Essential:

• Effective communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders to help shape outcomes
• Sound analytical skills to identify underlying issues
• Ability to make sound recommendations based on evidence
• Good organisational and planning skills
• The ability to work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary team, maintaining positive working relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders
• The ability to write effectively and present complex information in a clear and concise way for non-technical audiences
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, producing concise and accurate drafts of briefings, reports and submissions etc.
• Experience of, or ability to engage with, technical experts and material in developing policy recommendations

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident 

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, HSE guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant 

HSE guarantees to interview veterans or spouses / partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates / military spouses or partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".