Health and Safety Support Officer

Job description

British Antarctic Survey
Health and Safety Support Officer
BAS 26/88
Contract type Fixed-Term Contract - 23 months
Location BAS Cambridge
Salary £32,315 - £34,560 per annum, pro rata
Closing date 18 November 2026
Interview date 13 January 2027

Purpose
The role of the H&S Support Officer is to maintain and enhance the quality of the BAS Safety Management System (SMS). The data, workflows, and processes within the SMS are critical to its effectiveness, and this role provides day-to-day oversight and action management to ensure the system remains fully functional, accurate and up to date.
The overall objective of the role is to ensure that information is consistently audit-ready, support compliance visits, and provides confidence in BAS assurance activities.

Duties
• Maintain and administer the BAS Safety Management System (SMS), including document control, quality checking new and revised documents, maintaining the H&S Digital Workspace, and following up with document owners where issues arise.
• Manage and support health and safety administrative processes within the BAS Maximo asset management system, including compliance records, workflows, reporting functionality, and identifying opportunities to improve automation and compliance tracking.
• Administer BAS health and safety e-learning and online training systems, including DSE, fire safety, manual handling, chemical safety and other mandatory training. Ensure personnel are assigned appropriate training, monitor completion rates, and respond to related queries.
• Support ISO 45001 activities, including audit planning, data gathering, monitoring corrective actions, maintaining records, and supporting internal and external audits.
• Gather, collate and analyse health and safety data to support monthly, quarterly and annual reporting requirements for BAS, NERC and UKRI management.
• Monitor and track health and safety actions arising from audits, inspections, safety meetings, incident investigations and other assurance activities, ensuring timely completion and closure.
• Facilitate the BAS Overseas Travel Form process, ensuring risk assessments are completed and approved by management prior to travel.
• Coordinate and support the delivery of occupational health and safety training, inductions and awareness activities, including Cambridge H&S inductions and internal and external training events.
• Determine and monitor First Aid at Work requirements for BAS Cambridge and Bar Hill, the Falklands Office, ships and research stations, ensuring adequate first aid provision is maintained.
• Manage health and safety equipment and programmes, including calibration and administration of personal CO monitors.
• Management of the DSE/safety glasses voucher scheme.
• Produce and distribute safety communications and lessons learned materials to promote continual improvement and safety awareness.
• Raise purchase orders and support procurement activities associated with health and safety services, equipment, PPE and training.
• Provide administrative and operational support to the BAS Health and Safety Team and assist with information gathering for audits, inspections, investigations and other assurance activities as required.

Skills, Qualifications, and Experience
Essential
• Experience and good working knowledge of information management systems.
• NEBOSH certificate or similar.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office, SharePoint and other databases.
• Proficient in written and spoken English language.
• Good communication skills.
• Works well in a team environment.
• Attention to detail and management of quality.
• Previous experience of working in quality management activities.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to manage multiple complex tasks and projects simultaneously.
• A high level of personal resilience and the ability to work independently or as part of a team.

Desirable
• Good presentation skills.
• Experience in delivering training.
• Previous experience with management systems such as ISO45001/14001 OR 9001.

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

Employees applying for any opportunity which may mean being away from your substantive role for a temporary period of time, please refer to the UKRI Internal Movement Guidance for further information in the first instance. If you are made an offer, please ensure you liaise with your Line Manager and your HR Team as soon as possible in order that implications of any move are clear and understood, prior to a move taking place.About Us
UKRI - UK Research and Innovation
UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.

Supporting some of the world's most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.

More information can be found at www.ukri.org .

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI .

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit 'How we support EDI in the workforce'.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, any candidate who opts into the scheme and best meets the essential criteria, will be shortlisted for interview. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion - a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be rejected and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

As part of the pre-employment checks there is a requirement to undergo Baseline Personnel Security Screening. BPSS is a pre-condition of employment and failure to achieve it may mean that the employment offer is rescinded. UKRI reserves the right to run, or re-run, security clearance as required during the course of employment.About the Team
British Antarctic Survey (BAS) delivers and enables world-leading interdisciplinary research in the Polar Regions. Our skilled science and support staff based in Cambridge, Antarctica and the Arctic, work together to deliver research that uses the Polar Regions to advance our understanding of Earth as a sustainable planet. Through our extensive logistic capability and know how BAS facilitates access for the British and international science community to the UK polar research operation. Numerous national and international collaborations, combined with an excellent infrastructure help sustain a world leading position for the UK in Antarctic affairs. British Antarctic Survey is a component of theNatural Environment Research Council (NERC).NERCis part of UK Research and Innovation www.ukri.org

We employ experts from many different professions to carry out our Science as well as keep the keep the lights on, feed the research and support teams and keep everyone safe! If you are looking for an opportunity to work with amazing people in one of the most unique places in the world, then British Antarctic Survey could be for you. We aim to attract the best people for those jobs.British Antarctic Survey | Salary: £32,315 to £34,560 per annum | Fixed-Term Contract- 23 Months | Closing date 18 November 2026 | Interview date 13 January 2027