Senior Operations Safety and Compliance Officer
Location: Aylesbury
Overview
We are seeking a Senior Operational Safety and Compliance Officer to lead and strengthen health, safety and compliance across our Waste and Street Scene Services in the North of the County and across Buckinghamshire. This is a high-profile role at the heart of service delivery, ensuring our operations are safe, compliant, resilient and aligned with industry best practice.
You will play a pivotal role in promoting a positive safety culture, providing expert advice and assurance on operational risks, statutory compliance and safe working practices. Working closely with service managers, contractors and key stakeholders, you will lead safety improvement initiatives, support service transformation programmes and drive continuous improvement to protect our workforce, residents and communities.
This is an exciting opportunity to influence how essential public services are delivered, ensuring the highest standards of operational safety, regulatory compliance and service
About us
Our Communities directorate work across the county to deliver a number of the key customer facing services that our residents, businesses and visitors rely on every day. This includes collecting and disposing of waste, maintaining highways and managing country parks, leisure facilities and libraries. The customer is central to how we develop and deliver all of these services, which help promote our rich and vibrant culture.
Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.
About the role
As Senior Operational Safety and Compliance Officer, you will lead and manage a complex portfolio of operational safety, compliance and service improvement projects, ensuring the safe, efficient and compliant delivery of key service priorities. Supporting organisational, financial, procurement and operational objectives, you will play a pivotal role in driving continuous improvement, strengthening governance arrangements and promoting a positive safety culture across services.
Working closely with senior leaders, operational teams, contractors and external partners, you will provide expert advice and leadership on health and safety, compliance, risk management and service transformation initiatives. You will ensure that statutory obligations are met, best practice is embedded and that safety remains at the forefront of operational decision-making.
You will lead on the development, implementation and monitoring of policies, procedures and improvement programmes, proactively identifying and managing risks while ensuring robust governance and compliance frameworks are maintained.
In this role, you will:
- Lead and manage operational safety, compliance and service improvement programmes from inception through to successful delivery.
- Provide professional advice and guidance on health and safety legislation, compliance requirements and industry best practice.
- Ensure health, safety, environmental and regulatory considerations are embedded within all service planning, projects and operational activities.
- Develop and implement policies, procedures, business cases and improvement plans aligned to corporate and service priorities.
- Monitor compliance performance, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring corrective actions are implemented effectively.
- Establish effective governance, performance monitoring and reporting arrangements, providing clear updates on compliance, risks, incidents and key milestones.
- Produce high-quality dashboards, reports and presentations for senior management, Directors and Members.
- Lead investigations into incidents, near misses and compliance issues, identifying root causes and implementing preventative measures.
- Undertake audits, inspections and reviews to ensure compliance with legislative, regulatory and organisational requirements.
- Work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to promote safe working practices and effective risk management.
- Analyse complex operational, performance and compliance data to identify trends and recommend solutions that improve service delivery and safety outcomes.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability and operational safety excellence across services.
Fixed
As a ‘fixed’ worker, you’ll spend most of your time in the same location, which will likely be a fixed office or location where your role is performed. Typically, you’ll be based in the same location as the rest of your team, because you provide a particular service from that fixed location or need access to information there.
About you
You are an experienced leader with a strong background in health and safety, compliance, risk management, operational assurance, and service transformation within a large, complex organisation. You have a proven track record of delivering organisational change, improving performance, and ensuring services operate safely, efficiently, and in line with regulatory requirements.
You possess a thorough understanding of health and safety legislation, compliance frameworks, risk management principles, and industry best practice. Your experience includes conducting audits, inspections and incident investigations, as well as implementing effective corrective and preventative actions that drive continuous improvement.
A confident and credible communicator, you can build strong relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels. You are comfortable working collaboratively with operational teams, senior managers, elected members, contractors, trade unions, corporate services, external partners and regulatory bodies, providing both support and constructive challenge where required.
You have strong analytical skills and can interpret complex information, identify emerging risks and trends, and develop practical, evidence-based solutions. You are experienced in developing policies, procedures, business cases, performance reports and monitoring frameworks that improve service delivery and support strategic decision-making.
Professionally qualified with a NEBOSH General Certificate (or equivalent), you are committed to continuous professional development and ideally hold membership of a recognised professional body such as IOSH. You are passionate about promoting a positive culture of health, safety and wellbeing, whilst driving innovation, compliance and operational excellence.
This is a high-impact leadership role within the Waste and Street Scene senior management team. You will design, mobilise and deliver programmes that transform service delivery, improve efficiency and respond to evolving legislative, environmental and operational challenges. Working closely with operational leaders, corporate services, elected members and external partners, you will ensure programme outcomes align with council priorities and deliver measurable benefits for residents and communities.
No two days will be the same. From developing business cases and managing programme risks to leading stakeholder engagement, driving cultural change and delivering service improvements, you will thrive in a varied and fast-paced environment. You will also be flexible in your approach to working hours, recognising that operational requirements may occasionally require earlier starts or later finishes within the 37-hour working week.
Other information
Closing date: Wednesday 9th September 2026
Stage 1 interviews: 21 September2026 Successful candidates will then be invited back for a final stage interview.
Contact Head of North Waste Collection and Street Scene Services John Mooteealoo on [email protected]
This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:
- All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions
For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro
We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.
We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.
Our values and culture
We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.
By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:
- a fair and inclusive culture
- the chance to really make a difference to those around you
- health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
- a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
- ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
- opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events
At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.
From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.
We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.
About the Business Unit
Our Communities directorate works across the county to deliver a number of the key customer-facing services that our residents, businesses and visitors rely on every day.
This directorate includes a wide range of services, including:
- collecting and disposing of waste and recycling
- maintaining our roads and Rights of Way network and parking
- ensuring the delivery of school transport, and supporting sustainable travel including public bus services and School Crossing Patrollers
- managing Country Parks
- leisure facilities, museums, theatres and libraries, as well as developing our Cultural Strategy
- Licensing, Environmental Health and Trading Standards
- Cemeteries and Crematoria
The customer is central to how we develop and deliver all of these services, which help promote our rich and vibrant culture and special environment.
We are looking for enthusiastic, ambitious and committed individuals to join our team and help us to continue to make Buckinghamshire a great place to live, work and visit. This is an exciting time for us as we bring together the services previously run by five separate councils before Buckinghamshire Council was created. Whilst making major changes to contracts affecting residents across Bucks, we continue to focus on delivering great customer service. You will join us on our journey of continuous improvement - whether that’s through developing strategies and ways of working or delivering services on the ground, every person in Communities is a valued member of the team.
We recognise and reward you
Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.
https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/
