The Head of Safety will be responsible for providing professional health and safety leadership within itsu and to all levels – from shop teams, Academy teams to the Managing Director.

The Head of Health & Safety will improve performance through the implementation of health and safety management systems current standards and legislation.

They will successfully design, deliver and maintain a health and safety programme to positively drive a safety culture across the business, as well as ensuring the timely delivery of associated underpinning health and safety management action plans and programmes.

They will oversee the consistency of the delivery of health and safety training measure and identify and solve significant issues

They will help itsu ensure its people, its food, its customers, its contractors and its brand are suitably and reasonably protected through the consistent and effective delivery of high standards of Health and Safety, Food Hygiene and Fire Safety.

They will require an excellent understanding of health & safety, food safety and their implications on the business. The Head of Health & Safety has a sound understanding and experience of proactively identifying change and risk in key areas of Hygiene and Safety. They will require to implement and manage change.

They are accountable for the development and implementation of systems, processes and controls across all areas of all Health and Safety and Food Safety within itsu and for ensuring that controls remain monitored, relevant as well as commercially appropriate.

The Head of Health & Safety supports and enables the shop teams and senior operators to deliver and manage the Health and Safety, Food Hygiene and Fire Safety practices and procedures, helping to protect and uphold itsu’s reputation and brand.

In line with itsu’s values, the Head of Safety will consistently lead, support and grow their team.

role responsibility

• Act as the responsible and accountable Person for all health and safety and food safety matters across itsu by identifying and responding to current legal and best practice requirements
• Be the guardian of itsu’s standards, policies and procedures and the technical subject matter expert for health and safety and food safety.
• Initiate and oversee the Health and safety leadership programme across the business
• Set the strategic direction for health and safety management and appropriate workplace programmes for itsu employees (first aid, Fire Marshall, etc.)
• Constantly review and develop all aspects of itsu’s health, safety policies and activity, and ensure that it is implemented consistently across the business.
• Monitor, evaluate and review existing, new and upcoming health and safety legislation and ensure that itsu has systems and procedures in place to meet legal compliance and all other requirements.
• Responsible for the implementation of the legislation on providing allergen information and best practice for handling allergens [October 2021]
• Work proactively with stakeholders and other key employees to develop and maintain a programme of continuous improvement in the management of health & safety within their areas of responsibility through safety data management.
• Manage and work very closely with the Health and Safety Manager and safety auditors to ensure compliance requirements are being controlled, documented and maintained in accordance with regulations, guidelines and standards, always staying legally compliant.
• Ensure that risk assessment and incident management systems are in place and followed across the business mindful of all new initiatives, product launches, new equipment etc.
• Liaise and work together with the People Team on health and safety issues particularly where a risk/need has been identified which require their involvement and support
• Review, oversee and undertake audits in stores and ensure an action plan with SMART objectives is established to address issues identified.
• Ensure coaching is regularly taking place in shops to support the teams achieve the agreed standards [coaching visits + detailed action plan]
• Proactively maintain and communicate with itsu’s primary authority for all relevant matters but also by managing relationships/partnerships with the relevant third parties.
• Identify, provide and/or procure effective health and safety-related training by working closely with the L&D Department.
• Manage, support, coach and develop the Health and Safety Manager and safety Auditors to support the delivery of the strategy including equipping them with the necessary & mandatory knowledge and skills
• Ensure that significant operational and reputational risks are identified at an early stage and for advising the Directors on appropriate mitigation
• Ensure that Safety and Shop Operations remain constantly aligned to the safety strategy
• Build and maintain effective & positive relationships with the various itsu Departments to ensure the inclusion and consideration of safety standards in all we do
• Remain proactively innovative by constantly reviewing processes and trends to ensure itsu always leads in the Health & Safety and Food Safety areas
• Ensure that itsu Health & Safety, Food Safety and Fire Safety requirements are also met through:

• Accident Investigation
  • Undertaking accident investigation in accordance with the accident investigation procedures and report on findings and actions required.  Reporting RIDDOR accidents accurately and in time
  • Foreign Body Complaints Investigation

• Foreign body complaints
  • Undertaking foreign body complaints originating from shops and liaise with the Operations team, customer service support team and when relevant, our customers.
  • Reporting on findings and any necessary corrective actions

• Allegation of Food Poisoning Investigation
  • Undertaking allegation of food poisoning complaints originating from shops and liaise with the Operations team
  • Reporting on findings and any necessary corrective actions
  • Manage through to resolution all feedbacks, complaints and issues related to H&S and Food Safety [customers, employees, suppliers, contractors, legal bodies and any other 3^rd party]

• Responding to EHO visits
  • Ensuring that all EHO visits are followed up. Maintaining the EHO Inspection Database and close out all letters to the relevant authorities.

• Responding to Support Requests
  • Providing support as requested to Shops and Ops in relation to any safety matters

scope of the role

• Have a minimum of 6+ years’ experience in a senior health and safety role with experience in the food sector
• Strong project management skills
• Motivated self-starter
• Excellent team player
• Commercially aware
• Passionate about safety
• Dynamic, collaborative and agile
• Willing to be hands-on in a very lean organization
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience in communicating and influencing at all levels of an organization
• Experience in managing, leading and upskilling a team
• Excellent track record of driving and implementing change
• Strong analytical skills
• Great assertiveness and ability to act swiftly
• Hold recognised environmental health, food safety, and/or safety qualification and be (or eligible to be) a member of a recognised professional body.

You put people at the heart of everything you do by displaying the 4 itsu qualities:

• I take pride[ in what I do]
• I genuinely care [for people]
• I want to grow [myself & others]
• I build trust [around me]

things we like:

• Listeners
• Empathisers
• Commercial thinkers
• Challenging minds
• Critical friends
• Team players
• Creatives
• Those who have people at the forefront of their mind
• Those who think shop first 

the ideal candidate

• Private medical insurance
• Company pension scheme 
• Group income protection
• Life assurance
• Health cash plan
• Commuters club
• 34 days holidays
• Employee assistance program
• Critical illness scheme
• Food allowance 
• Discounts at major retailers

   

perks and benefits

itsu is a healthy eating, Asian inspired food brand with over 70 shops in the UK and a thriving grocery wholesale business, stocked in all UK major supermarkets. We're renowned for our [eat beautiful] food, which is made fresh in every shop, every day. We're one of the UK's coolest brands