MWH Treatment are looking to strengthen our SHEQ team with a Divisional Head of SHEQ. You will Provide senior strategic SHEQ leadership across the MWHT Northern Division, working directly with Regional Senior Leadership Teams and as the principal link between Regional Heads of SHEQ, the SHEQ & Sustainability Director and the wider business. Working across the Severn Trent, United Utilities, Northern Ireland Water and Scottish Water frameworks, the role will influence regional strategy, governance, performance and material risk decisions, ensuring SHEQ priorities support safe, compliant and successful business delivery.
The successful candidate will establish clear enterprise and divisional expectations, provide proportionate oversight and constructive challenge, and enable Regional Heads of SHEQ to lead within their regions with appropriate autonomy and accountability. The role will focus on governance, performance insight, assurance and organisational learning, alongside operational control, intervening where material risk, performance or consistency requires senior support. Through pragmatic leadership and strong relationships, the postholder will strengthen regional capability, promote consistent outcomes and support the SHEQ Director and wider business on cross-divisional priorities and improvement.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Provide clear, consistent SHEQ strategic direction across the Division and to specific Regional Senior Leadership Teams, ensuring SHEQ governance, performance and material risk are integral to strategic and operational decision-making.
- Provide clear, evidence-based insight and constructive challenge on regional performance, emerging risk, assurance findings and improvement priorities.
- Support, coach and enable Regional Heads of SHEQ to lead their functions effectively, retaining appropriate regional autonomy while operating within clear business standards, delegated authority and governance expectations.
- Set and maintain the divisional SHEQ governance framework, including accountabilities, reporting, assurance and escalation routes.
- Lead the development and oversight of divisional and regional SHEQ plans aligned with business strategy, client expectations, joint venture arrangements and legal obligations.
- Establish a consistent performance management rhythm across the division, using leading and lagging indicators, assurance intelligence, incident learning and operational insight to identify trends, test control effectiveness and direct improvement.
- Direct a proportionate, risk-based programme of assurance, audit and review, ensuring findings are prioritised, ownership remains with the relevant region and actions are closed effectively and sustainably.
- Promote consistent application and continual improvement of MWH Treatment and relevant joint venture management systems, while allowing regions flexibility in how compliant outcomes are achieved.
- Provide senior oversight and support for significant incidents, regulatory matters and material client concerns, ensuring proportionate escalation, robust learning and effective corrective action.
- Build senior relationships with clients, joint venture partners, regulators and the supply chain, representing MWH Treatment professionally and supporting Regional Heads of SHEQ on complex or strategically important matters.
- Support the SHEQ & Sustainability Director in shaping and delivering the functional strategy, governance agenda, business plan and executive reporting.
- Contribute to wider business priorities beyond the Northern Division, leading or supporting cross-divisional initiatives, sharing learning and providing senior SHEQ capacity where required.
- Develop a strong community of Regional Heads of SHEQ and their teams, promoting collaboration, consistent professional standards, succession, talent development and efficient deployment of specialist capability.
- Prepare and present concise, decision-focused performance reports, recommendations and escalations to Regional SLTs, the SHEQ Director, executive leaders, clients and governance forums.