Health & Safety Manager 

Location: Perth – Head Office
Reporting to: Managing Director
Category: Health & Safety
Contract: Fulltime, Monday – Friday, Travel required, Hybrid available once worked with the company for 3 months.  

BEAR Scotland is a leading provider of road maintenance and management services, proudly responsible for the upkeep and enhancement of the country’s vital trunk road network — including bridges and key infrastructure — across some of the most scenic and challenging terrain in the UK.

Since 2000 we have been involved in five generations of Transport Scotland Trunk Road Operating Company contracts covering various areas of Scotland and are presently responsible for approximately 60% of Scotland’s trunk road network. This includes the North West and South East Scottish Trunk Road Units & M80 DBFO and A92 DBFO.

We have a rare and exciting opportunity for an experienced Health & Safety professional who combines strategic thinking, operational hands-on capability, and a genuine passion for elevating safety culture. With a planned retirement in the current team, this role includes a structured handover period, giving the successful candidate in depth organisational knowledge and the opportunity to shape the future of Health & Safety across our organisation.

Reporting to the Managing Director, you will drive a forward looking, high performing and collaborative health and safety culture that protects our people, and the communities we serve.

This position will suit someone who thrives in a varied, high impact role — equally comfortable shaping strategy at senior leadership level as they are working alongside operational teams on site.

Your Impact: 

In this role, you will be responsible for both strategic leadership and operational delivery, ensuring BEAR Scotland continues to meet and exceed its Health & Safety responsibilities.

You will:

• Lead BEAR Scotland’s H&S strategy, ensuring alignment with ISO 45001:2018, legal standards, and industry best practice.

• Shape and embed a proactive safety culture, championing behavioural safety and leadership engagement across all functions.

• Provide expert advice, guiding decisions, governance and organisational risk management.

• Represent BEAR Scotland in interactions with our client, industry bodies and Shareholders

• Lead and develop the H&S team ensuring strong capability, clear prioritisation and high-quality service across the business.

• Provide operational leadership, maintaining a strong, visible presence across depots, sites and operational teams — building trust, providing practical guidance, and demonstrating handson leadership.

You will bring: 

• Chartered H&S status or working towards this level.

• Relevant H& S qualifications.

• Experience in leading H&S strategy within a high-risk operational environment such as civils, infrastructure or engineering.

• Strong leadership capability, with experience managing and developing H&S teams.

• Excellent influencing, communication and relationship building skills.

• Strong understanding of CDM 2015, ISO 45001, incident investigation methodologies and modern safety management.

• A proactive, improvement driven mindset.

• A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel across our sites.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Maintain the Health & Safety Legal and Other Requirements Register

• Lead and develop the ISO 45001:2018 management system and processes

• Produce high quality reports, insights and performance dashboards

• Oversee incident reporting, investigation and learning

• Conduct internal audits and Health & Safety compliance reviews

• Coordinate H&S committees

• Deliver H&S communications, inductions, safety alerts and engagement campaigns

• Monitor and influence PPE provider performance

• Contribute to documentation reviews and management system updates

• Ensure H&S inputs into internal and external audits and management reviews

• Fulfil the contract roles for Health, Safety & Risk Manager

Why BEAR?

At the heart of our organisation are our people — talented, dedicated professionals who help drive our success. We’re committed to creating a positive, supportive working environment where everyone can grow, thrive, and reach their full potential.

We invest in our teams by offering a wide range of internal and external training opportunities and encouraging continuous professional development at every career stage.

If you’re passionate about delivering the best for clients, enjoy working collaboratively, and hold yourself to high ethical standards, you’ll be a great fit for our team.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary
• Generous holiday entitlement
• Pension scheme with up to 6% employer match
• Employee benefits, including annual leave purchase, Cycle to Work scheme, and an Employee Assistance Programme

We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer, committed to fairness, inclusion, and diversity across our business.

Join us and be part of a company that supports your development, values your contribution, and inspires you to do your best work.