Location: York. Type: Full-time. On-call required.
About Grand Central
At Grand Central Rail, we connect communities with fast, reliable and high-quality rail services. As an open access operator, we pride ourselves on delivering a safe, customer‑focused and innovative service across the UK rail network. Safety is at the heart of everything we do—and we’re looking for a Safety & Assurance Manager to help us continually raise the bar.
The role
This is an exciting opportunity to join our Safety team in a key leadership position. As Safety & Assurance Manager, you’ll be responsible for leading health, safety, environment and security across the business, ensuring we operate to the highest standards while driving continuous improvement.
Working closely with the Head of Safety, you’ll play a pivotal role in embedding a strong safety culture, supporting operational teams, and ensuring compliance with all industry and regulatory requirements.
Key responsibilities
- Lead the day‑to‑day management of Grand Central’s health, safety, environment and security arrangements
- Support and deputise for the Head of Safety
- Drive the development and continuous improvement of our Safety Management System (SMS)
- Manage safety risk processes, ensuring hazards are identified, assessed and controlled effectively
- Deliver and oversee internal audit and assurance programmes
- Lead incident and accident investigations, applying root cause analysis to prevent recurrence
- Analyse safety performance data, identifying trends and driving improvement actions
- Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, industry standards and regulatory requirements
- Act as Grand Central’s nominated security contact, liaising with organisations such as the DfT and British Transport Police
- Develop and maintain emergency, environmental and security plans
- Provide expert advice and coaching to managers across the business
- Collaborate with key industry bodies including ORR, RSSB and wider rail partners
- Support business change by ensuring robust safety validation and assurance
About You
We’re looking for a proactive and collaborative safety professional who can influence at all levels and drive meaningful improvement.
Essential Experience & Skills
- Significant experience in a health & safety management role (typically 5+ years)
- Strong knowledge of UK health & safety legislation and industry best practice
- NEBOSH Diploma (or equivalent)
- Experience conducting audits (e.g. ISO9001)
- Proven experience in accident/incident investigation and root cause analysis
- Strong leadership, communication and stakeholder management skillsAbility to influence and support operational teams in a safety‑critical environment
Desirable
- Experience within the rail or wider transport sector
- Environmental management qualification
- Emergency planning or fire safety expertise
- Training or coaching qualification
- Membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. IRO)
Why join Grand Central?
- Be part of a safety‑first organisation where your impact truly matters
- Work within a supportive and collaborative team environment
- Engage with leading industry stakeholders and regulators
- Opportunity to shape safety strategy and influence continuous improvement
- Play a key role in delivering a safe and high‑quality service for our customers
Apply now
If you’re passionate about safety and want to make a real difference in the rail industry, we’d love to hear from you.
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