Safety & Security Frameworks Governance Lead

Closing Date

2026-10-23

Job Title: Safety & Security Frameworks Governance Lead

Location: Durrington, West Sussex (hybrid)

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: 37 hours per week

Salary: £55-62,000, depending on skills and experience

There has never been a more important time to join Southern Water. As we move through AMP8, we are delivering one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes in the industry, focused on improving environmental performance, service resilience and long‑term affordability for customers.

About the role

To lead the governance, development and continuous improvement of Southern Water’s health, safety and security frameworks, ensuring they are clear, effective, compliant and consistently applied across the business. The role provides structure, oversight and assurance so that policies, standards, procedures, controls, reporting and governance forums work together to reduce risk, meet regulatory expectations and support a strong safety and security culture.

What you will be responsible for

• Own and maintain the HSSW governance framework, ensuring clear accountabilities, decision routes, terms of reference, reporting cycles and escalation routes across safety, wellbeing and security forums.

• Lead the development, review and continuous improvement of HSSW policies, standards, procedures and guidance, ensuring they are current, proportionate, accessible and aligned to Southern Water’s risk profile.

• Establish and maintain a controlled document framework for HSSW, including version control, review cycles, ownership, approval routes and communication requirements.

• Coordinate governance reporting for senior forums, including the Executive Health & Safety Committee, Security and Information Governance Council and other relevant leadership meetings.
• Support regulatory readiness and evidence management for relevant requirements, including health and safety legislation, SEMD, Protective Security Guidance, Water UK Security Standards, NIS CAF and internal assurance expectations.

What you’ll bring to the role

• Experience working in a health, safety, security, risk, governance, compliance or assurance role within a complex organisation.
• Experience developing or managing policies, standards, procedures, frameworks, governance packs or committee reporting.
• Experience coordinating actions, risks, audits, assurance activity or regulatory commitments across multiple stakeholders.
• Good understanding of governance, assurance, risk management and document control principles.
• Knowledge of UK health and safety management systems, risk assessment, control frameworks and incident learning processes.
• Awareness of protective security governance, SEMD, Protective Security Guidance, Water UK Security Standards, NIS CAF or critical infrastructure security requirements is desirable.
• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex information into clear papers, briefings, dashboards and guidance.
• Highly organised, with strong planning, coordination and action-tracking skills.
• Confident working with data, evidence and management information to identify themes, risks and areas for improvement.
• Able to influence and coordinate stakeholders across different teams without direct authority.

Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025-30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed.

"Our mission is to protect and enhance life through water—and we need passionate people to help us achieve it. If you’re inspired by our purpose and believe you can contribute, apply today. You don’t need to meet every criterion; what matters most is your drive to make a difference."

If this role isn’t quite what you’re looking for but are keen to be contacted about opportunities at Southern Water, you can register your details here: Introduce Yourself (myworkdaysite.com- Introduce Yourself)

Our Commitment to Diversity

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

Additional information

In line with Southern Water’s security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record check (DBS) and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years.

Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all pre‑employment checks, including security vetting.

Please note that if a candidate does not meet the required security standards or fails to pass the vetting process, Southern Water reserves the right to withdraw the offer of employment. Some positions may also require higher levels of security vetting, which may involve providing additional documentation.

Welcome

Our purpose is big. Our impact is huge. And we know that every single one of us has the power, through our actions, to positively change society and the environment for good. It’s why careers with us have real meaning. Because, if you’re driven and ambitious, we can offer you huge opportunities for personal growth, professional development and constant innovation. Forever evolving. Forever focused on doing the right thing, we empower and encourage everyone to play to their strengths and to help us shape a fair and positive future for all. We believe in Water for Life. If you do too, Dive Right In.

We succeed together

Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, because delivering water for life is our core purpose. To achieve this, we need 24/7 support in place to resolve incidents quickly and efficiently. All our employees understand the importance of out-of-hours incident support – because when problems appear, fixing them is our top priority. That’s why our people join together and support when and however needed to make sure our customers get the service they deserve. Joining the Southern Water family means you’ll become part of our incident support team. During your interview, your manager will speak to you about any incident support rotas that apply to your position.

Need flexibility in your work?

Does this opportunity excite you but you’re not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that ‘normal’ office hours aren’t possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’ll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role?