Principal Regulatory Officer

**Principal Regulatory Officer (High Hazard)**

**Newcastle**

**Full time/ Permanent/ Flexible working available**

**Staff Grade: 6**

Are you ready to make a real difference? Join our High Hazard specialist team as a Principal Regulatory Officer.

We are committed to enhancing our regulatory practices and building a more effective regulatory framework. To achieve this, we are looking for Principal Regulatory Officers (PRO) to provide assurance on the quantity and quality of the regulatory delivery at COMAH (Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2015) sites across England.

You will be a nationally recognised expert delivering more complex compliance issues and managing risk both environmentally and reputationally. You will work with your network across the business to deliver a consistent regulatory approach.

The Principal Regulatory Officer is committed to develop and lead less experienced officers, playing a key role in the leadership of COMAH delivery helping to drive forward business and workforce planning, assessing regulatory capabilities and developing and delivering training.

You will be responsible for providing advice and guidance to team members, using coaching skills to ensure delivery. You will also be responsible shaping local strategy, tactical direction and managing risk.

The COMAH team covers a variety of industries, you will be expected to use influencing and negotiating skills to ensure best practice. Often dealing with people at senior levels within industry, local communities and other interested groups.

**What is in it for you?**

You’ll benefit from a culture that embraces difference and is inclusive where you’ll feel supported and trusted to do the right thing. We’ll invest in you and allow you to grow and shape your career. What’s more, you’ll have access to our great benefits package including:

- A salary of £54,940 - £64,576 per annum.
- This role attracts an additional allowance of £4,750 for specialist expertise in COMAH regulation. It is payable after appointment, provided you meet eligibility criteria. To qualify, you’ll need significant COMAH or high-hazard industry experience and a relevant degree or equivalent technical expertise.
- A generous pension scheme of 19%.
- Overtime opportunities through standby and incident pay.
- 27 days holiday (increasing at 3, 6, and 10 years of service up to a maximum of 30) + 8 bank holidays for full-time employees.
- Two additional days for paid environmental outcomes giving you the opportunity to take part in community activities.
- Training and professional development time.
- Maternity, paternity, and adoption leave scheme.

We have a flexible working policy for all employees, to support a healthy work-life balance within your working day. We will also consider flexibility in working patterns across the working week on a case-by-case basis.

**What will you do?**

In this role you will:

- Ensure sites comply with regulatory requirements of the COMAH Regulations, to prevent and limit the consequence of major accidents, specifically for the more complex nationally significant sites, assessing operator ability to protect the environment.
- Use your regulatory experience across a range of COMAH complex sites to lead the resolution of technical and reputational issues.
- Lead site inspections and lead the response, investigation and delivery of appropriate enforcement action for a range of complex environmental incidents.
- Lead on the enforcement strategy for your team, supporting the COMAH Team Leader, and in collaboration with Competent Authority partners.
- Provide expert input to support national investigations.
- Work with partner organisations addressing joint initiatives and regulatory duties.
- Fulfilling roles within the COMAH Competent Authority as may be required e.g. COMAH Intervention Manager, Assessment Manager, for all types of site.
- Shape the regulatory approach and delivery nationally for COMAH.
- Work with your team leader to plan, and be responsible for delivering, the COMAH work plan for your team, which will extend across multiple areas.
- Ensure delivery in line with KPIs and provide assurance to your Regulatory Manager.
- Take action to resolve issues and risks with regulatory officers, overseeing officer delivery from a quantity and quality perspective.
- Develop and deliver training in more complex technical activities, to support upskilling within COMAH.
- Assess the technical capabilities of COMAH officers, to support the business in workforce planning and inform technical capability and capacity.
- Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be required to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents or provide business continuity support during an incident. This may attract an additional payment and full training, and alternative working arrangements will be available to support you with your incident role.

**The Team**

You’ll be part of a