Food & Health and Safety Manager- West London & South East

Job description

We’re looking for a Risk Manager to support our pubs and operational teams across the South East. This is not a clipboard-and-tick-box audit-type role. It’s a practical, people-facing role where you’ll help operators understand risk, make good decisions and keep standards where they need to be. You’ll be working with General Managers, Area Managers, Operations Managers and other support teams across the organisation, helping them deal with the day-to-day realities of running busy hospitality businesses safely and legally. Some days will be about supporting a site after a difficult audit. Some days will be about investigating an incident or claim. Other days will be about spotting trends, joining an area meeting, or helping teams understand what needs to change before something becomes a bigger issue. The aim is simple: help the business manage risk properly, practically and consistently. What you’ll be doing You’ll provide risk support across a defined group of pubs in the South East, with a focus on health and safety, fire safety, food safety and wider operational risk. In practice, this means you’ll: Support pubs and operational teams with clear, sensible risk advice Help sites understand what good looks like and what needs to improve Investigate serious incidents, accidents and claims Produce clear reports that explain what happened, why it happened and what needs to be done next Support poor audit outcomes and help sites get back to the right standard Work with operations to identify repeat issues and underlying causes Present risk themes and learning at area or operational meetings Support legal, insurance or regulatory processes where needed Help the wider Risk team improve consistency across the business You’ll need to be comfortable moving between detail and the bigger picture. One day you might be dealing with a very specific site issue; the next, you might be helping identify a wider pattern across an area or region. How the role works Operations remain accountable for running their sites and managing day-to-day standards. Your role is to support, challenge and advise. That means you’ll need to be able to build good relationships, but also be prepared to say when something is not right. The best person for this role will be someone who can challenge without creating unnecessary friction - and explain the issue in clear language. You’ll need to be practical. We are looking for someone who can take legislation, standards and company expectations and turn them into practical advice that makes sense to people running busy pubs. This role works best when the Risk Manager is visible, approachable and credible. What good looks like You’ll be doing well in this role if: Operators trust you and come to you early, not only when something has gone wrong Your advice is clear, practical and proportionate You can explain complex risk issues in plain English Your investigations are thorough, fair and well documented You spot repeat issues and help the business deal with the cause, not just the symptom You follow through on actions and keep things moving You can balance being supportive with being clear when standards are not good enough This role needs someone who can be both human and rigorous. What we’re looking for We’re looking for someone with experience in risk, safety, compliance or a similar operational support role. Hospitality experience would be a real advantage, but experience in another multi-site, customer-facing environment would also be relevant. You’ll probably suit this role if you: Enjoy working with operational teams Are comfortable visiting sites and dealing with real-world issues Can investigate incidents and write clear reports Understand health and safety, food safety or fire safety principles Can manage several pieces of work without losing track Are confident having honest conversations Can stay calm when things are urgent or sensitive Like solving problems rather than just pointing them out A NEBOSH qualification, or equivalent experience, would be helpful. More important is the ability to apply risk knowledge sensibly in a busy hospitality environment. The kind of person who will do well This role would suit someone who is: Practical Organised Curious Approachable Calm under pressure Comfortable challenging others respectfully Good at finishing things, not just starting them Able to work independently while still being part of a wider team You don’t need to be the loudest person in the room, but you do need to be credible. You’ll need to be able to hold your ground when something matters. Why this role matters Our pubs are busy, complex environments. Things move quickly, and small issues can become bigger ones if they are not understood and managed properly. This role helps protect customers, team members and the business by making sure risk is dealt with early, consistently and sensibly. It also helps the business learn from what happens, rather than just react to it. Done well, this role supports safer pubs, stronger standards, better decisions and fewer repeat issues. At Greene King, you’ll join one of the UK’s leading hospitality businesses, with more than 200 years of history and a portfolio of over 2,000 iconic pubs, restaurants and hotels across managed, franchised and lease/tenanted operations. We’re a business that continues to deliver strong financial performance while investing across our people, estate, digital capabilities and customer experience. For risk professionals, Greene King offers a rare opportunity to influence a large, complex and operationally diverse business. Our teams work closely with senior leaders to protect people, support commercial decision-making, drive compliance and help shape the future of the business. We encourage innovation, continuous improvement and data-driven decision making, ensuring Risk is a valued partner rather than simply a governance function. You'll be joining a business that is actively investing in its pubs, expanding new operating models, embracing technology and developing talent from within, creating genuine opportunities to make a visible impact and build a long-term career. Be part of a business where Risk helps drive success, not just prevent failure.