HSE Manager

HSE Manager, Balaena Tyne — Lead the Culture. Raise the Standard. Keep People Safe.

This is a visible, hands-on leadership role in a busy, complex and marine engineering environment where safety leadership matters every single day.

We’re looking for an HSE Manager who can lead from the front, build trust across the workforce and help shape a safety culture that is practical, visible and owned by everyone — from senior leaders and supervisors to trades, subcontractors and visitors on site.

You’ll need strong technical HSE knowledge, but this role is just as much about people leadership: developing your team, influencing behaviour constructively and helping leaders make good decisions in a demanding operational environment.

Who are we?

Balaena Tyne is part of one of the UK’s most capable maritime engineering, ship repair and shipbuilding groups. Across our UK and Gibraltar facilities, we support defence, commercial, energy and clean maritime customers with complex projects that demand technical quality, teamwork and reliability.

At Balaena Tyne, our work takes place in a live shipyard environment involving dry docks, heavy fabrication, hot work, confined spaces, blasting, painting, tank cleaning, insulation, mobile plant, subcontractors and water safety risks. It is challenging, varied and important work — and health, safety and environmental performance sits at the heart of how we succeed.

We are proud of our heritage, but we are also ambitious about what comes next. As we continue to grow as One Balaena, we need leaders who share our values: taking responsibility, working together, doing the right thing and building a culture where people work safe and go home safe at the end of every day.

Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for a confident, credible HSE leader with experience in heavy engineering, marine, industrial or another high-risk environment. You’ll understand ISO 45001 and ISO 14001, manage risk in complex operations and balance compliance with practical, site-based problem solving.

Just as importantly, you’ll be a people leader. You’ll lead and develop the site HSE team, coach managers and supervisors, influence subcontractors and build strong relationships across the yard. You’ll be visible, approachable and prepared to have the difficult conversations when standards need to improve, which will have the full support of your senior leadership team.

This role will be challenging. For the right person, it is a chance to make a difference — raising standards, improving culture and shaping how safety leadership works.

This role will suit someone who:

• Is a visible, values-led leader who believes safety is about people, not paperwork.
• Has strong HSE experience in heavy engineering, marine, ship repair, fabrication, manufacturing or another high-risk operational setting.
• Can lead, develop and motivate a site-based HSE team.
• Understands ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 and can turn standards into practical systems that work on the ground.
• Has experience managing risks linked to hot work, confined spaces, work at height, heavy plant, subcontractors, blasting, painting and water safety.
• Can influence senior leaders, supervisors, trades and subcontractors with confidence and credibility.
• Is resilient, calm under pressure and prepared to challenge when something is not right.
• Wants to be part of One Balaena and help build a safe, responsible and high-performing culture.

Ideally, you’ll hold a NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent qualification and bring proven experience in incident investigation, root cause analysis, audits, inspections, environmental management, waste control and reporting on HSE performance.

If you want a role where your leadership will be seen, your judgement will matter and your work will help keep people safe, we’d like to hear from you.