Era4 develops, owns and operates AI infrastructure across the UK, powered by renewable energy. Converting legacy industrial and energy sites into modern data-centre facilities, Era4 is combining brownfield regeneration opportunities with cleaner, efficient, scalable compute capacity for healthcare, research, finance, enterprise, and public-sector organisations
Role Summary
You'll stand up Health & Safety across our data centre operations, and as we grow, our new-build projects too, building the processes, policies and management systems that let the business operate safely and with confidence. You'll act as our competent person under HSE guidance, with systems and external consultants available to support you, particularly in the early stages.
We're looking for someone who operates with genuine authority in this space: hands-on, decisive, and capable of translating strategic intent into working practice without waiting to be told how. This is a genuine opportunity to define how H&S is done here from first principles, with the scope and autonomy that comes with owning the function end to end.
Key Responsibilities:
- Act as the organisation's competent person for Health & Safety, providing the technical judgement and sign-off that legislation requires, across both live data centre operations and new-build construction activity.
- Design, write, and implement H&S policies, risk assessments, and management systems from scratch, turning "how we should do things" into clear, working practice that people actually follow.
- Own day-to-day H&S delivery across multiple sites; inspections, audits, incident investigation, near-miss reporting, and permit-to-work management, not just the strategy behind it.
- Act as client-side H&S lead on new-build projects, working alongside Principal Designers and Principal Contractors to ensure CDM 2015 compliance from design through to handover.
- Own H&S training and induction programmes appropriate to data centre environments.
- Manage relationships with external H&S consultants and specialists, using them to fill gaps in expertise while retaining ownership of decisions and outcomes yourself.
- Maintain audit-ready records, incident logs, and compliance evidence across all sites, ready to withstand scrutiny from regulators, insurers, or clients.
- Monitor and report on H&S performance, flagging risk and recommending action rather than waiting to be asked.
Essential Qualifications: (Must have)
- NEBOSH National Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety.
- Chartered (CMIOSH) or Graduate (GradIOSH, working towards Chartered) membership of IOSH.
- NEBOSH Construction Certificate or equivalent CDM 2015-focused qualification.
- Fire Safety qualification (e.g. NEBOSH Fire Safety Certificate)
Essential Experience:
- Proven experience acting as a competent person / H&S lead, ideally across multi-site or technically complex environments (critical infrastructure, industrial, manufacturing, or construction).
- Has built an H&S function or management system from a blank page, not just maintained one that was already in place.
- Comfortable being hands-on: this is an individual-contributor role for the foreseeable future.
- Working knowledge of CDM 2015 and experience operating as client-side H&S contact on construction or fit-out projects.
- Resourceful and decisive: you make the judgement call, you don't defer every decision, but you know when something needs escalating rather than guessing.
- Comfortable adjusting your approach depending on audience, whether that's a contractor on-site, a senior stakeholder, or an external auditor.
One or More Would Be an Advantage:
- Experience in the data centre sector specifically, or another high-availability critical infrastructure environment.
- Experience scaling an H&S function through a period of headcount or site growth.
- Direct experience of ISO 45001, having gone through implementation or internal audit, not just familiarity with the standard.
Why Join Era4:
You’ll be joining a mission-driven start-up building critical national infrastructure, where operational excellence directly enables growth. This role offers high visibility with leadership, real autonomy, and the chance to shape how a next-generation company operates at scale.
Diversity & Inclusion:
Era4 is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
