Health, Safety & CDM Consultant / Principal Designer Representative (Energy)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Health, Safety & CDM Consultant / Principal Designer Representative (Energy)

Company: WSP

Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Health, Safety & Environmental Consulting / CDM Compliance

Date Posted: 2026-06-09T16:37:12

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5-10 years implied)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Serve as a Principal Designer Representative, ensuring health and safety are integrated into the design phase of major energy and power infrastructure projects.

• Provide expert advisory services on CDM 2015 regulations, focusing on pre-construction risk management and compliance for clients in the energy sector.

• Drive a "safety by design" culture, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to eliminate or mitigate hazards at source.

• Support clients, including transmission owners and Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), in fulfilling their statutory duties and achieving project delivery goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role's emphasis on "commercially aware," "practical, proportionate and commercially focused advice," and balancing "risk, delivery, and commercial considerations" indicates a need for a consultant who can integrate safety compliance with business objectives, a key trait for senior operations and project management roles within infrastructure.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality, pragmatic health & safety advice across power and energy infrastructure projects, acting as a trusted advisor to clients.

• Lead and support CDM 2015 compliance throughout the pre-construction phase, coordinating with designers, contractors, and stakeholders to identify and reduce risk.

• Facilitate and lead design risk reviews and workshops, ensuring hazards are eliminated or mitigated at source wherever reasonably practicable.

• Support projects within the power and energy sector, including electricity transmission and distribution, substations, and grid infrastructure, engaging with clients like National Grid and DNOs.

• Undertake audits, design reviews, and site visits to monitor compliance and performance, contributing to and reviewing key CDM deliverables such as Pre-Construction Information, Hazard/Risk Registers, and Health & Safety Files.

• Engage effectively with clients, designers, and project teams, delivering briefings and workshops to promote good CDM and design risk practices.

• Ensure compliance with CDM 2015, the Building Safety Act (where applicable), and wider H&S legislation, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of industry standards and regulatory changes.

• Support internal governance, assurance, and quality processes, driving continuous improvement through lessons learned and best practice sharing.

📝 Enhancement Note: The detailed breakdown of responsibilities, including specific deliverables like "Pre-Construction Information," "Hazard/Risk Registers," and "Health & Safety Files," highlights the critical document management and regulatory compliance aspects of this role. This aligns with the structured processes expected in operations and compliance-focused positions.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Degree (or equivalent) in construction, engineering, health & safety, or a related discipline.

• Alternatively, an HNC/HND with significant relevant experience. Experience:

• Minimum of 5-10 years of experience in a CDM, Principal Designer, or H&S advisory role, with a strong focus on infrastructure or utilities environments.

• Demonstrable experience supporting design risk management and pre-construction activities.

• Experience in the power and energy sector, including electricity transmission & distribution, substations, or grid connection projects, is highly desirable.

• Exposure to major project environments or Tier 1 contractor frameworks is a plus. Required Skills:

• Strong working knowledge of UK health & safety legislation, particularly CDM 2015.

• Ability to provide practical, solutions-focused advice that balances compliance with commercial realities.

• Strong communication and influencing skills, essential for stakeholder engagement.

• Organised, proactive, and capable of managing multiple projects and stakeholders simultaneously.

• Experience in design risk management and promoting "safety by design" principles.

• Familiarity with regulatory compliance and industry standards. Preferred Skills:

• Experience working within power/utilities or major infrastructure projects (e.g., substations, grid connections, transmission or distribution networks).

• Exposure to major project environments or Tier 1 contractor frameworks.

• Experience supporting multidisciplinary engineering or infrastructure delivery teams.

• Professional certifications such as NEBOSH General/Construction Certificate, NVQ Level 6 (or equivalent), or working towards them.

• Professional memberships such as IMaPS / CMaPS (desirable) or Chartered membership (or working towards) with APS, IOSH, or IIRSM.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "solutions-focused" approach rather than "purely compliance-led" indicates a strategic operational mindset is valued, moving beyond mere adherence to rules towards proactive problem-solving and process integration. The mention of professional memberships also points to a requirement for continuous professional development and industry best practice adherence.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case studies demonstrating successful implementation of CDM 2015 principles in complex infrastructure projects.

• Examples of how hazards were identified, assessed, and mitigated during the design phase, showcasing a proactive approach to risk management.

• Documentation illustrating the development and delivery of Pre-Construction Information and Health & Safety Files for energy sector projects.

• Evidence of effective stakeholder engagement and communication strategies used to influence design decisions and ensure safety compliance.

• Demonstrations of how commercial considerations were balanced with health and safety requirements in project delivery. Process Documentation:

• Showcase of processes used for facilitating design risk reviews and workshops, highlighting methods for collaborative hazard identification.

• Examples of workflow management for coordinating with designers, contractors, and clients to ensure seamless integration of safety requirements.

• Documentation of auditing and assurance processes employed to monitor project compliance and performance.

• Evidence of continuous improvement initiatives, including lessons learned capture and the dissemination of best practices within project teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role requiring