Director of System, Safety & Health

Candidate Opportunity Brief  

Position: Director of Systems Safety and Health 

Reporting to: COO

Confidentiality: N/A 

Client Opportunity Statements: 

“This opportunity is focused on moving RSSB from reporting risk to influencing what the industry does about it. We have huge credibility and access to rich, industry-wide data, but the challenge now is turning that insight into action and measurable change.” 

“That means challenging how we have traditionally operated. We need to move beyond legacy forums and ‘talk shops’ towards a more agile, outcome-focused approach, positioning RSSB as a trusted advisor that helps the industry solve problems, not simply understand them.” 

“Data is central to that shift. We want to harness AI, predictive analytics and our specialist expertise to identify where intervention can have the greatest impact, then translate that into practical recommendations the industry can act upon.” 

“Ultimately, this is about proving RSSB’s continued relevance in a changing rail landscape. The successful individual will need to lead from the front, influence senior industry stakeholders and bring together data specialists, risk experts and industry leaders behind a common purpose.” 

Client Company Overview 

The Rail Safety and Standards Board is the independent safety, standards and research body for Great Britain’s rail network. We work across Britain’s evolving railway to improve safety, efficiency, and sustainability. 

Our purpose - To help our members keep Britain moving with safer, smarter rail. 

Our goal - By 2030, every rail employee will rely on an RSSB tool or service daily. 

Our approach - RSSB is a membership organisation that is owned by and serves Britain’s rail industry. It is a non-profit company limited by guarantee and governed by a Board. Its way of working is set out in the Constitution Agreement and its Articles of Association, which include the memorandum of association.  

We were established in 2003, in the aftermath of the Ladbroke Grove rail crash. Since then we have been supporting Britain’s rail sector.  

Our work - We work collaboratively with an evolving industry to ensure that it is operated safely, and cost-effectively to the benefit of passengers and freight.  

Our work focuses on six key areas. These are safer, healthier, harmonised, efficient, future and sustainable rail. We develop standards, monitor safety and health performance, and provide sustainability guidance, underpinned by research and data. 

Our member-focussed tools and solutions are developed for our members. Designed to address the most pressing industry challenges; cost reduction, safe and satisfied passengers, improving system reliability and resilience, adopting new technology, improving freight safety and growth, and increasing rail’s sustainability and its benefit to society. 

We are proudly impartial, and home to some of rail’s leading experts. Guided by facts and data-driven analysis, we help to bridge knowledge gaps, optimise technology use, and disseminate and systemise industry best practice. 

Through our strategy we aim to benefit members by: 

Ensuring financial sustainability through cost efficiencies and centralised technical services. 

Delivering outstanding service and engagement. 

Reducing direct cost to members by expanding commercial activities. 

Improving RSSB’s organisational health to attract and retain skilled staff. 
Leveraging digital transformation to enhance efficiency, customer understanding, and provide optimal solutions. 
Why it matters - The rail industry has grown considerably, but to reach its full potential we must increase the mobility of people and goods while reducing emissions, pollution and road congestion. Unlocking the railway’s full potential is a massive technical challenge. Doing it safely, sustainably and efficiently is an even bigger one. 

Many businesses and organisations contribute to this increasingly dynamic system. Our skills and experience in collaborating with operators and innovators, co-ordinating research and development, and codifying technical knowledge will be crucial for the rail network. Working with the industry, we ensure that its users enjoy the benefits of rail for decades to come. 

Helping us all work smarter, as well as safer. 

Key deliverables within the first 12 months include: 

Create clear centres of excellence, improve accountability and align capability around customer need. 

Drive outcomes, not outputs. Success is no longer measured by reports produced, but by the impact delivered. 

Secure industry buy-in for change. Bring together data specialists, risk experts and industry leaders behind a common vision. 
Cut through complexity and drive delivery. Lead large-scale transformation in a complex, safety-critical and highly stakeholder-driven environment. 
Key Accountabilities: 

Lead the SSH&W Directorate, ensuring an appropriate structure, providing clear purpose and direction, instigating a developed and dynamic capability to meet a changing environment and robust and responsive management of all staff within the directorate.  

Advise the COO and ExCo of key health and safety performance issues that impact the industry and RSSB, including working with Futures Lab to horizon scan for future threats to health and safety performance.  

Working to direction from ExCo set the vision for RSSB’s work on System Safety Health and Wellbeing. Proactively work with fellow COG directors to help lead the company and deliver the solutions within Healthier and Safer Rail as part of the overall RSSB business plan.  

Lead on the directorate’s contribution to the generation of margin as part of RSSB’s wider income generation plan. 

Support the broader industry in the monitoring of railway wide health and safety risk, ensuring all forms of health and safety information are gathered and analysed, and that parties inside RSSB and beyond are aware of the contributors to risk. 

Provide and apply appropriate risk modelling tools and techniques to enable risk-based decision-making and ensure that they are applied within RSSB’s outputs.   

Ensure effective risk, safety and human factors contribution and sign off of railway group standards.  

Working with other directorates, support the effective working of RSSB’s key assurance schemes (RISQS, RISAS etc) and in particular robust undertaking of scheme management and assurance activity, consistent with principles of good governance, and good practice health and safety management.  

Represent the company in Director level external groups / meetings at both national and international fora. 
Maintain beneficial contact with risk and safety professionals in other industries and countries to ensure that RSSB adopts best practice in these disciplines. 
Essential Hard Skills (Skills & Experience) 

Experience operating within safety-critical environments such as rail, utilities, aerospace, nuclear, defence or transportation, with a strong understanding of regulatory and operational constraints. 

Consultative, delivery-focused leader with a demonstrable track record of influencing stakeholders and driving transformation programmes from strategy through to implementation. 

Strong consulting background, with experience leading client engagements, shaping solutions and building trusted advisor relationships at senior stakeholder level. 

Demonstrable success translating complex data, analytics and digital insights into practical, scalable solutions that improve performance, efficiency, safety or decision-making 

Essential Soft Skills (Attributes & Behaviours) 

Consultative and collaborative leadership style. 

Outcome-focused approach. 

Strong influencing and stakeholder management with the ability to bring people on a journey. 

Gravitas and ability to cut through the noise and ‘hold a room '. 

Innovative mindset and willingness to challenge established ways of working. 

Working Arrangements & Location: 

25 Fenchurch Avenue, London, EC3M 5AD 

Hybrid working, typically 2 to 3 days per week in the office 
National industry stakeholder engagement as required 
Ford & Stanley Executive Search Pre-Submission Process: 

First Engagement: A short engagement and introductory conversation to position the opportunity, gauge candidate early interest level and arrange a time and date for a more detailed discussion. NDA sent (if applicable) upon receipt of signed NDA - Candidate Opportunity Brief shared.  
Candidate Discovery: An open, conversational and consultative discussion where candidates and executive search consultant explore and discuss the opportunity brief. Candidates are assessed on their suitability for the role in the context of the key essentials and challenged on how the opportunity lines up with their career aspirations, motivations, financial expectations and personal circumstance. The search consultant will utilise the information captured during candidate discovery to start to build your profile on suitability. Recommendations may be made at this point for adjustments or updates to your CV. 
The ‘shortlist’: Shortlisted candidates, having taken time to reflect on the opportunity and undertake subsequent research on the clients business are reengaged where they are asked to provide additional specific information on their suitability (if/where applicable). Final checks of key notes, package details and logistical alignments made. Finishing touches are then made to your profile prior to submission along with our notes and recommendations.  
RSSB’s Interview Process: 

1st Stage interview: Face-to-face with the Chief Operating Officer. 

2nd Stage Interview: Face-to-face interview with the Chief Operating Officer &, Chief Executive. 

Good to know:  

This role reports directly to Joshua Fisher, Chief Operating Officer. 

The Director of System Safety and Health (SSH) has responsibility for the effective delivery of RSSB’s core services of risk, safety and health.   

Working as part of the Chief Operating Group (COG) the role is responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction in the development of RSSB’s risk-based health and safety management capability 

The Director of SSH is a key champion for the development and delivery of such capability across the wider rail industry, supporting the cross-industry health and safety strategy ‘Leading Health and Safety on Britain’s Railways’ 

This expertise also includes the development of industry policy and principles, cross industry tools, data insights, frameworks and IT systems, development of capability, and ultimately the continuous improvement of health and safety behaviours and culture. 

Headcount of business is circa 380 full-time employees with a number of associates. 

Post is vacant, and this is a new hire for the business. 

This gives RSSB the ability to redefine their role and evolve to meet the future. This will involve leaning into transformation, having a delivery mindset and consultative approach. 

RSSB have three core pillars: Safety intelligence – data risk from across the industry; Digital offering – moving from hindsight into foresight through digital transformation and digital platforms; Professional expertise – Guidance, Human Factors and Risk supporting the industry. 

This role leads a multidisciplinary team of approximately 50 employees across three divisions: Safety Intelligence (data analysis & computer scientists), Professional Heads of Risk across all disciplines, and Human Factors experts. 

This role has 6 direct reports. 

RSSB are wanting to move from output to outcomes in partnership with industry. 

In an industry that can be slow to innovate, RSSB are leading the way using AI, modelling techniques and digital platforms to drive the industry towards being predictive over reactive. 

Strategic leadership role influencing industry-wide safety outcomes. 

This role will have significant engagement with member organisations and stakeholders. 
Focus on delivering outcomes, influence and sector impact rather than purely technical leadership. 
Budget:  

Competitive salary and benefits 

Executive Search Delivery Team: 

Billy Jackson – Principal Consultant: Client & Opportunity Management, Client Advisory, Recommendations & Offer Negotiation. 

Oliver Nunn – Research Manager: Longlisting, Networking, Research & Search, Interviews, Data & Market Intel & shortlist presentation.  

Tilia Kozluk - Executive Assistant: Diary Management, Interview Coordination & Candidate Experience. 
Daniel Taylor – Senior Search Sponsor: Executive Oversight 
About Ford & Stanley Executive Search: 

Ford & Stanley Executive Search (Part of the Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group) are a leading Executive search and talent advisory firm specialising in the following sectors: 

Rail & Transportation                             

Civils & Construction                            

Manufacturing & Supply Chain       

Technology & Cyber Security           

Logistics & Intermodal Freight        

Defence                                                         
Our search directors, search consultants and in house research team specialise in retained opportunities at the highest level of organisational leadership and management.  

Our success is based upon a blend of trust-driven relationships, robust market knowledge, and working practices that ensure the best possible alignment of organisational need with experience and personal ambition.  

Working with business leaders on bespoke assignments for over a decade, we understand exactly what our customers expect from an executive search and talent advisory service – whether there is a pressing business need for an executive interim or that of a long-term permanent appointment - Ford & Stanley Executive Search provide the solution.  

We have been exclusively appointed by RSSB on a retained search for a Director of Systems Safety and Health. 

Below you will find a ‘Candidate Opportunity Brief’ developed from notes taken during the scoping meeting (Situational Discovery) held between the Research Manager of Executive Search & Principal Consultant and the COO of RSSB. 

This brief is designed to give candidates a deeper insight into the opportunity inherent within the role, the challenges the role presents, and provide access to the detail that sits behind the job specification. 

Please see the supporting appendix: Executive Search Candidate Journey 

Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group Ltd is a Disability Confident employer that is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all opportunity seekers. We shall adhere to such a policy at all times and will review on an ongoing basis all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination. We will treat everyone equally irrespective of sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief or political beliefs, and we place an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy. Services advertised by Ford & Stanley Executive Search are those of an executive search and talent advisory business
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