.png){kind=small}
We recruit Health and Safety professionals who strengthen culture, reduce risk and add value from day one.
Search² specialises in Health and Safety recruitment for organisations across the United Kingdom. We help businesses hire qualified H&S professionals who support compliance, influence behaviours and improve the safety performance of entire teams.
Our approach is structured, transparent and built around partnership. Whether you need an Advisor on site, a Manager to lead day-to-day operations or a senior leader to shape strategy, we deliver shortlists that align with your culture, expectations and long term plans.
The Reality Many Businesses Still Face
The Health and Safety profession has made great progress over the last decade. Many modern practitioners focus on influence, collaboration and behavioural change. Inside the profession, the mindset has shifted and the old stereotypes are fading fast.
But not every organisation sits inside that space. Many small and medium sized businesses still have established workforces, long-standing habits and a perception of Health and Safety as a barrier. These environments make it harder for new hires to gain trust, build relationships and drive the level of improvement that leaders want to see.
This gap between where the industry is heading and where many businesses currently sit is one of the biggest challenges in the market. It slows progress, creates friction and stops good people from being fully effective.
Why Recruitment Is the Turning Point
Real cultural change begins when you bring the right person into the business. Someone who knows how to influence, not enforce. Someone who guides rather than dictates. Someone who can connect with senior leaders and frontline teams in equal measure.
Recruitment becomes the catalyst. The right Health and Safety professional can shift perceptions, shape behaviours and help teams take ownership of risk in a way that sticks. Better engagement leads to fewer incidents, stronger productivity, reduced downtime and a workforce that feels genuinely supported.
We do not help you fill a gap. We help you identify the type of individual who will move your business forward.
What an Effective Modern Safety Professional Looks Like
The most impactful candidates share common traits. They are able to:
• Build trust quickly at all levels
• Communicate clearly and without jargon
• Influence behaviour and mindset
• Balance compliance with practicality
• Strengthen reporting and engagement
• Support leaders to make safer decisions
• Create change without causing resistance
What You Get When You Work With Search²
Deep sector knowledge
We understand the realities of Health and Safety inside SMEs, large operations, dispersed sites and high-risk environments. You do not need to explain the basics to us.
A specialist candidate network
We speak with the profession daily. Our network includes advisors, managers and heads of department who are already driving improvement in their current roles.
Culture-first recruitment
We focus on influence, communication style and leadership traits as much as technical competence. Compliance alone is not enough.
Better business outcomes
The right hire improves productivity, wellbeing, retention and incident reduction. Strong safety culture always supports the bottom line.
HR Director, Metropolitan Gaming
"Zac was able to understand the hiring brief fully whilst also balancing the needs driven by our internal culture and the change environment we're currently experiencing.
He sourced really high quality candidates and provided a strong short list with much diversity in candidate backgrounds, remits and experiences.
The chosen candidate has hit the ground running and made a real visible impact. Highly enthusiastic and passionate about the role and what they can do. A great hire.
It's been a pleasure to work with Zac who managed the whole assignment professionally and I'd definitely go to him again without hesitation for further hires in this area."
Services
Search² provides three core recruitment services that support every stage of HSEQ, Safety, Environment, Quality, ESG, Fire, CDM and Risk hiring. From Executive Search for senior leaders, to permanent team growth and rapid deployment of interim specialists, our approach is structured, specialist and built around your organisation’s needs.
In addition to recruitment, we offer consultancy services that help organisations make better decisions. This includes role benchmarking, shaping and defining new positions, out-placement support during redundancy programmes, complimentary salary benchmarking, and detailed job advert audits with optimisation recommendations.
Whether you need to hire, plan, restructure or improve your approach to attracting talent, Search² provides a complete and credible partnership for HSEQ teams.
Executive Search
Specialist search for senior HSEQ, Safety, Environment, Quality, ESG and Risk leaders. We map the market, engage passive talent and deliver high calibre shortlists for Head of, Director and strategic leadership roles.
Permanent Recruitment
Structured, targeted recruitment for mid level to senior permanent HSEQ, Safety, Environment, Quality and Risk positions. Shortlists of three to five pre screened candidates delivered quickly and accurately.
Contract & Interim Recruitment
Our Recruitment Process
Health and Safety Roles We Recruit for
We support permanent, contract and interim hiring for roles including:
-
Health and Safety Advisor
-
Health and Safety Officer
-
Site Safety Advisor
-
Health and Safety Manager
-
Senior Health and Safety Manager
-
Regional H&S Manager
-
Group H&S Manager
-
Head of Health and Safety
-
Director of Health and Safety
-
HSQE / HSEQ hybrid roles
-
CDM and Principal Designer
-
Fire Safety and Fire Risk roles
-
Behavioural Safety and Culture specialists
Industries we recruit in
Industries We Support
We provide Health and Safety recruitment across:
-
Construction and civil engineering
-
Manufacturing and production
-
Engineering
-
Renewables and energy
-
Logistics, warehousing and transport
-
Facilities management and property
-
Consultancy and professional services
-
Public sector and local authority
-
Utilities and infrastructure
FAQs - Health and Safety Recruitment
1. What types of Health and Safety roles do Search² recruit for? We recruit across all levels of H&S, including Health and Safety Advisors, HSE Managers, QHSE Managers, Health and Safety Business Partners, Head of H&S, Group H&S Leads, SHE Managers, CDM roles, NEBOSH-qualified professionals, Fire Safety roles and specialist HSQE positions across the UK. 2. What industries does Search² support with Health and Safety recruitment? We hire H&S professionals across construction, manufacturing, engineering, logistics, facilities management, property, energy, renewables, infrastructure, consultancy and more. Any organisation needing compliance, risk reduction or safety leadership can work with us. 3. Do you supply Health and Safety contractors or interim support? Yes. We supply fully vetted interim, day-rate and contract Health and Safety professionals for urgent cover, project work, audits, site mobilisation, accident investigations, transformation programmes or maternity/sickness leave. 4. What qualifications do your Health and Safety candidates typically hold? Most candidates hold NEBOSH General, NEBOSH Construction, NVQ Level 6, IOSH membership, IEMA qualifications, Lead Auditor credentials (9001, 45001, 14001), CDM experience or specialist fire safety certifications. 5. How quickly can you provide a shortlist of candidates? For permanent roles, shortlists are typically delivered within 3–7 working days. For interim or contract H&S professionals, we can often provide fully-vetted candidates the same day. 6. Do you recruit for senior or leadership Health and Safety roles? Yes, we run Executive Search for senior appointments including Head of H&S, Director of HSE, Group H&S Lead, QHSE Director and strategic safety leadership roles. 7. How do you assess whether candidates are a good cultural and behavioural fit? We run structured screening covering behavioural preferences, communication style, leadership approach, sector experience, travel expectations, motivations, right-to-work checks and scenario-based suitability for your organisation. 8. Can you help shape the job description or advise on salary benchmarking? Yes. We support employers with benchmarking, job specification shaping, market mapping, role design, advert optimisation and insights into candidate expectations within the H&S market. 9. What makes Search² different from generalist recruiters? We are niche specialists in HSEQ recruitment. Our network is built specifically around safety, risk and compliance roles — giving employers faster access to qualified, relevant professionals and giving candidates honest, specialist guidance. 10. Do you support candidates looking for Health and Safety roles? Yes. We help H&S professionals find permanent, contract and senior roles across the UK, offering market insights, CV feedback and guidance on career direction within the safety sector.