UK

United Kingdom · Learning and development · Principal/Manager (12-16 years)

Health and Safety Learning & Development Manager

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

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  • Experience bandPrincipal/Manager (12-16 years)
  • Direct reports3-8 reports
  • Reports toDirector of EHS Learning & Org Capability
  • UK framework levelUsually a manager, or the deepest specialist in a team

Also advertised as H&S Training Lead · Safety Learning Manager · EHS Training Programme Manager · Head of Safety Learning

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

NOCN Level 6 NVQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice NOCN · Level 6 · covers 2 of 10 standards
Qualifi Level 5 Extended Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Qualifi Ltd · Level 5 · covers 2 of 10 standards
OTHM Level 6 Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety OTHM Qualifications · Level 6 · covers 2 of 10 standards
ProQual Awarding Body Level 6 Occupational Qualification in Health and Safety Management ProQual Awarding Body · Level 6 · covers 1 of 10 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Develop and Maintain Individual and Organisational Competence in Health and Safety Matters NOCN Level 6 NVQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice
Individual and Organisational Competence in Health and Safety Matters Qualifi Level 5 Extended Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety
Development of the Health and Safety Practitioner OTHM Level 6 Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety
Maintain Systems and Processes for Health, Safety, Welfare and Environmental Protection in an Engineering Environment NOCN Level 5 Diploma in Computer Engineering (Information Technology and Data Science)

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
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Your Plan Illustration

Built for Health and Safety Learning & Development Manager

4 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Develop and Maintain Individual and Organisational Competence in Health and Safety Matters NOCN · covers 2 of 10 standards Level 6
  2. Individual and Organisational Competence in Health and Safety Matters Qualifi Ltd · covers 2 of 10 standards Level 5
  3. Development of the Health and Safety Practitioner OTHM Qualifications · covers 2 of 10 standards Level 6
  4. Maintain Systems and Processes for Health, Safety, Welfare and Environmental Protection in an Engineering Environment NOCN · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 5
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Health and Safety Learning & Development Manager?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skill this role is being asked for

  • AI-Driven Learning Personalisation
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Health and Safety Learning & Development Manager plan as you set up, starting with a Future Fluency module on using AI in your job. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

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3What this role really is

This job means designing and leading health and safety training so people work safely and know what's expected of them.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Learning Management System (LMS) - Cornerstone OnDemand, SAP Litmos, Docebo Strategic

You'll lead vendor selection (RFP process), oversee system integration with HRIS, and define enterprise-wide governance for how we use our LMS for H&S training. You'll ensure it meets our compliance and reporting needs.

E-Learning Authoring - Articulate 360 (Storyline, Rise), Adobe Captivate Architect

You'll set development standards for your team, create master templates, and evaluate new authoring technologies for the organisation to ensure our e-learning is engaging, effective, and efficient to produce.

EHS Management Platform - VelocityEHS, Intelex, Cority Strategic

You'll use platform analytics to forecast risk areas, justify strategic training investments to leadership, and ensure the training module is seamlessly integrated with incident reporting and risk management.

Analytics & Reporting - Power BI, Tableau Advanced

You'll develop predictive models to identify at-risk groups, present compelling data stories on training effectiveness and safety impact to executive leadership, and guide your team in building robust dashboards.

Executive/GRC Systems - ServiceNow GRC, Diligent Boards Strategic

You'll provide critical training compliance data for GRC dashboards and prepare board-level summaries on safety culture initiatives, demonstrating the value of our learning programmes to the highest levels of the organisation.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
H&S Training Programme Design Follows established templates and guidelines for basic modules. Proposes adaptations to standard programmes; seeks manager approval for significant changes. Designs complex, high-risk programmes from scratch; consults manager on strategic approach.
Budget Allocation (H&S Training) No budget authority; flags material needs to supervisor. Manages small project budgets (up to £5K) with manager oversight. Manages workstream budgets (up to £50K); recommends but doesn't approve major spend.
Team Hiring & Performance No direct reports; focuses on individual performance. Provides informal guidance to new joiners; no formal hiring input. Mentors 0-2 junior specialists; provides input on performance reviews.
Vendor Selection (Training Tools/Content) N/A Researches potential vendors; recommends options to manager. Evaluates vendors for specific projects; participates in selection process.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Reduction in Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR)
The number of lost time injuries per 100,000 hours worked across your assigned business units.
Target · Year-over-year reduction of 10-15% in targeted areas post-training intervention.

After rolling out the new 'Working at Height' programme, the LTIFR for fall-related incidents dropped from 0.8 to 0.6 in Q3, a 25% improvement.

Training Compliance Rate
Percentage of employees completing mandatory H&S training within required deadlines.
Target · Maintain >98% compliance for all mandatory training programmes.

Achieved 99.2% completion for the annual Fire Safety Refresher by the 31st March deadline, up from 96% last year.

Audit Non-Conformance Related to Training
Number of major or minor non-conformances identified during internal or external audits specifically linked to training gaps or documentation issues.
Target · Zero major non-conformances and <2 minor non-conformances annually.

During the ISO 45001 audit, no non-conformances were raised regarding our 'Confined Space Entry' training records or content, a direct result of your team's meticulous work.

Team Productivity & Development
Average time taken for your team to develop and deploy new training modules, alongside individual team member progression.
Target · Reduce average development cycle by 15% whilst ensuring at least 75% of your team achieve their annual development goals.

Your team delivered the new 'Chemical Spill Response' e-learning in 6 weeks, down from the usual 8, and two of your specialists were promoted to Senior H&S Training Specialist this year.

Leadership & Influence on Safety Culture
Your ability to advocate for and embed a proactive safety culture through training, influencing senior stakeholders and operational leaders.
  • You're regularly invited to EHS leadership meetings
  • your input is sought on new operational procedures
  • you successfully secure budget for new training initiatives
  • positive feedback from site managers about training impact.
Effectiveness of Training Programmes
Beyond completion rates, this is about whether the training actually changes behaviour and improves knowledge on the ground.
  • Post-training observations show improved safe work practices
  • reduced 'near miss' incidents for trained topics
  • positive feedback from learners on practical application
  • improved scores on post-training assessments (Level 2 Kirkpatrick).
Strategic Alignment of Training Initiatives
How well your team's training plans align with the overall EHS strategy and broader business objectives.
  • Your annual training plan directly addresses top EHS risks identified by leadership
  • training programmes are proactively developed in response to new regulations or operational changes
  • clear links between training and business continuity plans.
Team Cohesion & Morale
The overall health, engagement, and effectiveness of your direct reports.
  • Low team turnover
  • positive feedback in employee engagement surveys
  • team members actively collaborating and supporting each other
  • successful delegation of complex projects
  • clear succession planning for key roles.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Making a Tangible Impact on Safety

You'll feel a deep satisfaction when you see incident rates drop, or when a colleague tells you a training programme helped them avoid a dangerous situation. Your daily work directly contributes to people's well-being.

Knowing that a training module your team developed directly led to a 20% reduction in a specific type of accident at one of our sites.

Building and Developing a High-Performing Team

You'll get a kick out of coaching your specialists, watching them grow their skills, and seeing them take ownership of complex projects. Their success is your success, and you'll actively foster a supportive, learning-focused environment.

One of your junior specialists, under your mentorship, successfully designed and delivered a critical new LOTO training programme to rave reviews.

Solving Complex Organisational Challenges

You're not just delivering off-the-shelf courses. You'll be tackling real-world safety problems through innovative learning solutions, often requiring you to think creatively and influence across departments.

Developing a bespoke training programme to address a recurring issue identified in multiple incident reports, requiring collaboration with Engineering and Operations.

What frustrates people
  • Getting buy-in from managers who prioritise production over training time.
  • The constant battle to make dry, mandatory compliance training genuinely engaging.
  • Proving the ROI of prevented incidents – it's hard to quantify what didn't happen.
  • Dealing with legacy systems or outdated processes that hinder effective training delivery.
  • The feeling that safety training is sometimes seen as a 'cost centre' rather than a strategic investment.
What this role does not give you
  • A quiet, predictable 9-to-5 where you just deliver pre-made content.
  • A role where you don't have to deal with difficult conversations or pushback.
  • A role where every single training programme you design gets implemented perfectly without any hitches.
  • A role with zero administrative burden – there's always documentation and reporting.

8Who you work with

This role directly shapes our organisation's safety culture, reduces operational risk, and ensures we meet all our regulatory obligations. You'll be a key player in keeping our people safe and our business compliant, which ultimately protects our bottom line and our reputation. Get it right, and we're a safer, more efficient place to work. Get it wrong, and we face serious consequences.

Inside the business
  • Site Operations Managers
  • Head of EHS
  • HR Business Partners
  • Legal & Compliance Team
  • Learning Technology Team
Outside the business
  • HSE (Health and Safety Executive)
  • External Auditors (e.g., ISO 45001)
  • Training Vendors & Consultants
  • Industry Bodies (e.g., IOSH, NEBOSH)

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • Extensive experience (10+ years) in Health & Safety training, with at least 3-5 years in a leadership or senior specialist role.
  • Proven track record of designing, developing, and evaluating complex H&S training programmes that have led to measurable safety improvements.
  • Demonstrable experience managing a team of training professionals, including coaching, performance management, and development.
  • Strong understanding of adult learning principles and instructional design methodologies applied specifically to safety-critical environments.
  • Experience managing significant training budgets (£500K+) and making data-driven decisions on resource allocation.
  • Excellent communication and influencing skills, with a history of successfully engaging and presenting to senior stakeholders.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Immersive Learning Technologies (VR/AR for Safety Training)

Traditional classroom training can't fully replicate high-risk scenarios. VR/AR offers safe, repeatable, and highly engaging simulations for tasks like confined space entry, LOTO procedures, or emergency response, leading to better skill transfer and retention.

VR/AR Content Development Pipelines · Haptic Feedback & Realism · Measuring Performance in VR · Scalability & Cost-Effectiveness

  • This month: Attend a webinar or virtual conference on VR/AR in H&S training.
  • Next quarter: Identify one high-risk procedure where VR/AR could significantly improve training effectiveness and research potential vendors.
  • Month 4-6: Develop a pilot programme for a VR/AR training module with a small group of employees.
  • Month 7-9: Present findings and a recommendation for broader adoption to EHS leadership.

Quick win: Explore existing off-the-shelf VR safety training modules. Many are surprisingly affordable and can give you a feel for the technology's potential without a huge investment.

Advanced Data Storytelling & Visualisation

Simply presenting numbers isn't enough. You'll need to tell a compelling story with your data to influence senior leaders, justify investments, and drive cultural change. This means going beyond basic charts to create impactful narratives.

Narrative Structures in Data Presentation · Interactive Dashboards & Drill-Downs · Cognitive Load Theory in Visual Design · Ethical Data Presentation

  • This month: Take an online course on data storytelling (e.g., from Tableau or LinkedIn Learning).
  • Next quarter: Redesign one of your existing quarterly reports, focusing on telling a clear story about safety impact.
  • Month 4-6: Coach your team on best practices for data visualisation and storytelling in their own reports.
  • Month 7-9: Present a 'data story' to a senior leadership team, seeking feedback on its effectiveness.

Quick win: Start by adding a clear 'So What?' section to your existing reports, explaining the implications of the data and what actions are needed. It's a simple way to add narrative.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly attend industry conferences (e.g., Safety & Health Expo, Learning Technologies) to stay current on best practices and emerging trends.
  • Participate in professional networks or forums for H&S L&D leaders to share insights and learn from peers.
  • Undertake continuous professional development (CPD) in both H&S legislation updates and advanced learning methodologies.
  • Seek out opportunities to mentor junior professionals within the H&S or L&D fields, further developing your leadership skills.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI-Driven Learning Personalisation

Generic, one-size-fits-all training is becoming less effective. AI can tailor learning paths, content, and assessments to individual employee needs, learning styles, and even risk profiles. This means more efficient, more impactful training.

  • Adaptive Learning Platforms
  • Competency-Based Learning Paths
  • AI-Powered Skill Gap Analysis
  • Microlearning & Spaced Repetition

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Regulatory Compliance Frameworks (Advanced)
  • Instructional Design & Adult Learning (Expert)
  • Root Cause Analysis (RCA) & Human and Organisational Performance (HOP) (Advanced)
  • Kirkpatrick's Evaluation Model (Expert)
  • Needs Analysis & Job Safety Analysis (JSA) (Expert)

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Lead H&S Training Strategist (L4)

    3-5 years in previous role

    Skills to master

    • Mastering strategic programme design, influencing cross-functional teams without direct authority, and demonstrating early leadership in project management. You'd have a proven track record of architecting solutions for complex safety challenges.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully led 2-3 major H&S training programme implementations end-to-end.
    • Consistently received positive feedback on your ability to influence senior stakeholders.
    • Demonstrated strong analytical skills in identifying and addressing systemic training gaps.
    • Mentored junior team members effectively and showed potential for people management.
  2. 2

    EHS Manager (Site/Regional)

    5-7 years in previous role

    Skills to master

    • Developing a broader understanding of overall EHS management, including compliance, incident investigation, and risk management beyond just training. You'd have proven experience managing EHS functions at a site level, with a strong emphasis on the training component.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Managed all EHS aspects for a medium-sized operational site with a strong safety record.
    • Had significant responsibility for H&S training within that EHS management role.
    • Successfully navigated complex regulatory audits with positive outcomes.
    • Demonstrated ability to balance operational demands with EHS priorities.
  3. 3

    Senior L&D Manager (Non-H&S Specialism)

    3-5 years in previous role

    Skills to master

    • Demonstrating strong L&D leadership skills, including team management, budget control, and instructional design expertise, but needing to gain deeper H&S domain knowledge. This path would require a strong commitment to upskilling in H&S.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Managed a team of L&D professionals in a different specialism (e.g., leadership development, sales training).
    • Successfully managed a significant L&D budget and delivered measurable results.
    • Proven ability to quickly acquire new domain knowledge and apply L&D principles effectively.
    • Strong interest and foundational understanding of Health & Safety principles.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This work can lead to a global EHS director role, a chief learning officer role, or a head of EHS position overseeing safety across an organisation.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Health and Safety Learning & Development Manager is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

The record names a next step, but the catalogue has no page for it yet:

  • Director of EHS Learning & Org Capability (L6)

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Develop and Maintain Individual and Organisational Competence in Health and Safety Matters, worked against Health and Safety Learning & Development Manager.

Develop and Maintain Individual and Organisational Competence in Health and Safety Matters Level 6

Applied to your work in Health and Safety Learning & Development Manager

1. To enable the learner to critically analyse the strategic importance of developing and maintaining individual and organisational competence in health and safety. 2. To enable the learner to evaluate various systematic approaches for identifying health and safety training and development needs within an organisation. 3. To enable the learner to design comprehensive health and safety development plans that address identified needs and comply with relevant legislation and industry standards. 4. To enable the learner to implement, monitor, and adapt health and safety competence development plans effectively across different organisational levels. 5. To enable the learner to assess the impact and effectiveness of competence development initiatives on overall health and safety performance and culture. 6. To enable the learner to advise on integrating health and safety competence management with broader organisational human resource development and risk management strategies.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

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See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Health and Safety Learning & Development Manager
  • Regulatory Compliance Frameworks (Advanced)
  • Instructional Design & Adult Learning (Expert)
  • Root Cause Analysis (RCA) & Human and Organisational Performance (HOP) (Advanced)
  • Kirkpatrick's Evaluation Model (Expert)
  • Needs Analysis & Job Safety Analysis (JSA) (Expert)
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Health and Safety Learning & Development Manager is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Director of EHS Learning & Org Capability (L6)

    3-5 years in this role

    This is the natural next step, moving from managing a function to shaping the EHS learning strategy across multiple business units or even globally. You'll be operating at a more strategic, business-unit level.

    • Global regulatory landscape navigation and harmonisation.
    • Advanced organisational development and change leadership.
    • Strategic vendor and partner management at a global scale.
    • Integrating EHS learning into broader business transformation initiatives.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, managing a team, a budget, and a critical safety training function is a lot. What if you could offload some of the heavy lifting and focus on strategy and people development? Our AI Productivity Hub shows you exactly how.

For a Health & Safety Learning & Development Manager, AI isn't just a buzzword; it's a game-changer. Imagine automating compliance tracking, predicting risk, and even rapidly creating engaging training content. This isn't science fiction; it's what our top managers are already doing to free up their time and make a bigger impact.

Automated Compliance & Reminders

An AI agent can automatically track training deadlines in your LMS, send personalised reminders to employees and their managers, and escalate overdue training. This creates an audit-ready trail without you or your team lifting a finger. Think of the peace of mind during an HSE audit!

Predictive Risk Hot-Spotting

Use AI to analyse vast amounts of text from incident reports, near-miss logs, and audit findings. It can identify emerging risk trends and patterns that humans might miss, suggesting targeted 'micro-training' interventions before a major accident occurs. You'll be proactive, not just reactive.

Regulatory Change Summarisation

New OSHA or HSE regulation just dropped? Feed that 100-page document into an AI assistant. It'll produce a 2-page summary of key changes, list affected employee groups, and even draft a first 'Toolbox Talk' script. You'll stay ahead of compliance without drowning in paperwork.

Rapid Content & Scenario Creation

AI tools can generate realistic voiceovers, create animated explainer videos from text scripts (think Vyond), or even produce AI-avatar-led training videos (like Synthesia). This drastically cuts down development time for e-learning modules and allows your team to focus on complex instructional design.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Health and Safety Learning & Development Manager?

Common routes in include Lead H&S Training Strategist (3-5 years in previous role), EHS Manager (Site/Regional) (5-7 years in previous role) and Senior L&D Manager (Non-H&S Specialism) (3-5 years in previous role). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Health and Safety Learning & Development Manager progress to?

This role can lead on to Director of EHS Learning & Org Capability (3-5 years in this role), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Health and Safety Learning & Development Manager?

Increasingly, AI-Driven Learning Personalisation. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

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Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

Read the Zavmo manifesto to understand how you will be taught Meet your tutors

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17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 5

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

 More jobs in learning and development

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

The skills learned here transfer well. Similar health and safety learning and development leadership roles exist in other high-risk industries, such as oil and gas, pharmaceuticals or defence. The work can also lead into broader learning and development leadership roles in any sector, since expertise in compliance and reducing risk through training is useful everywhere.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my plan, free What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.