Fire and Safety Lead

Job description

About Us We are Ocado Group, and we're bringing world-class automation to online grocery. Our Ocado Smart Platform (OSP) combines cutting-edge robotics, AI, and IoT within our advanced CFCs (Customer Fulfilment Centres). We've mastered the single pick, transforming online delivery for our global partners. Join us and be part of a team pushing the boundaries of retail technology. About the Role Lead Ocado's global fire safety governance and assurance framework, operating directly within the corporate Health, Safety, Fire, and Environmental (HSFE) function. In this role, you will evaluate fire risk through both life safety, property protection and business continuity perspectives, providing expert guidance, oversight, and constructive challenge to product engineering and operations teams. As the organisation's principal fire safety competent person, you will advise and influence senior stakeholders while contributing to the broader HSFE strategic agenda. Key Responsibilities • Owning the Group's fire safety standards, methodology and assurance approach, giving competent, independent advice and challenge across every operating territory. • Operating as a second-line function: advising business operations and engineering functions on fire risk and legal compliance, testing the effectiveness of controls and holding first-line operations to account, without owning their decisions. • Integrating fire risk into the Group's wider HSFE risk, governance and assurance framework. • Providing specialist technical review of entry into new territories, and ensuring fire safety considerations are embedded into contract negotiations, design, project delivery, engineering and change from concept onwards. • Advising the business on emerging thermal risks that come with robotic automation and scale, including lithium-ion battery systems, thermal events and high-bay environments. • Leading the Group's external fire safety relationships with regulators, fire and rescue authorities, and 3rd party auditors • Contributing breadth across the wider HSFE Governance function: shared governance frameworks, accountability models, competence and role definitions, committee structures and assurance approaches beyond fire alone. About you • Degree-level qualification in a relevant discipline (e.g. risk management, fire safety,or built-environment discipline), or an equivalent recognised professional qualification supported by demonstrable industry experience. • Current professional membership, at a grade evidencing professional competence, of a recognised fire safety, risk management or related institution (e.g. Institute of Fire Safety Managers, Institution of Fire Engineers, Institute of Risk Management, or an equivalent body in a relevant operating territory). • Experience of fire risk management in a relevant industrial setting, including at Group, multi-site and multi-jurisdictional level, with demonstrable strategic and commercial judgement in managing risk organisationally. • Demonstrable competence to determine and oversee fire risk assessment methodology, standards and competent-person requirements, and to direct, commission and quality-assure specialist technical work (fire engineering, fire protection, fire risk assessment). • Experience advising and influencing senior operational leaders on fire risk, translating complex technical issues into clear business-risk, decision-ready advice. What we offer We believe in supporting our people with meaningful, flexible benefits that prioritise well-being and work-life balance. Here’s a snapshot of what you can expect: • Time to recharge : 25 days annual leave (rising to 27 after 5 years), plus the option to buy more – and 30 days a year to work from anywhere in the world. • Health & wellbeing : Private Medical Insurance from your first month, wellbeing support through specialist apps and EAP, plus Income Protection and Life Assurance. • Family-first policies : 22 weeks paid maternity/primary carer leave and 6 weeks paid paternity leave • Financial support : Pension with employer matching up to 7%,