Unispace

Principal, Health & Safety EMEA

London, United Kingdom
Full-time
Posted Nov 5, 2026

Skills

Compliance
Leadership
Operations
Project Management
Recruiting
Teamwork

Job description

At Unispace, we create spaces that empower people and businesses to thrive. We are a global design-build partner delivering workplace and life sciences projects for some of the world’s most innovative brands.

With over 500 people across four continents, we bring together strategy, design, project management, and delivery into one seamless experience. Our integrated approach enables us to move with agility, solve complex challenges, and deliver meaningful outcomes for our clients.

Our people are at the centre of everything we do. We foster a collaborative, inclusive culture that values curiosity, accountability, creativity, and continuous improvement. We believe diverse perspectives strengthen our teams and help us create better experiences for our clients and each other.

At Unispace, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to impactful projects, work alongside talented global teams, and grow your career in an environment that encourages innovation and new ideas.

Principal Health & Safety – EMEA

European Leadership | Commercial Fit-Out & Design & Build | International Projects

Are you an experienced Health & Safety leader who thrives on being out on site, challenging standards and making a genuine difference to how construction projects are delivered?

At Unispace , we're looking for a Principal, Health & Safety to take ownership of safety performance across our European operations.

As a global leader in workplace strategy, design and construction, we deliver exceptional workplace environments for some of the world's most recognisable brands. With 48 studios worldwide and projects spanning multiple countries, we're looking for someone who can help us set the benchmark for health and safety across our European project portfolio.

We're not looking for someone who simply manages policies, produces reports and oversees compliance from behind a desk. We want someone who knows construction sites inside out, understands the realities of fast-paced commercial fit-out projects and has the confidence to challenge Project Managers, Site Managers and contractors when standards aren't where they need to be.

This is an opportunity to take real ownership of health and safety across an international project portfolio, influence operational leadership and shape how safety is delivered across Europe.

The Opportunity

Reporting directly to our Head of Operations, you'll lead health and safety across our European delivery operations, ensuring projects consistently meet the highest standards of safety, compliance and operational excellence.

You'll work closely with our regional delivery teams, visiting live construction sites, identifying risks, challenging unsafe practices and making sure the right standards are upheld throughout the entire project lifecycle.

Our projects involve the transformation of commercial workplaces, often within existing buildings, occupied environments and demanding delivery programmes. These environments bring their own unique challenges, and we need someone who understands the difference between managing health and safety on a traditional base-build construction site and delivering complex commercial fit-out projects.

With responsibility spanning multiple European locations, you'll play a critical role in creating consistency across different countries, regulations, contractors and project environments.

Importantly, this is a hands-on operational leadership position , not simply a strategic or corporate H&S role.

What You'll Be Doing

•Leading Health & Safety across our European operations , ensuring consistent standards across live construction and workplace fit-out projects.

•Getting out on site , carrying out inspections, identifying potential hazards and proactively addressing risks before they become incidents.

•Holding Site Managers, Project Managers and subcontractors accountable , challenging practices where necessary and ensuring our safety standards are consistently enforced.

•Driving safety performance across commercial fit-out and refurbishment projects , understanding the particular risks associated with existing buildings, live environments and fast-paced construction programmes.

•Developing, implementing and continuously improving our regional H&S policies, procedures, risk assessments and safe systems of work.

•Ensuring compliance with relevant European and local construction safety legislation, including UK CDM regulations where applicable.

•Leading site audits, incident investigations and corrective action plans, ensuring identified issues are properly addressed and closed out.

•Monitoring and reporting on safety performance across live and completed projects , identifying recurring issues, emerging risks and opportunities for improvement.

•Working closely with our operational leadership teams to improve safety culture, strengthen site management practices and drive continuous improvement.

•Supporting our delivery teams through practical safety guidance, training, toolbox talks and best-practice initiatives.

•Acting as a key point of escalation for significant safety concerns, incidents and compliance issues across the region.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for an established construction Health & Safety professional who combines technical expertise with genuine operational credibility.

You'll ideally bring:

•10+ years' experience within construction Health & Safety, ideally with a strong background in commercial interiors, workplace fit-out, refurbishment or design & build.

•A proven track record overseeing safety across multiple construction sites, projects or regional operations.

•Strong practical knowledge of live construction environments , with the ability to walk onto a site, recognise potential risks and know exactly what good looks like.

•Experience working directly with Site Managers, Project Managers, subcontractors and senior delivery leadership.

•A thorough understanding of construction H&S legislation, compliance requirements, site inspections and incident management.

•The confidence and authority to challenge operational teams, enforce standards and drive accountability at every level.

•Experience producing meaningful H&S reporting, identifying patterns across projects and implementing measurable improvements.

•The ability to operate across different European markets, navigating varying regulations and working practices.

•Relevant qualifications in Occupational Health & Safety, Construction Management, Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.

Experience within commercial office fit-out, workplace interiors or fast-paced design & build environments would be particularly valuable.

Just as importantly, we're looking for someone with the right personality. You'll need to be approachable, commercially aware and collaborative, but equally comfortable having difficult conversations and standing your ground when safety is at stake.

We want someone who can build relationships with our project teams, earn their respect and create a culture where safety isn't simply treated as a compliance exercise, but as a fundamental part of delivering exceptional projects.

Why Join Unispace?

At Unispace, we're redefining how the world's leading organisations experience the workplace.

By bringing together workplace strategy, design, project management and construction under one roof, we create environments that inspire people and help businesses perform at their best.

Joining us means becoming part of an international team that values collaboration, innovation and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

Here's what makes this opportunity stand out:

•Genuine European responsibility – take ownership of safety performance across an international portfolio of construction projects.

•Senior leadership exposure – work directly with our operational decision-makers and influence how projects are delivered.

•Real operational impact – move beyond policy and reporting to actively improve standards across our construction sites.

•A diverse project environment – work across workplace transformations, commercial interiors and complex design & build programmes.

•The opportunity to shape the function – drive consistency, accountability and best practice across multiple countries and delivery teams.

•An established global platform – join a recognised international business with 48 studios worldwide, delivering workplaces for major international brands.

•A culture that values its people – benefit from our focus on career development, collaboration, recognition and employee wellbeing.

Ready to Make an Impact?

If you're a senior construction Health & Safety professional who enjoys being close to the action, knows what excellent site safety looks like and wants the opportunity to influence standards across an international business, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today and help us raise the bar for health and safety across Unispace's European operations.

The statements in this job description are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this role. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, or skills required.

We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences and are committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process and employment lifecycle where required by applicable law.

Inclusion & Diversity

At Unispace, we believe diverse perspectives strengthen our teams, our culture, and the work we deliver for our clients. We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone is treated with respect and has the opportunity to thrive.

Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs, in accordance with applicable local laws and regulations.