Permit Officer

The Vacancy

Permit Officer

Location: Saffron Walden

We are looking for a proactive and detail-driven Permit Officer to join our team at the Wellcome Genome Campus in Saffron Walden. This is a site-based role supporting the safe and efficient management of contractors working across a busy, innovative scientific campus.

If you have a background in Engineering, Construction or M&E and experience issuing permits, this is a great opportunity to play a key part in ensuring safety, compliance and operational excellence across a world-class facility.

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What You’ll Be Doing

As a Permit Officer, you’ll support the smooth running of the Permit Office and help maintain a safe working environment across the campus. Your responsibilities will include:

Permit & Compliance Management

• Preparing, reviewing, authorising and issuing work permits and control certificates via our electronic system.
• Ensuring all contractors have completed their inductions and meet the Wellcome Genome Campus (WGC) health & safety requirements.
• Maintaining accurate records, including a live campus map showing active permits and areas of control.
• Monitoring permitted work on-site, including conducting safety and performance checks on contractors and subcontractors.

Supporting Safe Operations

• Promoting a strong safety culture across the campus.
• Collaborating with Estates & Facilities, FM contractors, visiting contractors and principal contractors.
• Assisting with contractor onboarding and delivering health & safety inductions.
• Providing input into system improvements and supporting the management of the electronic Permit to Work software.

Communications & Stakeholder Engagement

• Acting as a liaison between internal teams and external contractors.
• Assisting with weekly and monthly permit review meetings.
• Helping resolve queries and providing guidance to ensure work is conducted safely, on time and in line with CDM and WGC procedures.

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What We’re Looking For

Essential Experience & Skills

• Background in Engineering, Construction or M&E with previous permit issuing experience.
• Strong understanding of UK Health & Safety legislation, particularly CDM.
• Confident communicator able to work effectively with operatives, managers and senior stakeholders.
• Solid IT skills (Outlook, Word, Excel) and experience using systems such as Aconex, Buzzsaw or other permit software.
• Ability to challenge unsafe working practices and identify gaps in documentation.
• Experience supporting small and large-scale projects.

Desirable Skills & Qualifications

• NEBOSH General/Construction Certificate, IOSH Managing Safely, or equivalent.
• Formal qualification in Engineering, Construction or M&E.
• Experience completing H&S audits or reviews.
• AP appointment in areas such as working at height, confined spaces, hot works, LOTO, pressure systems or similar.
• Membership of IOSH, APS, CIOB or RICS.
• Five years+ experience in a similar role.

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Personal Qualities

We’re looking for someone who demonstrates:

• Strong communication skills
• Collaborative working style
• Leadership and ownership
• Innovation and continuous improvement mindset
• Results-driven approach

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If you’re an organised, confident Permit professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment and wants to help support pioneering scientific facilities, we’d love to hear from you.

Given the nature of this position, you will need to undergo a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) at offer stage. Applicants with criminal convictions will be assessed individually, and we assure you that we do not discriminate based on an applicant’s criminal record or the details of any disclosed offenses. Additionally, certain roles may be subject to additional pre-employment checks.

To learn more about the checks included in this process, please click on the following link: National Security Vetting

Work for WPS

WPS combines deep sector expertise, local knowledge and a purpose-driven approach to act as a strategic partner for maintenance, compliance and energy transition solutions helping people thrive in properties.

As part of the Wates Group, we benefit from a heritage built on more than 129 years of expertise in the built environment. We are driven by our purpose, ‘reimagining places for people to thrive’ and our three promises:

• Thriving places – working with customers, partners and communities to create places that are more sustainable, inclusive, and full of opportunity.
• Thriving planet – protecting nature and taking action on climate change by collaborating and innovating with our partners.
• Thriving people – creating opportunities and relationships so that everyone who works for and with us feels included, invested in and treated with care.

We are proud to be recognised as Gold Investors in People and as a Disability Confident employer.  We also ensure that our recruitment processes do not treat anyone less favourably due to an offending background.