Business Area Manager

Role: Business Area Manager – Head of Safety Products Testing
Location: UK (site-based)
Salary: £40,000 – £50,000 per annum (dependent on experience)
Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Overview
An established testing and certification organisation is seeking a Head of Safety Products Testing to lead a specialist testing function focused on personal protective equipment (PPE). This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for driving commercial performance, operational excellence and regulatory compliance across a portfolio of accredited laboratories.
The department operates multiple accredited laboratories equipped with a wide range of testing machinery, supporting the evaluation of PPE against UK, European and international standards.

The Role
Reporting at senior level, the Head of Safety Products Testing will be responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of the function. Key responsibilities include:

• Providing strong leadership and direction to deliver sustained growth in revenue and profitability
• Embedding a lean, continuous improvement culture across the department
• Ensuring robust development plans are in place to support team capability and succession
• Overseeing the timely production of technical and industry-facing publications
• Maintaining and expanding the organisation’s UKAS accreditation scope as required
• Ensuring full compliance with Health & Safety requirements
• Managing day-to-day operations including team performance, engagement and recruitment
• Full ownership of departmental financials, including forecasting, cost control and month-end reporting
• Driving sales activity and promoting testing services to existing and prospective clients
• Representing the organisation at trade events and customer meetings
• Keeping abreast of changes in PPE legislation, standards and testing requirements
• Ensuring all testing activities comply with ISO/IEC 17025 and internal quality systems
• Managing corrective actions and continuous improvement initiatives
• Maintaining active involvement in national, European and international technical committees

About You
Essential Criteria

• Proven experience leading, motivating and developing technical or professional teams
• Strong commercial acumen with a track record of business development and budget management
• Ability to engage and build relationships with senior industry stakeholders internationally
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills across all organisational levels
• Confident delegator with a structured and organised approach
• High attention to detail and strong planning capability
• Technical background with the ability to interpret complex testing standards
• Strategic mindset with experience developing and evolving departmental capability
• Willingness to travel as required
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel

Desirable

• Experience within the PPE or safety products sector
• Formal leadership or management qualification
• Exposure to sales, marketing or service growth initiatives

Benefits
The role offers a comprehensive benefits package including generous annual leave (increasing with service), pension provision, life assurance, income protection, flexible working hours and on-site parking.
Application deadline: Early January 2026
Interviews: Mid-January 2026 (on site)