Rank: New forum user 
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Hi All
Im currently head of Technical Safety in a specialised manufacturing field for green energy, I've taken on the temporary duties of the Head of EHS as they are on long term leave. Is there a temporary title in normal use that I could use?? Its important for the cultural change i need to bring in, that the teams know or understand that theyre supported in the end to end process.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Welcome to the forums unfortuantely this is not the first post about titles nor are you the first person to get hung up on this negligible aspect of employment.
There is your official title in the company organisation and there are the various descriptors used by your colleagues. The immediate response to your post would be your are the "acting Head of H&S" although in reality it is your line manager and not this forum that decides. That "truthful" title will diminish your aspirations, after all if you are only "temporarily" "acting" in post why should anyone in the organisation bother with what you say? Focus on delivery and not how you are titled.
Even in the wider field of employment a title in one sector does not equate to what someone does in another sector, nor how they are remunerated.
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 2 users thanked Roundtuit for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Welcome to the forums unfortuantely this is not the first post about titles nor are you the first person to get hung up on this negligible aspect of employment.
There is your official title in the company organisation and there are the various descriptors used by your colleagues. The immediate response to your post would be your are the "acting Head of H&S" although in reality it is your line manager and not this forum that decides. That "truthful" title will diminish your aspirations, after all if you are only "temporarily" "acting" in post why should anyone in the organisation bother with what you say? Focus on delivery and not how you are titled.
Even in the wider field of employment a title in one sector does not equate to what someone does in another sector, nor how they are remunerated.
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2 users thanked Roundtuit for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I don't get how teams can feel they are being supported when someone who already has what is presumably a full time job is also landed with what may be another full time job - nor how a job title might affect that. As Round says, the accurate term is 'acting head of...' The other term that gets used is 'interim' but that usually applies to someone who is brought in from outside to cover the vacancy until it is filled, and is paid consultancy rates (higher than salaried rates). The more important question is, if the post holder does not return, does the organisation plan to actually fill this position on a whole time basis or are they hoping to save costs by exploiting your willingness to take on additional responsibilities?
Edited by user 11 October 2025 18:11:40(UTC)
| Reason: correction to last para
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Rank: New forum user
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I have brought in 2 people, one to fulfill my role and one to fulfill the person on leave. This leaves me to manage the change and develop the culture, whilst leading the implementation of the new SHEQ process, which will obviously incorporate the Technival and occupational safety.
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Rank: Super forum user
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That's an entirely different scenario from what first appeared. So you are not doing your existing job plus the job of the person on leave; other people are doing these jobs and you have an entirely different and new job which is itself temporary in nature. As your new job is focused on bringing about a change in the business, the title of this job might well be something like Change Manager or Project Manager.(possibly suffixed to whatever your organisation names the intended change project as). But what will happen after the leave situation is resolved one way or the other? That's what I would be worried about.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Hi Satori I think that Roundtuit and Kate have pointed you in the right direction. So, what I have to add is to think about what you (AND the roganisation) want to achieve and you say "end to end SUPPORT". So, if the keyword is SUPPORT than I suggest that a title such as ADVISER is much more likely to be consistent with the objective than ANY title that can be interpreted as it being down to YOU to manage EHS. So, NOT: "Head of..." "EHS Director" "EHS Manager" ...or anything of similar ilk,that serves to give line managers at every level an excuse to try and dodge their responsibilities. "THAT is the Safety Bod's job". Different with the job you have dropped out of (and possibly now having some oversight of the person brought in to fill the role). "Head of Technical Safety" tells people that when they want to know about what technical standards to follow, you were the person to ask.
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