EHS Manager

Galway (Site Based)

A leading pharmaceutical manufacturing organisation is seeking an experienced Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) professional to take ownership of a key leadership role within its operations team. This is a high-impact position offering the opportunity to shape and drive the EHS agenda across a complex, fast-paced manufacturing environment.

This is a pivotal role for an EHS leader who is ready to step into a position of influence, responsibility, and strategic impact. Reporting to the Site General Manager, the successful candidate will lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the organisation’s Environmental, Health & Safety programme, ensuring best-in-class compliance, risk management, and sustainability performance.

Based full-time onsite at a major manufacturing facility in the West of Ireland, this role offers the opportunity to build capability, lead a specialist team, and play a central role in shaping a strong safety and environmental culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the EHS strategy and implementation, ensuring alignment with business objectives and continuous improvement priorities
• Oversee EHS compliance audits and develop robust site and group-wide EHS improvement plans
• Maintain and enhance the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, ensuring effective environmental performance and compliance
• Lead the risk management programme, proactively identifying hazards and implementing mitigation strategies across operations
• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of EHS professionals, supporting capability building and succession planning
• Oversee occupational health services, promoting employee wellbeing, ergonomic best practice, and proactive health surveillance programmes
• Lead emergency preparedness and response planning, ensuring regular testing and continuous improvement of procedures
• Act as key EHS representative during regulatory inspections and external audits (including HSA, environmental regulators, insurers, and customer audits)
• Drive incident reporting, root cause analysis, and preventative action programmes across the site
• Develop and deliver a comprehensive EHS training and communications strategy to embed a strong safety culture
• Ensure Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser (DGSA) compliance is effectively maintained
• Oversee contractor safety management systems and ensure adherence to site safety standards
• Contribute to sustainability and ESG reporting initiatives at site and group level
• Report on EHS KPIs, performance trends, and improvement initiatives to senior leadership

Experience & Skills Required

• Minimum 8 years’ experience in an EHS role, ideally within a manufacturing environment
• At least 4–5 years’ experience in a pharmaceutical or GMP-regulated environment
• Proven leadership experience, including managing and developing teams
• Strong understanding of environmental, health & safety legislation and compliance frameworks
• Demonstrated experience in chemical safety and high-risk manufacturing environments
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a proactive, improvement-focused mindset
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage at all levels
• Experience in project management and driving cross-functional initiatives

Qualifications

• Minimum Level 8 degree in Health & Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, or a related discipline (essential)
• Additional Occupational Health & Safety qualification highly desirable

Overview

This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced EHS professional to step into a senior leadership role with significant autonomy and influence. The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping safety culture, environmental performance, and regulatory excellence within a high-performing manufacturing environment.

For further information on this EHS Manager role in Galway please contact Caroline Kingston on 0868395531  or email caroline@hero.ie

Check out all our open jobs on our HERO Recruitment website – https://www.hero.ie/

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