HSE Head - #2629030

HSE Head (Health, Safety & Environment)

Germany

Lead safety excellence on one of our clients most high-profile projects

Our pharmaceutical manufacturing client is seeking an experienced and strategic Head of HSE to take ownership of Health, Safety & Environmental leadership across a major flagship project in Frankfurt. This is a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role from early design through construction, commissioning, and validation—ensuring world-class safety standards at every stage.

The Role

As Head of HSE, you will provide end-to-end leadership across all HSE aspects of the project, ensuring compliance, driving performance, and embedding a proactive safety culture. You will act as the primary point of contact for regulatory authorities, manage the HSE budget, and ensure the site maintains its license to operate.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead HSE strategy across all project phases, from design to operational readiness
• Manage project HSE budgets, including vendor negotiations and cost control
• Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulations
• Act as the main contact for external regulatory authorities and certification bodies
• Drive process safety excellence, including HAZOP, PSHSR, and risk assessments
• Implement governance frameworks and safety KPIs for construction phases
• Deliver training programmes to build a strong HSE culture across all teams
• Conduct incident investigations and lead root cause analysis
• Monitor and report on HSE performance to senior stakeholders
• Minimise environmental impact through sustainable practices and risk mitigation

About you

• Master’s degree in Occupational Health & Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, or similar
• Extensive senior-level HSE experience, ideally in large-scale chemical or biotech construction projects
• Demonstrated leadership in complex industrial environments
• Strong strategic thinking and decision-making ability
• High level of resilience, judgement, and ability to influence at all levels
• Fluent in German and English (additional languages are an advantage)