Safety Department Manager

John Cockerill; Seraing; Sur place; EUR 110 000 - 150 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Company car

Meal vouchers

Flat‑rate expenses

Insurance (hospitalisation/life/death/

Profit‑sharing scheme

Variable remuneration 0–25%

Flexible remote work 1–2 days/week

6‑month onboarding training

Career development and succession path

International opportunities

31 days off

Résumé du poste

John Cockerill is seeking a Safety Department Manager to govern Safety at the Group level and align Corporate Safety with business units. You will lead the network of Safety representatives, drive standards, and ensure compliance across all sectors while deputizing for the Director of Group Safety when abroad.

The role focuses exclusively on Safety; Environmental matters are handled separately by Corporate Environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of experience in a transversal/cross‑functional role.
• Background in an industrial environment with field/site exposure.
• Solid knowledge of safety regulations and standards; certification is a plus but not mandatory.
• Ability to write and review procedures clearly for shop-floor/site users.
• Comfortable analysing Group‑level data and identifying trends.

Responsabilités

• Define, promote and deploy the Group Safety strategy.
• Lead and coordinate the network of Business Safety representatives (SHEES) Group‑wide.
• Harmonize safety standards, methodologies and best practices at Group level.
• Ensure ethics, compliance and correct application of Group safety requirements.
• Steer Group safety KPIs, analyse trends, and share lessons learned.
• Support businesses in safety maturity and continuous improvement.
• Develop the Group’s safety culture and accountability of line management.
• Develop skills of the Safety network and prepare future leaders.
• Oversee safety data rollout and reporting with IT.
• Review field‑level procedures, applying a pragmatic 80/20 approach.

Connaissances

Cross‑functional experience

Safety regulations knowledge

Procedure writing

Communication skills

English fluency

French fluency

Influence without authority

Travel readiness

Formation

Prévention advisory certification (asset)

Description du poste

Are you ready to contribute to a global industrial group shaping sustainable solutions for tomorrow?

Driven since 1817 by the entrepreneurial spirit and thirst for innovation of its founder, the John Cockerill Group develops large‑scale technological solutions to meet the needs of its time: facilitating access to low‑carbon energies, enabling sustainable industrial production, preserving natural resources, contributing to greener mobility, enhancing security, and installing critical infrastructures.
Its offer to companies, State and communities consists of services and associated equipment for the sectors of energy, defence, industry, the environment, transports, and infrastructures.
With over 8,000 employees, John Cockerill achieved a turnover of €1.417 billion in 2024, operating in 28 countries across 5 continents.
As a diversified international Group, John Cockerill relies on strong corporate functions to support its businesses, drive performance, ensure governance, and foster sustainable growth across all activities.

Your role

As Safety Department Manager, you will lead the governance of Safety at Group level, acting as the direct link between the Corporate Safety function and the Businesses. You will define, promote and deploy the Group Safety strategy, and drive its consistent application across all sectors — without substituting yourself for local organizations, but ensuring alignment, coordination and a shared safety culture.
You will act as the right hand and potential successor to the Director of Group Safety, deputizing for him during his missions abroad, including representation on employee‑relation bodies (CPPT and others) and, occasionally, presentations to the Management Board.
This position is exclusively dedicated to Safety. Environmental matters are managed by the separate Corporate Environment function, with which you will maintain close coordination.

Your key responsibilities

• Define, promote and deploy the Group Safety strategy
• Lead and coordinate the network of Business Safety representatives (SHEES network), currently ~15-20 people Group‑wide, with the ambition to grow it to around 30
• Harmonize safety standards, methodologies and best practices at Group level
• Ensure ethics, compliance and the correct application of Group safety requirements across the Businesses
• Steer Group safety KPIs, analyse trends, and share lessons learned/return on experience
• Support the Businesses in their continuous improvement and safety maturity growth
• Develop the Group’s safety culture and reinforce the accountability of line management on safety topics
• Develop the skills of the Safety network, identify talent, and prepare future Business Safety leaders to ensure continuity of the function
• Oversee, with IT, the rollout and reporting of the Group’s safety data through the tool
• Review and challenge field‑level safety procedures, applying a pragmatic 80/20 approach (clear, actionable procedures rather than bureaucratic ones)

Your team

You will report directly to the Director of Group Safety, within a small, close‑knit Corporate team. You will work in a culture based on trust, autonomy and direct communication, with regular feedback and a strong focus on transparency. You will also interact closely — though without hierarchical authority — with Business Safety representatives across all sectors, requiring influence, credibility and a collaborative mindset rather than command‑and‑control management.

Your profile

Experience & technical skills

• Minimum 10 years of experience, including significant experience in a transversal / cross‑functional role
• Ideally a background in an industrial environment, with genuine field/site exposure
• Solid knowledge of safety regulations and standards; a “Conseiller en Prévention” certification (niveau 1 or 2) is an asset but not mandatory
• Ability to write and review procedures clearly and effectively (action‑oriented, adapted to shop‑floor / site users)
• Comfortable analysing Group‑level data and identifying trends

Personal & behavioural skills

• Strong communication skills and genuine field presence — a “doer” rather than a pure policy expert
• Charisma and ability to influence without formal hierarchical authority over the Business Safety network
• Pragmatic and structured, without being overly bureaucratic
• Direct, transparent, trustworthy — comfortable giving and receiving straightforward feedback
• Able to say “stop” on safety matters when needed, and to do so diplomatically
• A good sense of internal politics
• Autonomous, with a genuine appetite for Health & Safety topics
• Willingness to travel: approx. ~20% on average — mainly short trips (1‑3 days) to France and Belgium, plus 1‑2 trips per year to India and China
• Fluent in English and French

What we offer

At John Cockerill, we deeply value your contribution:

• Attractive salary package with many extra‑legal benefits: company car, meal vouchers, flat‑rate expenses, hospitalization/life/death/guaranteed income insurance, variable remuneration ranging from 0‑25% of your gross annual salary, profit‑sharing scheme based on progress and results
• Flexible work arrangements, with 1‑2 days of remote work per week after training
• Comprehensive onboarding: a 6‑month training with plenty of learning opportunities
• Career development: regular reviews, large catalogue of training, and career progression — with a genuine perspective of succession to the Director of Group Safety role
• International opportunities across businesses and regions
• 31 days off