Safety Manager (HS Lead)

Destia; Pohjois-Pohjanmaa; Remote; EUR 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Destia is seeking an experienced Safety Manager to lead H&S on major infrastructure projects across Finland. You will partner with project management, coordinate site safety, and lead the H&S team.

Travel to project sites is required; you will shape safety culture, develop practices, and ensure regulatory compliance across projects, including work in North Ostrobothnia and other regions.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in site or project safety within industrial, infrastructure and/or construction sectors.
• Experience in safety leadership, coordination and development at project level.
• Experience in people management or willingness to lead safety professionals.
• A university degree in occupational safety, construction or civil engineering.
• Good understanding of safety legislation and practices in infrastructure/construction.

Responsibilities

• Provide overview of safety status, risks and incidents for project decisions.
• Coordinate and improve site safety activities across projects.
• Lead the H&S team and allocate resources effectively.
• Ensure clear responsibilities and consistent working practices.
• Coordinate audits, safety data, and report site safety to management.
• Monitor compliance with client safety requirements and participate in inspections.
• Develop the safety team's competence and practices.
• Investigate serious incidents and safety deviations and implement lessons learned.
• Foster a proactive safety culture across the project organisation.

Skills

Site safety leadership

Project safety coordination

People management

Communication skills

English language

Education

Degree in occupational safety / construction / civil engineering

Job description

Join us in building infrastructure for people – safely, responsibly and sustainably.

We are looking for an experienced Safety Manager (Safety Manager / H&S Lead) to join our team and work on major, growing infrastructure projects. In this role, you will act as a key safety partner to project management, coordinate overall H&S activities on site and lead the H&S team.

At Destia, you will have the opportunity to work on diverse and challenging projects across Finland. New projects are scheduled to start in early 2027 and will be located in the North Ostrobothnia region and elsewhere in Northern Finland. In addition to these upcoming projects, you may also work on projects that are already underway. The role involves travelling and working at project sites according to their locations. Depending on project needs, future assignments may also be located elsewhere in Finland.

What kind of role and team would you be joining?

In this role, safety is about much more than meeting requirements and monitoring compliance. You will have a genuine opportunity to influence how safety is planned, managed and continuously improved across demanding projects, working closely with project management, site operations and clients. You will also help establish consistent ways of working and strengthen the safety culture as an integral part of everyday project activities.

As Safety Manager, you will be a key member of the project organisation and a trusted safety partner to project management. You will support project management in safety management and decision‑making, while coordinating overall site safety activities.

You will lead the site's H&S Advisor team and oversee its day‑to‑day activities. You will ensure that responsibilities and areas of ownership are clearly defined, working practices are consistent, and safety resources are allocated appropriately according to the site's needs and circumstances.

The role combines overall safety leadership and coordination, practical site safety, support for project management and people leadership. You will work closely with project management, site management, safety professionals, other specialists, subcontractors, the client and other stakeholders.

You will be supported by Destia's wider safety organisation and experienced project teams.

Your key responsibilities

• Provide project management with an up‑to‑date and reliable overview of the safety situation, significant risks, incidents, performance and areas for improvement, supporting safety‑related decision‑making.
• Coordinate and continuously improve overall site safety activities.
• Support project management in safety management and decision‑making.
• Lead the H&S team, oversee its day‑to‑day activities and ensure the effective allocation of resources.
• Ensure clear responsibilities and consistent ways of working across the team.
• Coordinate audits and inspections, compile safety observations, trends and other relevant safety data, and maintain and report the overall site safety picture to project management.
• Monitor compliance with client safety requirements and participate in inspections and audits.
• Support the development of the safety team's competence and working practices.
• Support and facilitate the practical handling and investigation of serious incidents and safety deviations.
• Monitor the progress of corrective actions and ensure that lessons learned are captured and translated into practice.
• Continuously develop the safety culture in collaboration with the project organisation.

Watch the video below to hear your future colleagues share their experiences of working on our sites!

Learn more about Destia and our services on our website!

How can you succeed best in this role?

At Destia, everything we do is guided by our values: fairness, togetherness, renewal and success.

For us, safety is demonstrated through actions, not just words. At Destia, you will thrive when you know how to make safety an integral part of everyday choices, interactions and decisions.

To succeed in this role, you will have:

• Extensive experience in site or project safety within the industrial, infrastructure and/or construction sectors.
• Experience in safety leadership, coordination and development at project level.
• Experience in people management or the readiness to take responsibility for leading safety professionals.
• A relevant university of applied sciences or university degree, for example in occupational safety, construction or civil engineering.
• A good understanding of occupational health and safety legislation, regulatory requirements, and safety practices in the infrastructure and construction sectors.
• The ability to form an overall picture of site safety, identify significant risks and communicate key findings to project management.
• Strong collaboration, communication and organisational skills.
• A firm, people‑oriented and solution‑focused approach.
• The ability to work independently and make well‑founded decisions in changing project environments.
• Good command of English.
• Willingness to work on projects and travel to different locations.

Experience in demanding project environments, safety development, audits, risk management or the investigation of serious incidents will be considered an advantage.

The role may require regular travel to different project sites. If you regularly travel to a project location from another town or city, we will cover agreed accommodation costs and reimburse work‑related travel and mobility expenses.

What we promise at Destia

At Destia, you get to do meaningful work that impacts people’s everyday lives. We build and maintain infrastructure throughout its lifecycle together with experts from various fields in teams where everyone’s contribution matters. With us, you can develop your expertise and shape your career path in your own direction, including internationally as part of the Colas Group.

We want everyone to feel welcome at Destia, regardless of their background. We treat each other equally and with respect and believe that the best solutions emerge when people can be themselves at work and bring different perspectives to the table. Through our everyday actions, we take responsibility for people, the environment and society. For us, sustainability is reflected in how we work, how we care for one another, and how we develop infrastructure that serves people far into the future. Most importantly, we want these commitments to be reflected in Destia employees’ everyday experiences. Read more about our sustainability work and the way we operate on our website.