Associate Director - Site Safety Operations & Resilience

AstraZeneca plc; Macclesfield; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

AstraZeneca plc in Macclesfield is seeking an Associate Director to lead Site Safety Operations and Resilience. The role covers campus SHE leadership, incident investigations, and front-end safety training coordination.

You will drive cross-departmental safety consistency, oversee near-miss investigations, RCA/CAPA, and support emergency planning and business continuity. The position requires degree-level expertise in fire safety or related fields, SIMT command experience, and strong knowledge

Qualifications

• Degree-qualified in fire engineering, emergency management, engineering or related field.
• Experience in emergency management, fire safety or major incident investigation at major industrial sites.
• Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service or equivalent fire-service liaison experience.
• SIMT (Serious Incident Management Team) command experience.
• Formal investigation training (ICAM, TapRooT or equivalent).
• Strong knowledge of UK fire safety regulations and RIDDOR requirements.
• Line-management and matrix leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Campus departmental SHE Advisor community and drive cross-departmental consistency in SHE practices.
• Oversee investigation of near misses, incidents and accidents across occupational, environmental and process safety.
• Coordinate safety training design in partnership with Learning & Development.
• Support emergency response planning, business continuity, crisis communications and life-saving rules.
• Own the PS culture, governance, and KPI reporting to senior leaders.
• Coordinate external representation in industry forums and liaise with local authorities on safety plans.
• Provide cross-departmental safety advice to operations teams.

Skills

Emergency management

Fire safety

Matrix leadership

SIMT command

Root-cause investigation

UK fire regulations

Line-management

Education

Degree in fire engineering / emergency management / engineering

Job description

Associate Director - Site Safety Operations & Resilience

Macclesfield

At AstraZeneca, we are driven by our commitment to deliver accelerated growth and to make people's lives better. We thrive in our often intense and ambiguous environment, seeking out new challenges and working towards new solutions. We are part of an inclusive and giving community, supporting each other on our journeys. We are leading the way in delivering Lean processes that drive greater efficiency and speed. Sustainable practices are at the heart of what we do, ensuring we manage our environmental impact across all our activities and products.

We are now looking for an Associate Director - Site Safety Operations & Resilience to join the team!

Introduction to the Role

The role will lead multiple accountability areas within the Process Safety pillar, including three full-scope leadership remits and a broader portfolio. The three principal leadership responsibilities are to lead the Campus departmental SHE Advisor community, driving matrix leadership, cross-departmental consistency, behavioural safety and capability development; oversee the management and investigation of all near misses, incidents and accidents across occupational, environmental and process safety, including process safety events, root‑cause analysis, corrective and preventive actions, and the dissemination of learning and lead the front‑end design and coordination of SHE and Process Safety training programmes in partnership with Learning & Development. Training delivery will be owned by Learning & Development, while training records and competency assurance will be managed by the Associate Director - SHE Compliance.

The wider portfolio includes supporting the Director – Process Safety on emergency control operations, overseeing Process Safety activities outside the AstraZeneca Global Process Safety Management framework, emergency response and business continuity planning, crisis communications, Life Saving Rules and critical‑control verification, traffic and forklift safety, fire safety, off‑site COMAH planning and public information requirements, safety training curricula, and behavioural safety delivery through the departmental SHE Advisor community.

Accountabilities

• Departmental SHE Advisor Lead: Matrix leadership of the Campus departmental SHE Advisor community across all pillars. Chair the departmental SHE Advisor forum. Drive cross- departmental consistency in SHE practices. Deliver the site‑wide behavioural safety programme through the community — observation programme, coaching cycles, cross- departmental learning. Develop departmental SHE Advisor capability and standard‑setting for departmental -level SHE practice.
• Governance of Near Misses, Incidents and Accidents (all types): Site‑wide investigation leadership across occupational, environmental, and process safety events including process safety near‑hits and incidents. Investigation framework and quality assurance. Near‑miss coordination workflow with reporting culture development. Root Cause Analysis (RCA) / Corrective and preventative action (CAPA) framework and closure governance. Serious Injury / Fatality (SIF)-potential review. Cross‑pillar learning dissemination. Process Safety Event (PSE) reporting. Loss of primary containment tracking. PSE trend analysis for Director, Process Safety and senior leaders.
• Front‑end for all SHE and Process Safety training across the Campus: Programme design, curriculum coordination, planning, and scheduling in close partnership with the Learning & Development team (who own the delivery process). Subject‑matter content sits with each role owner.
• Coordination and planning support to the Director – Process Safety, Emergency Coordinator deployment planning, exercise programme design, capability development support, post‑shift learning cycles, COMAH and DSEAR action management support.
• Ownership of Process Safety (PS) culture and behavioural PS agenda; PS communications; cross‑pillar PS coordination outside COMAH scope; PS regulatory intelligence and horizon scanning; IChemE and AstraZeneca Global PS peer network engagement; PS KPI reporting to senior leaders.
• Emergency response planning and programme governance — site emergency response plan governance, exercise and drill schedule, ERT / fire team / first‑aid resourcing and competence framework (in support of Director - Process Safety who line‑manages the 5 Emergency Coordinators for on‑shift delivery).
• Fire safety strategy day‑to‑day delivery as delegate for the Director – Process Safety (who serves as Responsible Person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order) — fire risk assessment programme, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service liaison, false‑alarm trend analysis.
• Own the Campus Life Saving Rules and critical control verification programme — confined space, work at height, hot work, lifting operations, driving, energy isolation critical controls verification.
• Own traffic management and vehicle / pedestrian segregation governance across the Campus.
• Deliver support to the local authority off‑site COMAH emergency plan and Reg 17 public information; own the on‑site emergency plan 3‑yearly test cycle.
• Coordinate corporate insurer recommendation implementation across the Process Safety pillar in support of the Director - Process Safety.
• AstraZeneca Pharma fire safety and emergency response peer‑network participation.
• External representation in Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) and Fire Protection Association (FPA) industry forums where invited.
• Cross‑departmental advice to operations teams on emergency response, investigation, and business continuity.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Degree qualified in fire engineering, emergency management, engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Previous experience in emergency management, fire safety, or major incident investigation at major industrial sites.
• Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service or equivalent fire‑service liaison experience.
• Serious Incident Management Team (SIMT) command experience.
• Formal investigation training (e.g. ICAM, TapRooT, or equivalent structured root‑cause investigation methodology).
• Strong working knowledge of UK fire safety regulations, RIDDOR investigation requirements.
• Line‑management experience and matrix leadership experience.

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Pharmaceutical or specialty chemical industry experience.
• COMAH establishment experience.
• NEBOSH National Certificate in Fire Safety and Risk Management.
• Experience of fire engineering review on capital projects.
• Human‑factors investigation training.

Please note that interviews for this role are likely to commence 14th October 2026

At AstraZeneca, we are leading our Operations function at an exciting time of growth and evolution. We pioneer new approaches and processes across our sites, empowering our teams to foster a Lean mindset and sustainable practices. Every change we make is to deliver better outcomes for our patients. We are the champions of Lean, ensuring our teams understand and embody the benefits it can bring. There's improved quality and safety, as well as speed. Our manufacturing sites are environments of constant and rapid change. It's a place to expect the unexpected. There's rarely an obvious answer to the varied challenges we face, so it takes adaptability, flexibility and patience to thrive here.

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In‑person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions.

Date Posted

25-Sept-2026

Closing Date

07-Oct-2026

Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, starting with our recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any adjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form.