Head of EHS (UK operations)

Merck Life Science; Irvine; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck Life Science is seeking an experienced EHS leader to develop and execute the UK EHS strategy, spanning multiple sites with hands-on leadership at Irvine. You will shape governance, KPI reporting, and risk reduction across operations, while embedding safety and sustainability into day-to-day activities.

You will coach and develop the EHS team, engage site leaders, and drive improvements through data-driven insights, ensuring compliance with legislation and company standards.

Qualifications

• Experience leading EHS programmes in manufacturing or life sciences.
• Strong knowledge of environmental, health and safety laws and standards.
• Familiarity with process safety management and site requirements.
• Proven ability to use data to drive improvements and reduce risk.

Responsibilities

• Lead and implement the UK EHS strategy across sites, aligning with business goals.
• Directly manage the Irvine site EHS team and collaborate with site leaders.
• Set objectives, metrics and governance for EHS, including budgeting oversight.
• Identify, assess and reduce risk using data, trends and root-cause analysis.
• Ensure compliance with environmental, health and safety legislation and sustainability commitments.
• Lead emergency preparedness and response for critical events.
• Drive process safety, integrate EHS into operations, and report KPIs.
• Embed safety protocols with employees, contractors and partners.
• Champion innovation and continuous improvement in EHS practices.
• Coach and develop EHS talent and build autonomous teams.

Skills

EHS Leadership

Regulatory Compliance

Risk Assessment

Process Safety

Data Analytics

Emergency Response

People Development

Job description

Work Your Magic with us! Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you’ve got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people’s lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.

The Role

You will develop and execute the EHS strategy for the UK operations, aligning priorities with business goals and ensuring that environmental, health and safety standards are consistently applied across our sites.

You Will

• Lead and support the UK EHS community, working closely with site leaders and EHS managers across multiple locations.
• Develop/Execute EHS strategy at Irvine site, with direct leadership over the local EHS team .
• Set strategic objectives, performance measures and governance frameworks for EHS, including the oversight of the EHS function budget.
• Establish effective approaches to identify, assess and reduce risk, using data, trend analysis and root-cause insights to drive prevention.
• Ensure compliance with relevant environmental, health and safety legislation, sustainability requirements, waste-management obligations and organisational standards.
• Lead emergency preparedness and response planning for critical events, including chemical spills, fires and other serious incidents.
• Promote strong process safety management and the effective integration of EHS requirements into operational activities.
• Oversee the development and reporting of EHS KPIs, using performance data to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Ensure safety protocols, training and expectations are embedded across employees, contractors, vendors and other external partners.
• Champion innovation and continuous improvement, including the evaluation and adoption of new technologies and leading practices.
• Coach and develop EHS talent, helping to build capability, succession strength and empowered, autonomous teams.

This is a visible leadership role with the opportunity to influence how EHS is managed across the UK operations and to make a lasting contribution to our safety, health, environmental and sustainability performance.

Who You Are

You bring strong EHS leadership experience and the ability to translate strategy, regulation and data into practical improvements across operational environments. You are comfortable leading through influence, collaborating across functions and engaging people at every level of the organisation.

You Have

• Experience leading an EHS team and programmes in a manufacturing, life science or similarly regulated environment.
• A strong understanding of environmental, health and safety legislation and standards, including requirements relating to sustainability, waste management and environmental compliance.
• Knowledge of process safety management, operational technology standards and relevant building or site requirements.
• Proven experience with risk assessment, hazard identification, risk reduction and proactive incident prevention.
• The ability to use EHS data, trends and root-cause analysis to inform decisions and improve performance.
• Experience developing emergency response plans and managing or supporting responses to serious incidents.
• Experience establishing EHS KPIs, governance and reporting processes.
• A track record of embedding training, safety protocols and compliance requirements across employees and external partners.
• Strong communication, influencing and problem-solving skills, with the confidence to work with site management and operational teams.
• A commitment to coaching, mentoring and developing EHS talent.
• A proactive, pragmatic and improvement-focused approach, with the curiosity to explore new technologies and better ways of working.

You will be recognised as a role model for safety and sustainability: someone who builds trust, challenges constructively and enables teams to take ownership of EHS performance.

Join us and help shape a safer, more sustainable future across our UK operations.

What we offer:

We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!