UK EHS Leader: Strategy, Safety & Sustainability

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

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.