Health, Safety and Environmental Lead

Kerry Group plc; The Municipal District of Greystones; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food company in Ireland is looking for a Health, Safety and Environmental Lead. This full-time role involves championing safety initiatives, managing risk assessment programs, and influencing safety culture across departments. Candidates should have at least 5 years of experience in a senior safety position and a degree in a relevant field. This strategic position offers an opportunity to drive improvements and ensure compliance within a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in a senior Health & Safety role in manufacturing or processing.
• Experience in high-risk operational environments.
• Ability to influence stakeholders to foster safety culture.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with Health & Safety legislation.
• Oversee internal audits and inspections.
• Manage Health & Safety risk assessment programme.

Skills

Health & Safety expertise

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Regulatory compliance

Education

Degree in Occupational Safety

NEBOSH Diploma

Job description

Overview

We are currently seeking a Health, Safety and Environmental Lead. This is both an operational and strategic position within the leadership team. You will drive the Health & Safety agenda and collaborate on environmental initiatives, working closely with other departments and benefiting from strong cross-functional collaboration. The role includes direct management of 1 person, combining hands-on leadership with a focus on continuous improvement and organizational impact.

This is a full-time role, Monday to Friday, based in Charleville.

About Kerry Dairy Ireland

Kerry Dairy Ireland is a vertically integrated farm-to-fork business with a very substantial consumer foods presence and a leading nutritional and dairy ingredients division, delivering high-quality dairy solutions with a focus on sustainability and innovation. From partnering with local family farms to producing world-class dairy products, we ensure every step of our value chain reflects our commitment to excellence.

With over 50 years’ experience in milk processing, dairy and nutritional technology advancement, and product innovation, we are a key stakeholder in the global food industry and creators of a strong portfolio of market leading dairy brands including Cheestrings, Charleville and Coleraine Cheese, Dairygold, Golden Cow and our new SMUG range. Our from food, for food culture and deep-rooted connection to our 2,800 milk suppliers differentiates our business and offers captivating opportunities for our customers and consumers.

Our dairy comes from some of the world’s richest grazing land and is produced by a network of Irish family farms that have one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world. Through a combination of expertise, innovation, and sustainability, Kerry Dairy Ireland is proud to shape the future of dairy while meeting the diverse needs of our farmers, customers, and communities.

Globally, Kerry Dairy Ireland employs over 1,600 dedicated professionals across Ireland, Northern Ireland, the UK, USA, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and China. In 2024, we achieved a turnover of approximately €1.3 billion, reflecting our commitment to excellence and growth.

Our Safety purpose:

“we work together in a caring culture where everybody goes home safe every day”. We are committed to providing a safe working environment and ensuring that all safety protocols are strictly followed. Join us in creating a workplace where safety is everyone\'s responsibility.

Key responsibilities

• Act as the subject matter expert in Health & Safety, ensuring full compliance with legislation and internal policies
• Champion a culture of safety ownership across all departments, from processing plants to support functions
• Chair site safety meetings and provide feedback to the business on performance and issues
• Conduct gap analyses against company safety standards and develop action plans
• Manage the site’s Health & Safety risk assessment programme
• Oversee internal audits and inspections, ensuring continuous compliance and the robustness of systems to meet all audit expectations
• Oversee accident and incident investigations, liaising with legal and insurance teams as needed
• Manage all monitoring and reporting requirements related to Health & Safety
• Training & Development: Identify training needs and implement effective Health & Safety programmes
• Develop and execute objectives, targets, and plans to enhance safety performance
• Stakeholder Engagement: Serve as the primary contact for Regulatory Authorities, hosting site visits and audits
• Network internally and externally to share best practices and drive continuous improvement

Qualifications and skills

• Degree in Occupational Safety, NEBOSH Diploma, or equivalent qualification
• At least 5 years of experience in a senior Health & Safety role within manufacturing or processing (preferably food, pharma, or chemicals)
• Extensive experience leading Health & Safety in high-risk, complex operational environments
• Strong track record of engaging and influencing key stakeholders to embed a proactive safety culture
• Proven ability to build and leverage internal and cross-site networks to promote best practices
• Committed to setting high standards and fostering accountability to continuously elevate performance
• Skilled in interpreting and applying legislative frameworks effectively at site level
• Persuasive communicator with the confidence to influence at all levels and drive cultural transformation

Kerry is an Equal Opportunities Employer. Consistent with our policy of providing equality of opportunity for all, we are required to seek particular information from applicants. As part of your application you will be asked to answer a short number of questions. This information will be held separate to your application and treated in the strictest of confidence.

Beware of scams online or from individuals claiming to represent us. A Kerry employee will not solicit candidates through a non-Kerry email address or phone number. In addition, Kerry does not currently utilise video chat rooms (e.g., Google Hangouts) to conduct interviews. Refuse any request that asks you to provide payment to participate in the hiring process (e.g., purchasing a “starter kit,” investing in training, or something similar). Kerry will not ask you to pay any money at any point in the hiring process with the exception of reimbursable travel expenses. In addition, any payments made by Kerry will be from official firm accounts bearing the Kerry name.

Please note also: We do not accept CVs or candidate profiles from recruitment agencies where terms of business have not been signed. Additionally, we will not consider or agree to payment of any recruiter fee under these circumstances. This also applies to CVs or candidate profiles sent directly to any Kerry Hiring Managers. In the event that speculative CVs or candidate profiles are submitted by recruitment agencies, we reserve the right to contact these candidates directly and consider them for current or future vacancies without any financial obligation to the recruitment agency.