Principal Design Safety Expert

Vanderlande; Veghel; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

40 vacation days

Health & Wellbeing budget

Flexible working hours

Commuting allowance

Training facilities at Vanderlande Academy

Company health centres and gym

Job summary

Vanderlande is seeking a Design Safety Expert to ensure the compliance of material handling systems with legal safety requirements. You will monitor, assess, and interpret safety standards while liaising with various stakeholders across the organization.

The ideal candidate will possess a relevant degree and extensive experience in safety regulations, particularly related to machinery. Key benefits include a hybrid working model, 40 vacation days, and a strong commitment to personal development.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in machine safety in high-risk environments.
• Strong understanding of the Machine Directive and EU Machinery Regulation.
• Proactive approach to complex safety challenges.

Responsibilities

• Monitor and interpret legal and normative requirements.
• Conduct risk assessments and root cause analyses.
• Develop and provide training on machine safety.

Skills

Machine safety

Legal requirements interpretation

Cross-departmental communication

Risk assessment

Documentation drafting

Education

Bachelor's degree in electro-mechanical or controls engineering

Certified Expert in CE Marking (CECE)

Certified Machine Safety Expert (CMSE)

Tools

MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Job description

Introduction

Vanderlande builds automated systems for airports and parcel logistics — managing baggage from check-in to reclaim, and sorting parcels across some of the world's largest delivery networks.

About the Role

We are looking for a strong, knowledgeable and collaborative advisor on Design Safety to support the business domains in delivering safe and compliant material handling systems to our customers. You must be an expert in machine safety, legal and normative requirements, while also being aware of business processes and capable of proactively planning improvement actions based on changing requirements and new product developments.

As Design Safety Expert you will be responsible for monitoring, screening and interpreting legal and normative requirements and assessing potential gaps in the organization. Applicable documentation will be drafted, reviewed and updated where needed. In case of non‑conformities, you will run risk assessments and participate in root cause analyses to define improvements and corrective actions. You will assess competence levels of different roles in the organisation and develop and provide training on the subject.

Key Responsibilities

• Track upcoming and changing legislation and machine safety standards.
• Screen these for applicability to Vanderlande and assess the potential impact.
• Build and maintain a dashboard to track and trace progress.
• Interpret legal implications of new or changed legislation and provide generic high‑level actions for the entire business. Determine impacted scope in terms of products, geography, function, etc.
• Draft and update tools and documentation.
• Support Design Safety Experts in the Domains with implementation and interpretation of new legal, normative or customer requirements.
• Develop, maintain and provide machine safety‑related training for R&D, sales and project engineers.
• Run Product Deficiency Risk Assessments and support Root Cause Analysis in case of machine safety‑related non‑compliance issues.
• Represent Vanderlande Industries in European Standardization Committees.

Qualifications & Experience

• A bachelor level education in electro‑mechanical or controls engineering and multiple years of experience in machine safety.
• Additional education in machine safety, such as CECE (Certified Expert in CE Marking), CMSE (Certified Machine Safety Expert), CEFS (Certified Expert Functional Safety) or comparable.
• 5+ years of experience supporting HSE in fast‑paced construction, engineering or service environments, including multi‑site, multi‑organisation, high‑risk activities.
• Previous experience with automated material handling systems preferred.
• Understanding of the Machine Directive (2006/42/EC), the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230, and experience in the application of relevant European harmonised standards, IEC and ISO standards.
• A proactive and creative approach to solving complex safety challenges. You excel at evaluating, summarising and advising on intricate technical topics, reducing complexity into clear, actionable insights while maintaining a pragmatic and results‑driven mindset.
• Able to effectively interact with a wide range of stakeholders across different organisations and cultures to drive high standards and handle differences in opinion, including R&D engineers, project engineers, sales, project and operational management, and third‑party suppliers.
• Highly effective in organising and working independently. Excellent communication, stakeholder influencing and presentation skills, both verbal and written.
• Competent in the use of MS Office, at minimum Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Fluent in spoken and written English. Other languages are a benefit.

What we offer

In this challenging and responsible position, you will have the chance to make a significant contribution to industry‑leading projects and be connected to our dedicated people and customers. We offer a position in an informal, international and professional working environment with a lot of scope for personal development. By joining our profitable and growing company you will be able to reach your goals and focus on your future.

• 40 vacation days (20 statutory days and a flexible budget worth 20 days).
• Flexible working hours.
• A hybrid workplace (40% working from home and 60% in the office).
• A Health & Wellbeing budget worth €300 per calendar year.
• Commuting allowance, including full reimbursement of travel by public transport.
• Possibility for a lease car/lease car allowance.
• Working from home allowance.
• Collective pension scheme and discount on additional health insurance.
• On‑site company health centres with a gym, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.
• Vanderlande Academy and training facilities to boost your skills.
• A variety of Vanderlande Network communities and initiatives.
• A great company restaurant and coffee bar with barista.

Additional Information

For this role, we do not have the possibility to offer work visa arrangement.

You must possess valid Dutch work authorization for this role.

Background screening

For this position it is possible that a background screening will be conducted. This screening can include checks such as verification of identity, qualifications or other relevant records, which may include criminal background or sanctions list checks, in accordance with our internal policies and applicable laws. Any job offer may be extended under the condition that the screening does not give reason to reconsider the hiring decision.