Principal EHS&S Specialist

Medtronic; Heerlen; On-site; EUR 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Flexible benefits package

Short-term incentive (MIP)

Job summary

Medtronic's European Operations Center in Heerlen seeks an Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability (EHS&S) Principal to lead the design and delivery of programs, training, and systems that comply with regional, national, and local regulations as well as company standards.

You will partner with the Deliver management to drive a proactive safety culture and manage risk across distribution operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and 7+ years of experience in EHS&S with 5+ years of managerial experience.
• Degree in occupational health, safety and/or environmental field; strong EHS&S knowledge and management systems.
• Proven experience conducting risk assessments and building an EHS&S culture with training and development.
• Strong communication skills in Dutch and English; able to work independently and in teams; proactive attitude.
• Strong knowledge of Dutch EHS&S regulations.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic EHS&S leadership across Dutch distribution centres and drive the design and improvement of EHS&S programs and management systems.
• Own and advance risk programs including ergonomics, warehouse safety, environmental compliance and sustainability initiatives; integrate EHS&S requirements into processes and decisions.
• Lead audits, inspections, risk assessments, investigations and corrective actions; oversee significant incidents and ensure robust CAPA.
• Establish and monitor EHS&S performance metrics; drive training and communication to improve awareness and accountability.
• Guide the Prevention Advisor role for assigned sites and provide broader leadership on compliance, risk management, and program effectiveness.

Skills

Leadership

Risk assessments

Regulatory knowledge

Communication

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree

Job description

In this exciting role as an Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability (EHS&S) Principal at the European Operations Center in Heerlen, you will be responsible for the implementation of EHS&S programs, training, and systems to comply with Regional, National, and local regulations as well as company standards, strategies, initiatives and goals. Major areas of emphasis include employee health and safety programs such as powered industrial trucks, warehouse safety, ergonomics, machine safeguarding, lock out tag out, industrial hygiene, environmental management, as well as emergency response and incident investigation and analysis. You will monitor workplace safety risks and environmental impacts through risk assessments, observation of work processes, equipment and the work habits of employees with emphasis on distribution operations. You will support the EHS Deliver organization in the Netherlands, and act as a partner for the local Medtronic Deliver management team.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic EHS&S leadership across the Dutch distribution centres, serving as a senior technical expert and trusted advisor to leaders and stakeholders and lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of EHS&S programs, policies, standards, and management systems for the distribution operations
• Own and advance EHS&S risk programs, including ergonomics, manual handling, warehouse safety, biohazards, emergency preparedness, environmental compliance, and sustainability initiatives and partner with operations, facilities, quality and other functions to integrate EHS&S requirements into business processes, site strategy, and organizational decision-making
• Drive a strong and proactive EHS&S culture through visible leadership, leadership coaching, employee engagement, and cross-functional influence and interpret and apply corporate, regional, national, and local regulatory requirements; review emerging regulations and collaborate with regulatory agencies as needed
• Lead audits, inspections, risk assessments, and compliance reviews, and ensure effective corrective actions are implemented and sustained and lead or oversee investigations of serious incidents, significant near misses, and environmental events, ensuring rigorous root cause analysis and robust corrective and preventive action plans
• Assess the EHS&S impact of new projects, process changes, operational expansions, and permit modifications, and guide leadership on risk mitigation and compliance strategy and oversee environmental programs including waste management, spill prevention, pollution prevention, regulatory reporting, and related sustainability efforts
• Establish and monitor EHS&S performance metrics, identify trends and systemic risks, and drive site continuous improvement initiatives and develop strategic training and communication approaches that improve workforce awareness, capability, and accountability in EHS&S matters
• Identify significant threats to worker health, safety, and environmental compliance, and recommend engineering, organizational and procedural changes to reduce risk and build alignment and best‑practice sharing across Medtronic EHS&S teams to create efficient, standardized, and scalable systems
• Fulfil or guide the Prevention Advisor role for assigned site(s), while providing broader leadership on compliance, risk management, and EHS&S program effectiveness

Required Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor's degree and 7+ years of experience in Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability with 5+ years of managerial experience, or advanced degree with 5+ years of experience and 5+ years of managerial experience
• Degree in occupational health, safety and/or environmental field and strong knowledge and experience in EHS&S, EHS&S Management Systems and Behaviour Based Safety principles
• Experience conducting risk assessments and building an EHS&S culture, including EHS&S program, training and development
• Strong communication skills in Dutch and English and organized, self‑motivated, able to work independently and as part of a team, take initiative, prioritize workload effectively, adapt to a constantly changing environment, and demonstrate an outgoing, friendly, and ‘Can Do’ attitude
• Strong knowledge of Dutch EHS&S regulations

Additional Advantages

• Industrial hygiene knowledge and experience, knowledge and experience of EHS&S in distribution centres and warehousing, occupational safety and health or other certification (CSP, CIH, CHMM)
• Emergency response knowledge and experience and ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 Management Systems knowledge

Physical Job Requirements

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this position, but they are not an exhaustive list of all the required responsibilities and skills of this position.

Benefits & Compensation

Medtronic offers a competitive salary and flexible benefits package. Pay range: Netherlands: 80,000.00 EUR - 120,000.00 EUR.

This position is eligible for a short‑term incentive called the Medtronic Incentive Plan (MIP).