Head of Global Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE)

Mission Statement

The Head of Global Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) is dedicated to delivering excellence in HSE execution by aligning strategies and activities with Zentiva’s overall business objectives. As an integral member of the Product Supply Leadership Team, the Head of Global HSE leads the HSE function and network across all Zentiva operations, including pharmaceutical manufacturing (Romania, India, Czech Republic), commercial sites, and R&D centers. By providing a healthy, safe and sustainable workspace the role connects to the purpose of Zentiva to provide health and wellbeing for all generations and bring it to life.
 

Job Purpose

With a focus on safety, compliance, sustainability and risk management, this role ensures the protection of people, the environment, and company assets across laboratories, manufacturing sites,  offices and on the road.

The mission is to drive continuous improvement, uphold regulatory compliance, and foster a proactive safety culture while supporting Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), laboratory safety, and workplace health standards. The person in the role is responsible for Environmental Risk Assessments, its strategy and execution. Additionally, the Head of Global HSE champions global initiatives in employee well-being, environmental stewardship, and sustainable resource use.

By integrating innovative HSE solutions and embedding a culture of accountability, the role contributes to a resilient and sustainable operational framework that safeguards employees, supports communities, and enables the reliable supply of high-quality pharmaceutical products to patients worldwide. The Head of Global HSE provides guidance on HSE compliance and resilience across our value chain, e.g. in evaluating suppliers.

The purpose of the role includes:

• HSE Excellence: Ensure best practices in occupational health, laboratory safety, process safety, environmental protection, sustainability, and regulatory compliance across manufacturing sites, commercial offices, and R&D centers.
• Risk & Compliance Management: Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate HSE risks while ensuring adherence to global and local regulations, GMP, biosafety standards, and workplace safety laws.
• Team Development: Build and develop high-performing site HSE teams, implementing career development plans to strengthen technical expertise and leadership capabilities across all functions and the wider network
• Performance Management: Continuously monitor and improve HSE performance metrics across manufacturing, commercial, and R&D sites, driving a culture of accountability, prevention, and continuous improvement.
• Sustainability & Environment: Lead environmental stewardship initiatives, including energy efficiency, waste reduction, and sustainable resource use, aligned with corporate sustainability goals. Lead the strategy and execution of Environmental Risk Assessments.
• Global SME Support: Provide HSE Subject Matter Expert (SME) guidance to address site-specific and cross-site challenges, fostering knowledge sharing and best-practice adoption.
• Strategic Planning: Translate long-term Product Supply and Operations plans into actionable HSE strategies, ensuring resilience, compliance, and sustainable business continuity.

Main Accountabilities And Duties

Strategic Leadership

• Define and execute a unified global HSE strategy aligned with overall business objectives.
• Drive standardization of HSE processes, policies, and best practices across all operations.
• Act as a strategic advisor to the Leadership Team  on HSE-related matters.

Hse Leadership

• Ensure full compliance with global and local HSE regulations, GMP, biosafety, laboratory safety, and industry standards.
• Lead sustainability initiatives, including waste reduction, energy efficiency, and carbon footprint minimization.
• Foster a strong culture of safety, prevention, and environmental responsibility across all functions and the wider network

Operational Excellence

• Oversee HSE performance metrics, ensuring continuous improvement in workplace safety and environmental impact.
• Ensure facilities, utilities, laboratories, and processes meet the highest standards of safety, compliance, and efficiency.
• Lead the development and execution of multi-year HSE improvement plans and cross-site initiatives.

Innovation And Technology

• Champion the adoption of digital and data-driven solutions to strengthen HSE performance monitoring and reporting.
• Leverage innovative technologies to improve environmental sustainability and employee health protection.
• Benchmark and integrate best practices from the pharmaceutical, laboratory, and broader manufacturing industry.

People Development

• Build and lead high-performing global HSE teams across manufacturing, commercial, and R&D sites.
• Implement career development plans to enhance technical, compliance, and leadership skills within the HSE function.
• Ensure availability of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to support both site-level and global HSE initiatives.

Sustainability and Value Creation

• Optimize HSE resources and investments for cost efficiency while maintaining safety and compliance standards.
• Lead global initiatives to reduce environmental impact, improve energy efficiency, and support corporate ESG goals.
• Develop and maintain robust site and functional HSE roadmaps to align with long-term sustainability strategies.
• Provide guidance to Procurement on HSE requirements, good practices, and resilience across Zentiva’s value chain

Risk Management and Resilience

• Identify, assess, and mitigate HSE-related risks to ensure business continuity and protect employees, communities, and the environment.
• Establish contingency and emergency response plans to maintain operational reliability under all conditions.
• Actively monitor regulatory changes and emerging risks to ensure proactive compliance and preparedness.

Required Qualifications, Experience & Skills

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Occupational Health & Safety, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
• Advanced degree (Master’s, MBA, or equivalent) preferred, with specialization in HSE, sustainability, operations, or management.
• Recognized HSE certifications (e.g., NEBOSH, IOSH, ISO 14001/45001 Lead Auditor, CSP) strongly preferred.
• A recognized Sustainability qualification would be a significant advantage

Experience

• HSE Leadership: Minimum 15+ years of progressive HSE leadership roles, with at least 5 years in a global or multi-site capacity.
• Pharmaceutical / Regulated Industry Expertise: Proven experience in HSE roles within pharmaceutical, biotech, or other highly regulated industries, with strong knowledge of GMP and compliance frameworks.
• Risk & Compliance Management: Demonstrated success in managing occupational safety, process safety, environmental compliance, and sustainability programs.
• Sustainability & ESG: Experience leading corporate sustainability initiatives in a production environment, including energy efficiency, decarbonization, and waste management.
• Change Management: Track record of driving cultural transformation, embedding HSE principles, and implementing global standards across multiple sites.

Technical Skills

• Strong knowledge of global HSE standards and regulations (EU, US, India, and local).
• Expertise in sustainability practices, environmental protection, and risk management frameworks.
• Proficiency in safety management systems (SMS), incident investigation, and root-cause analysis.
• Familiarity with operational excellence methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma) applied to HSE performance.
• Competence in digital tools for HSE reporting, monitoring, and analytics
• Proven track record on Environmental Risk Assessments for Pharmaceutical Products with understanding of toxicology / ecotoxicology data and assessments

Leadership & Soft Skills

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to define and execute long-term global HSE strategies.
• Collaboration: Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills, with proven ability to influence across regions and functions.
• Decision-Making: Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills in high-pressure environments.
• Team Development: Proven ability to build, mentor, and lead high-performing global HSE teams.
• Communication: Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage senior leadership, regulators, and external partners.

Global Mindset

• Flexibility to navigate diverse cultural, regulatory, and operational environments.
• Willingness to travel extensively and engage with teams across multiple time zones.
• High degree of emotional intelligence, resilience, and ability to challenge the status quo constructively.
• Demonstrates balance under pressure and commitment to employee well-being and sustainability.

Our Recruitment Process:

To be considered for this role, please apply in our Applicant tracking system and refrain from sending your CV via email. Upon the completion of sourcing (CV collection) period, all received application will be reviewed by our Recruitment experts and evaluated against the needs of the open role. Successful candidates will be contacted by our Recruiting experts for an initial screening interview during which further details about the selection process will be shared. Successful candidates will progress to interviews with line managers, while not selected candidates will be informed in a written form as soon as possible.   

Diversity is a fact. Inclusion is an act @Zentiva  

At Zentiva, we are a team of 5000 unique talents bonded together by our purpose to provide health and well-being for all generations. We strive daily to create a work culture where everyone feels appreciated, can be their true selves, and contribute to the best of their ability. Seeking for a balanced team across the company, we welcome applications from all qualified candidates with various educational and industry experiences, cultural or ethnical backgrounds, and different life experiences or abilities, regardless of their religious or philosophical beliefs or whomever they choose to love. To learn more about our D&I commitment, click here.  

Join our winning team! Be part of our winning culture! Be Zentiva!