Group EHS & Sustainability Manager in Manchester

Job Title

Group EHS & Sustainability Manager

Reports To

Chief Operations Officer

Description of role

Experienced and knowledgeable Group Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) & Sustainability Manager with experience of working within the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD), Medical Devices, life sciences or other regulated manufacturing/laboratory environments.

The role is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership of Environment, Health & Safety and Sustainability across the Novacyt Group, developing, implementing and maintaining the Company's global EHS and sustainability framework and ensuring compliance with applicable legislation, industry standards and best practice across all Novacyt sites worldwide.

Overall responsibility

The Group EHS & Sustainability Manager is responsible for leading, coordinating, supporting and advising the business on all aspects of Environment, Health & Safety and environmental sustainability, including occupational health and safety, environmental management, COSHH, fire safety, emergency preparedness, regulatory compliance, energy, carbon, waste and resource efficiency across all Novacyt sites globally.

The role is accountable for establishing, implementing and continually improving Group EHS and environmental management systems, policies, minimum standards, processes, training, communications and performance measures to ensure a safe, healthy, compliant and environmentally responsible working environment across all laboratory, manufacturing, warehouse, office and field-based operations.

The post-holder will work closely with the Chief Operations Officer, Senior Leadership Team, site management teams, regulatory authorities and external partners to drive a proactive safety and sustainability culture, support operational excellence, ensure compliance with applicable legislation, and develop and maintain ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 management systems throughout the Novacyt Group.

The role will establish Group minimum standards while ensuring each location maintains compliance with applicable local legislation and regulatory requirements, using local expertise and external professional support where required.

Key areas of responsibility

• Ensure a safe workplace environment for laboratory, manufacturing, warehouse, office and field-based employees, maintaining risks at a level that is as low as reasonably practicable and acceptable to the business.
• Establish and maintain Group EHS minimum standards across all Novacyt locations, while ensuring that each site maintains compliance with applicable local legislation and regulatory requirements, utilising local expertise and external professional support where required.
• Lead incident and near-miss investigations, determine root causes, implement corrective and preventive actions, monitor effectiveness and ensure compliance with statutory reporting requirements.
• Develop, maintain and continually improve the Company's ISO 45001 Occupational Health & Safety Management System and ISO 14001 Environmental Management System.
• Ensure that all Health, Safety, Environment, COSHH and fire safety policies, procedures, rules and regulations are adhered to and are regularly reviewed, updated and communicated.
• Ensure the Company meets its statutory obligations in all areas pertaining to health, safety, environment and welfare at work, including statutory training and reporting, with appropriate records maintained.
• Co-ordinate and drive the completion and regular review of Risk and COSHH Assessments for all work equipment and operations, including PUWER, DSEAR, LOLER and machinery safety requirements where applicable.
• Manage contractor safety, permit-to-work systems, RAMS and associated contractor controls across operational sites.
• Ensure that safety inspections are carried out, fire drills and fire alarms are correctly reported, lone-working procedures are managed, and employees are aware of their responsibilities, in alignment with onsite facility management.
• Manage the development of EHS policies, procedures and safe systems of work within the Company's document control management system.
• Establish a full programme of documented EHS inspections, audits and compliance checks across Group locations.
• Establish a structured programme of EHS training for all locations throughout the Company and monitor completion and effectiveness.
• Liaise with external consultants in the provision of training programmes, specialist EHS advice and regulatory support, as applicable.
• Manage and devise the agenda for, chair and formulate and distribute minutes for Health & Safety Committee meetings, ensuring that all agreed action points are completed within deadlines.
• Keep up to date with relevant health, safety, environmental and welfare legislation and communicate material changes and required actions to the business.
• Lead emergency preparedness and first aid programmes and support the EHS and site-emergency elements of Group business continuity planning.
• Promote behavioural safety, constructive challenge and a positive, proactive safety culture throughout the Group.
• Maintain legal compliance registers, risk registers and internal ISO audit programmes, ensuring identified actions are tracked to effective closure.
• Support occupational health, wellbeing and health surveillance programmes appropriate to operational and laboratory risks.
• Develop and maintain the Group environmental and sustainability strategy, objectives, improvement plans and performance measures.
• Establish Group environmental and sustainability KPIs and targets covering energy, carbon, waste, resource efficiency and other material environmental impacts.
• Lead energy-efficiency, carbon-reduction, waste-reduction and resource-efficiency initiatives across Group operations and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Coordinate environmental and sustainability data collection and performance reporting, including appropriate Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon measurement and supporting the development of Scope 3 measurement where appropriate.
• Lead or coordinate ESOS compliance and associated energy-efficiency action plans where applicable, and support other relevant environmental or sustainability reporting requirements.
• Prepare regular Group EHS & Sustainability performance reports and dashboards for the COO and ELT, covering incidents, near misses, corrective actions, audit findings, training compliance, significant risks, environmental performance, energy, waste and regulatory compliance, and provide information for Board reporting as required.
• Participate in monthly and other management meetings when required to report on relevant EHS & Sustainability matters and liaise with suppliers of EHS management systems.
• Manage the Combined Liability Insurance portfolio insofar as it relates to the EHS role remit.
• Exercise functional authority to require corrective action following significant EHS findings, escalate significant risks to the COO/ELT and recommend cessation of activities where an unacceptable EHS risk exists.
• Coordinate nominated EHS representatives or responsible managers at international sites and commission specialist external advice where necessary.
• Any other reasonable duties which may be required by management from time to time.

Consults with

• Novacyt management and staff, including the Chief Operations Officer, ELT, site leaders, functional managers and nominated EHS representatives across Group locations.
• External companies, consultants, insurers and authorities such as the HSE, Fire and Rescue Service and Environmental Health authorities in the UK, together with relevant regulatory bodies and professional advisers in Novacyt's global locations.

Supervisory/Management Responsibilities

• No direct reports are currently envisaged; however, the role has Group-wide functional leadership responsibility for EHS & Sustainability and is expected to influence behaviour and decision-making at all levels.

The post-holder has authority to establish Group minimum EHS standards, require corrective actions, escalate significant risks to the COO/ELT, coordinate nominated site EHS representatives and recommend cessation of activities presenting an unacceptable EHS risk.

Qualifications, Skills and Abilities

• Minimum 5-7 years' recent and progressive EHS experience, including experience operating at EHS Manager or equivalent level - Required
• Significant EHS experience within manufacturing, laboratory, IVD, medical device, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences or another regulated environment - Required
• NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent Level 6 EHS qualification, or demonstrable equivalent professional competence - Required
• Strong working knowledge and practical experience of ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 management systems - Required
• Chartered or working towards Chartered membership of IOSH - Desirable
• Environmental management qualification and/or IEMA membership - Desirable
• International or multi-site EHS experience, including working with local regulatory requirements and external professional advisers - Desirable
• Sustainability, carbon, energy management and ESOS experience - Desirable
• COSHH training covering chemical and biological hazards - Desirable
• Fire Safety Management qualification - Desirable

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to provide authoritative EHS & Sustainability advice, guidance and constructive challenge to managers, supervisors, ELT members and site leadership teams.
• Knowledge of EHS and environmental management platforms, document control systems and performance reporting tools.
• Demonstrable experience of leading EHS investigations, root-cause analysis and corrective/preventive action programmes.
• Experience of formulating, implementing and revising Group EHS policies, procedures, standards and safe systems of work.
• Experience of biological laboratory safety requirements to a minimum of CL2; CL3 experience is desirable where relevant to Group activities.
• Strong understanding of UK EHS legislation and the ability to establish effective governance for compliance with local requirements in international locations.
• Working knowledge of COSHH, PUWER, DSEAR, LOLER, fire safety, contractor management, permit-to-work systems and RAMS, as applicable to operational activities.
• Experience of environmental management, energy efficiency, waste reduction, carbon measurement and sustainability performance improvement.
• Ability to develop meaningful EHS & Sustainability KPIs, dashboards, risk registers and reports for senior leadership and Board-level reporting.
• Experience of managing internal and external audits and driving findings through to effective closure.
• Professional approach coupled with strong interpersonal, influencing and stakeholder-management skills.
• Excellent planning, organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritise risk and deliver across multiple locations and workstreams.
• Excellent verbal, written communication and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate technical and regulatory matters clearly to non-specialists.
• Strong IT skills and knowledge of Microsoft packages and relevant EHS management systems.
• Ability to work on own initiative, exercise sound professional judgement and escalate significant risks appropriately.
• Ability to work in and adapt to a rapidly changing environment while maintaining focus on compliance and continuous improvement.
• Ability to work co-operatively with multifunctional and international teams to achieve practical, proportionate solutions.
• Support EHS activities linked to HR inductions, workplace assessments and employee onboarding, including VDU/DSE requirements where applicable.
• Confidential and professional in all matters.
• Assertive but calm demeanour, with the confidence to challenge unsafe behaviours and decisions constructively.
• Self-motivated, delivery-focused and committed to continuous improvement.
• Good attention to detail, governance and records management.

Our Values

• Delivery Quality
• Collaboration
• Customer Centric
• Integrity
• People First
• Ownership