About this role
Process Safety Management
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve site process safety management systems, procedures, and standards to prevent major accidents and incidents in line with legal, site, and corporate requirements.
• Lead safe process design reviews and introduce new products and processes from a process safety perspective, ensuring all hazards are identified and adequately controlled prior to operation.
• Chair, facilitate, and document HAZOPs, LOPAs, and other structured risk assessments across new and existing processes; track and close out action items to completion.
• Complete Pre-Startup Safety Reviews (PSSRs) for new and modified processes, equipment, and facilities, ensuring all safety-critical elements are verified before operations commence.
• Apply and maintain compliance with relevant process safety legislation and standards including COMAH, ATEX, IEC 61508/61511, and applicable PSM frameworks.
• Interact with the Management of Change (MOC) and change control processes, providing EHS approval and process safety input for all significant changes affecting people, plant, process, or environment.
• Review and maintain process safety documentation including HAZOP reports, safety cases, relief system designs, and capital project lifecycle deliverables.
• Propose, develop, and drive implementation of process safety improvement initiatives across the site.
• Maintain process safety KPIs and metrics; prepare and present regular performance reports to site leadership and global EHS teams.
• Engage with global process safety SMEs and networks to benchmark performance, share learnings, and incorporate best practice on site.
Emergency Preparedness & Business Continuity
• Maintain and enhance site emergency response plans, procedures, and preparedness arrangements, ensuring integration between project activities and live operational emergency response.
• Support business continuity planning from an EHS perspective, identifying and mitigating risks to continued safe operation during periods of significant change or construction activity.
• Provide EHS support for product campaigns, ensuring all process safety and emergency preparedness elements are adequately addressed and communicated to relevant teams.
Training, Auditing & Continuous Improvement
• Design and deliver process safety and EHS training programmes for site personnel, contractors, and project teams, building EHS capability and awareness across the organisation.
• Plan and conduct EHS audits across both the operational site and the capital project; share findings, drive improvement actions, and support the development of a proactive safety culture.
• Support safety investigations and troubleshooting activities, contributing technical process safety expertise to identify root causes and prevent recurrence.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of the site Safety Management System (SMS), identifying gaps and implementing enhancements in line with regulatory changes and corporate standards.
Essential
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Environmental Health & Safety, Occupational Health and Safety, or a related engineering or science discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in the process or pharmaceutical industry, with demonstrated expertise in both process safety management and EHS leadership.
• Strong working knowledge of PSM principles and standards, including HAZOP, LOPA, ATEX, COMAH, IEC 61508/61511, and applicable Irish/EU safety legislation.
• Demonstrated experience managing EHS on construction, engineering, or capital projects within live operational or regulated industrial environments.
• Proven ability to review and approve method statements, JSAs/JHAs, risk assessments, MOC and permit-to-work documentation for high-risk construction and maintenance activities.
• Strong knowledge of regulatory compliance frameworks including construction safety legislation, environmental obligations, and contractor management.
• Excellent communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills; ability to engage confidently at all levels from contractors to senior leadership.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; high attention to detail and a compliance mindset.
Preferred
• Experience supporting aseptic or pharmaceutical manufacturing projects in a GMP environment.
• Familiarity with brownfield project execution challenges including segregation, interface management, and concurrent operations.
• Chartered Engineer status or working towards chartership.
• Relevant professional certifications or memberships (e.g., CMIOSH, MIEI, or equivalent).
• Experience supporting major capital projects from design through startup and handover.
THIS IS A SITE BASED ROLE.
AbbVie's Cork site, located in Carraigtwohill, is a world-class biologics manufacturing facility and one of the company's most strategically important global operations. The site produces life-changing medicines for patients around the world and is undergoing continuous expansion, including significant capital investment in aseptic manufacturing capabilities. Our Cork team operates in a live GMP environment where safety, compliance, and operational excellence are non-negotiable.
We are committed to building a culture where every individual feels valued, safe, and empowered to speak up. EHS leadership at AbbVie Cork means more than meeting regulatory requirements — it means actively driving a safer, healthier, and more sustainable workplace every day.
AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled.
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