Principal EHS&S Specialist

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…