Site Process Safety Manager

Company Description

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at  . Follow @abbvie on  X ,  Facebook ,  Instagram ,  YouTube ,  LinkedIn and  Tik Tok .

Job Description

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. 

Qualifications

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. 

Additional Information

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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