Associate Director – EHS

Ref: Full-time, Permanent

Location: Munster (Cork / Limerick)

Salary: Negotiable

COMPANY INFO:

CField Construction is a privately owned Building & Civil Engineering contractor that provides construction services to both private and public partners across a wide range of sectors in Ireland and the UK.

The company has a group turnover of over €250m with offices in Ireland and the UK, including Cork, Limerick, London and Edinburgh. Our vision is to be the contractor of choice with a reputation for delivering the highest quality projects and an unparalleled service. CField employs the best people, invests heavily in training and development, and ensures that the highest standards of quality, health & safety and governance are applied throughout the organisation. This is evidenced by the fact that CField was one of the first companies in Ireland to achieve ISO 45001 certification.

SUMMARY OF ROLE: 

Reporting to the Managing Director, the Associate Director EHS will be a key member of the senior management team with full responsibility for Environment, Health & Safety across the Irish business, including leadership of the existing EHS team.

The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership, governance, and performance oversight for all EHS activities in Ireland, playing a critical role in supporting the company’s growth and long term objectives. They will lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the company’s EHS strategy, performance, and culture, ensuring full compliance with Irish and EU legislation while maintaining high operational standards, and promoting a safe, sustainable, and responsible working environment across all operations.

A central focus of the role is ensuring that EHS and wellbeing standards are consistently applied across all sites and functions. The successful candidate will drive the implementation of EHS initiatives, strengthening risk controls, contractor assurance, incident learning, and the development of a proactive, high performing safety culture throughout the business. They will ensure that all projects are delivered in line with company policies, client expectations and statutory requirements.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Duties include but are not limited to:

Standards Implementation & Compliance:

• Review, update and implement the EHS strategy for the business, delivering functional standards across the business
• Influence and collaborate with the Leadership and Management teams to ensure they lead and positively engage in EHS
• Ensure compliance with relevant ISO standards including ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 and other applicable regulations 

Auditing & Risk Management:

• Manage the company EHS audit programme. Lead and coordinate both internal and external EHS audits to assess compliance by evaluating, reporting, proposing and implementing corrective actions / improvements
• Oversee periodic site inspections and ensure preparation of relevant reports
• Assist in maintaining all EHS certification standards and in conjunction with the Quality Manager maintain all future certification 
• Identify trends and implement procedures to address risks and non-conformities
• Serve as an EHS leader for client audits, escalations, and governance meetings

Management Reporting & Strategy: 

• Develop and deliver the EHS strategy, ensuring alignment of the strategy and campaigns to the business needs
• Manage and monitor EHS budget
• Provide strategic recommendations on improving overall EHS compliance and standards
• Create and present regular high quality reports on incidents, compliance status, audit findings, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives to Senior Management
• Create end of month man hours and accident/near miss/medical case updates
• Partner with HR on absence management, rehabilitation, health surveillance and wellness programs.

Training & Education:

• Develop and oversee the delivery of EHS training and briefing material
• In conjunction with the HR department, establish comprehensive EHS training matrix that supports compliance and competency development for all employees across the business
• Provide training and guidance to employees to raise awareness and understanding of EHS standards and their role in compliance
• Mentoring Project Managers in preparing and reviewing RAMS, and ensuring support is available when required
• Promote a positive safety culture, demonstrating how the EHS department adds value to the business

Documentation & Legislation:

• Stay informed of current EHS legislation and industry best practices, and ensure timely communication and implementation of relevant updates across all levels of the organisation
• In collaboration with the Quality Manager, develop, update, and maintain all relevant EHS documentation, including SOPs and policies

Continuous Improvement:

• Encourage and pursue a culture of continuous improvement across the business by identifying opportunities for enhancing EHS processes and meeting EHS standards more effectively
• Monitor, analyse, and report key EHS metrics, using data to drive continuous improvement and policy development.
• Lead by example and promote the creation of positive working environments and CField’s policy of Plan Safe, Work Safe, Home Safe
• Partner with HR on absence management, rehabilitation, health surveillance and wellness programs.

Accident & Incident Management:

• Lead accident investigations, ensuring serious incident escalation protocols are consistently applied.
• Facilitate communication of investigation findings to relevant parties
• Ensure high-quality investigations, causal analysis, and effective corrective actions
• Liaise with insurance handlers, legal advisors and loss adjustors, managing notifications and correspondence
• Drive consistent learning systems across projects including lessons learned, proactive learning reviews and trend analysis and prevention strategies

People & Department Management:

• Appoint, manage and mentor the EHS team, empowering individuals to fulfil their responsibilities
• Assign members of the EHS team to ensure all contracts have the relevant EHS support

KEY SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:

• Experience in a strategic leadership position
• Minimum 10 years’ experience working in EHS department within the construction industry
• 5+ years’ experience in EHS senior management position within the construction industry across different sectors
• Bachelor’s degree / Diploma in EHS, Engineering, Construction Management, or related discipline (or equivalent experience)
• Strong people leadership skills and history of managing a team of direct reports
• Expertise in conducting audits, risk assessments, incident investigation, and root cause analysis
• Comprehensive technical knowledge of EHS regulations & legislation
• Proficiency in EHS systems software, tools and management systems (e.g ISO 14001, ISO 45001)
• Proactive, with a track record of implementing tangible EHS improvements
• Experience managing and developing EHS teams, with a succession planning mindset
• Strong working knowledge of construction risk management and critical controls
• Ability to build excellent working relationships with a wide range of people
• Clear and effective communication and influencing skills, able to represent the company with clients in relation to EHS queries
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks simultaneously
• Solution-oriented approach to problem-solving
• Effective collaboration with project teams, subcontractors, and employees on EHS practices
• Adaptable to evolving regulations, project requirements, and proactive improvement initiatives

COMPANY BENEFITS:

• Company vehicle or Car allowance
• Bonus scheme
• Company pension
• Private healthcare
• Life assurance
• Enhanced annual leave
• Professional membership fees
• Employee referral incentive
• Employee of the Quarter
• Professional development & training opportunities
• Company sponsored events & social activities

This job description is intended to cover the minimum duties and responsibilities required for this position. The job description is subject to review and additional duties and responsibilities may be assigned from time to time in line with operational needs. 

This is an excellent opportunity to join a growing organisation. Immediate start available and salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

CField Construction is an Equal Opportunities employer and recognises its responsibility to provide fair treatment and equality of opportunity to both employees and prospective employees, in access to employment, conditions of employment, training and development, promotion, and in other employment decisions without discrimination. The Company will not tolerate any form of discrimination, direct or indirect, and recognises the benefits of a diverse community of employees.

Please send CV to hr@cfield.ie