Process and Plant Safety Lead (Global Engineering)

Job Title: Process and Plant Safety Lead (Global Engineering)

Location: Swiftwater / Morristown / Framingham

About the Job

We deliver 4.3 billion healthcare solutions to people every year, thanks to the flawless planning and meticulous eye for detail of our Manufacturing & Supply teams. With your talent and ambition, we can do even more to protect people from infectious diseases and bring hope to patients and their families. 

Our collective commitment is to ensure Sanofi is a safe and healthy workplace while minimizing the environmental footprint of our activities and products. Through our Leading Safety program, Sanofi encourages a proactive safety culture in which employees actively collaborate and take collective responsibility to create a safe workplace for everyone, everywhere, every day. Our goal is that every employee can come to work and return home safely to their families and loved ones every day.

As a key thought leader in Sanofi’s Global Engineering organization, the Process & Plant Safety Lead will interface with engineering and HSE organizations at the site and global levels to implement best practices and improve safety performance. This person will combine in-depth knowledge of safety principles with sound data analytics to recommend, prioritize, and implement engineered solutions that will reduce safety risk.

As the counterpart of Global Engineering’s Project Safety Lead, this position will focus on operational safety topics affecting our worldwide manufacturing network. These include not only process safety improvements but also engineering support functions such as maintenance, facilities, and utility operations.

We are an innovative global healthcare company with one purpose: to chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives. We’re also a company where you can flourish and grow your career, with countless opportunities to explore, make connections with people, and stretch the limits of what you thought was possible. Ready to get started?

Main Responsibilities:

The Global Engineering Process & Plant Safety Lead develops and implements engineering initiatives to further our “safety first, quality always” culture, reduce plant operational risk, and improve the safety of our worldwide manufacturing operations in accordance with Sanofi’s Leading Safety principles and Life-Saving Behaviors.

• Perform analyses to identify trends in process safety incidents wholly or partially attributed to engineering root causes or contributing factors

• Identify plant safety incidents or risks amenable to engineering solutions

• Develop appropriate corrective actions and/or technical solutions to reduce engineering-related safety incidentsInterpret and report process safety trends and KPIs to engineering and non-engineering stakeholders

• Establish data-driven priorities for engineering HSE initiatives

• Cooperate with global HSE to implement safety improvement initiatives within the global and site engineering organizations

• Provide direct site support for serious/difficult safety investigations, regulatory inspections, and internal audits

• Disseminate lessons learned from operational safety incidents to site engineering organizations across the manufacturing network 

• Publicize and promote safety best practices applicable to pharmaceutical manufacturing processes and infrastructure

• Stay abreast of safety-related technical solutions, regulatory findings, major industry incidents, industry peers, and vendor landscape

• Recommend appropriate technologies to improve process safety across the Sanofi manufacturing network

• Implement and utilize modern digital solutions (such as electronic workflows, automation, dashboards, and artificial intelligence) and ways of working to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of process safety programs

• Provide subject matter expertise (SME) to support process improvements, design reviews, and change controls that enhance process safety

• Assist with engineering aspects of emergency preparedness and response plans

• Serve as a safety advisor for high-impact or elevated-risk events such as plant shutdowns

• Participate in risk assessment and mitigation exercises including HAZOPs and job hazard analyses (JHAs)

• Lead the development and global implementation of the Process Safety Management (PSM) standard, ensuring alignment with OSHA, CCPS, and international regulations

• Oversee compliance, performance monitoring, and continuous improvement through audits, metrics, and dashboards covering PSM systems

• Collaborate with Global Engineering functional leads to address safety issues related to engineering support functions such as maintenance, facilities, utilities, and sustainability

• Develop and implement a management strategy for equipment placed in explosion-rated areas; prepare certification conformities for relevant authorities

• With Global HSE the management, develop an effective end-to-end process for HAZOP

 15-20% travel (domestic & international) maybe required.

About You

Experience & Qualifications:

Basic Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's degree in Environmental / Science / Engineering / Technical discipline or in relevant field.

• 7+ years of relevant experience with safety programs.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Master's Degree in Environmental / Science / Engineering / Technical discipline or in a relevant field.

• 10+ years of relevant experience in managing and leading safety programs at the site or global level.

• Experience in a global or multi-site role is desired.

• Understanding of unique hazards associated with pharmaceutical manufacturing process, including chemical exposure, biohazards, steam, acids/caustics, cleaning agents, and cryogenics

• First-hand knowledge of safety permit systems including permit to work (PtW), confined space, hot work, working at height, energy isolation, and lock-out/tag-out (LOTO)

• Knowledge of process safety regulations applicable to pharmaceutical manufacturing systems such as arc flash, fire protection, machine guarding, biosafety containment, mechanical integrity, etc.

• Knowledge of personal protective equipment (PPE) and engineering controls applicable to pharmaceutical manufacturing and support operations

• Understanding of key environmental permitting and reporting processes, including airborne emissions, spills, containment, and wastewater

• Experience interfacing with regulatory authorities and internal auditors on HSE matters

• Familiarity with operational safety metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) used to track safety and environmental performance

• Experience with digital HSE platforms such as Enablon or Intelex

• Relevant certifications to demonstrate currency, self-development, and continuous learning in the field of safety management

• In-depth knowledge of domestic (home country) safety laws and regulations as well as an understanding of how the fundamental principles apply internationally

• Knowledge of contractor pre-qualification systems (such as ISN)

• Understanding of high-hazard chemical API manufacturing, including ATEX zones, organic solvents, explosive powders, etc.

• Demonstrated ability to navigate global cultural differences and attitudes to establish HSE compliance as a non-negotiable

Skills:

• Indirect influence through passionate leadership and mutual respect

• Ability to collaborate cross-functionally in a matrix organization

• Engage and manage stakeholders regardless of hierarchical position

• Develop, articulate, and deploy strategic initiatives across a global network

• Ability to interpret and communicate safety findings to senior functional leaders and top manufacturing leadership

• Ability to create business cases, recommend actions, and champion solutions based on sound data analytics

• Setting priorities through data analysis and trend identification

• Facilitating investigations and root cause analysis

• Development of effective corrective/preventive actions (CAPAs) with a focus on prevention and incident reduction

• Ability to organize and administer communities of practice (CoPs) as a vehicle for disseminating best practices, sharing lessons learned, implementing global initiatives, and collecting site feedback

• Ability to develop and deliver training on engineering-specific safety topics

• Facilitation of risk assessment and mitigation methodologies such as HAZOP

• Continuous improvement mindset and familiarity with lean methods to improve ways of working and simplify/standardize processes

• Ability to work transversally and build effective relationships in an international, multicultural organization

• Flexibility and adaptability to support a worldwide manufacturing network across multiple timezones, languages, cultures, and regulatory frameworks

• Fluency in English; proficiency in French would be beneficial but not mandatory

Why Choose Us?

• Bring the miracles of science to life alongside a supportive, future-focused team.

• Discover endless opportunities to grow your talent and drive your career, whether it’s through a promotion or lateral move, at home or internationally.

• Enjoy a thoughtful, well-crafted rewards package that recognizes your contribution and amplifies your impact.

• Take good care of yourself and your family, with a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits including high-quality healthcare, prevention and wellness programs and at least 14 weeks’ gender-neutral parental leave.

Sanofi Inc. and its U.S. affiliates are Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employers committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race; color; creed; religion; national origin; age; ancestry; nationality; marital, domestic partnership or civil union status; sex, gender, gender identity or expression; affectional or sexual orientation; disability; veteran or military status or liability for military status; domestic violence victim status; atypical cellular or blood trait; genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing) or any other characteristic protected by law.