Senior Manager Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS)

About Abbott in Ireland

Abbott has been a key presence in Ireland since 1946 and will celebrate 80 years in 2026. The company supports healthcare in Ireland through a wide range of products including diagnostics, diabetes care, medical devices, and nutritionals, employing over 6,200 staff across ten sites nationwide including Galway.

About Abbott

Abbott is a global leader in healthcare dedicated to enhancing lives across all stages, offering a diverse portfolio in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals, and branded generics. With 122,000 employees worldwide, the company operates in more than 160 countries.

Role Location

This role is primarily based at the Galway site but offers flexibility for the successful applicant to be located in Chicago as well.

Role Purpose

The Senior Manager, Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) leads the creation, implementation, and advancement of EHS policies and programs that reinforce the organization's environmental, health, and safety standards and regulatory compliance. The role aims to protect the company’s reputation through proactive management and continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide EHS leadership globally across six manufacturing plants, two main office sites, two R&D facilities, plus the Infectious Disease (ID) commercial operations in the U.S. and Canada.
• Develop a global EHS and Occupational Health strategy aligned with the ID business unit's mission and objectives.
• Promote the critical role of EHS throughout the organization and build programs that achieve or exceed set EHS targets.
• Oversee safety performance metrics and collaborate with leaders at all levels, including senior business unit executives, functional teams, site leadership, corporate EHS teams, and external regulatory bodies.
• Ensure compliance with corporate, divisional, local, state, and federal environmental, health, and safety regulations.
• Implement and integrate proactive data collection systems to support continuous improvements in Occupational Health, Environmental, and Safety efforts.
• Establish programs targeting loss minimization in employee safety, industrial hygiene, fire protection, and environmental risk.
• Lead investigations into incidents with root cause analysis and champion other continuous improvement initiatives.
• Guide the delivery and execution of large-scale regional projects improving employee safety and regulatory risk mitigation within the ID unit.
• Manage capital projects aimed at safety improvement and risk reduction at manufacturing sites.
• Maintain accountability for North American and Canadian employees in the ID commercial sales sector to ensure compliance and minimize incidents.
• Coordinate business continuity planning for ID manufacturing and office locations, including unit-wide continuity management plans.
• Monitor environmental regulations to keep EHS policies current and effective.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Occupational Health and Safety Management, or a related discipline.
• Over 10 years of EHS experience in the medical device sector or a similar regulated industry.
• Strong ability to convert strategic objectives into actionable goals.
• Proven leadership skills managing international, cross-functional teams and leading organizational change.
• Experience with Quality Management Systems compliance including ISO9001, ISO13485, ISO14971, and GMP standards.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a talent for influencing stakeholders and fostering collaboration.
• Robust analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Adaptability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic, and evolving environment.
• Preferred experience in change management and continuous improvement methods.
• Self-motivated with flexibility, able to perform under pressure amid shifting priorities and ambiguity.
• Project management expertise and lean management knowledge are advantageous.
• Proficient use of Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint for data management and presentation across organization levels.