Health, Safety and Environment Manager

  • Full-time
  • Management
  • Management and Administration

Description

Dublin Zoo holds the prestigious position of being ‘Ireland’s Number One Fee Paying Family Attraction’ welcoming in excess of one million visitors each year.

Our purpose is to save wildlife and inspire a passion for nature – one person, one family at a time.


We are currently seeking to recruit a Health, Safety and Environment Manager on a Full-Time Permanent Basis. This role will support and advise management (Board, Director, Senior Management Team and Safety Committees) on health, safety and environmental (HSE) management matters. It will also manage and further develop the HSE management arrangements at Dublin Zoo to ensure the effective and compliant delivery and maintenance of all aspects of Dublin Zoo’s operations, to include, but not limited to, staff and visitor safety, animal husbandry, environmental management, fire safety, facilities and infrastructure management, etc. 


Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Operational


  • Responsible for the day-to-day coordination and management of HSE activities at Dublin Zoo. 
  • Provide oversight and leadership of HSE management matters across the Zoo and provide professional direction and support to management and staff in accordance with legislative requirements and best practice standards (as they apply) and in line with the Zoo’s policies and procedures. 
  • Develop, implement, and maintain integrated management systems and documentation in alignment with relevant standards and regulations, (e.g. ISO 45001 and ISO 14001) to support safety, health and environmental management at Dublin Zoo.
  • Develop, manage and deliver the Zoo’s health, safety and environmental management work programme. 
  • Contribute to the identification of health, safety and environmental risks for consideration and inclusion in Dublin Zoo’s risk register.
  • Prepare, review and update health, safety and environmental risk management policies and procedures to ensure compliance with legal requirements, best practice standards and other internal policies – consult with staff as required. 
  • Support the review and enhancement of the Zoo’s Emergency Procedures and exercising drills. Manage and maintain fire safety requirements to include risk assessment, drills, fire register etc. 
  • Support the maintenance and management of the Zoo’s legal register of compliance to ensure the Zoo is up to date with legislation and best practice standards.
  • Co-ordinate and support the risk assessment process to ensure that it is streamlined and bespoke to Dublin Zoo and clearly reflects and addresses the associated risks, e.g. staff, visitors, facilities, fire, emergency response, animal management and care, etc. 
  • Scope and, where possible, develop appropriate in-house health, safety and environmental training programmes in consultation with subject matter experts, e.g. Animal Team etc. and Human Resources management. 
  • Support Human Resources management to source external training courses in accordance with the Zoo’s training needs analysis.
  • Assist with programmes and campaigns that promote health, safety and environmental management awareness and culture among management and staff (and visitors and contractors). 
  • Prepare and present health, safety and environmental management reports and year end reports to the Board; Health, Safety & Sustainability Committee; and the Director. 
  • Prepare and present health, safety and environmental reports to Senior Management, internal Safety Committee and staff. 
  • Establish and maintain a risk management consultation and participation strategy between management, staff and external stakeholders to include visitors, volunteers, contractors etc. 


Incident Management

  • Lead the management of incidents and associated investigations across the Zoo.
  • Review all incident and investigation-related records, forms, statements, CCTV etc. 
  • Co-ordinate and manage incident investigating, recording and reporting in accordance with the Zoo’s incident management procedure. 
  • Implement resultant corrective action plans and lessons learned to enhance Zoo practices, to create a safer Zoo environment for Staff, Animals, Visitors etc. and drive continuous improvement.
  • Co-ordinate and generate incident trend analysis reports for the Board, Director, Senior Management Team and the Safety Committee to drive the decision-making process and improve risk management practices across the Zoo. 
  • Co-ordinate and manage the reporting of incidents to the Health and Safety Authority, Environmental Protection Agency etc. (in line with legislative requirements) and insurer. 


Monitoring Performance – Inspection and Audit 

  • Develop and monitor key performance indicators for health, safety and environmental management at Dublin Zoo to measure the effectiveness of the health, safety and environmental management arrangements.
  • Develop and implement formal inspection, monitoring and audit processes (criteria, scope, checklists, timelines, reports, action plans, communication, close out etc.) to ensure that the health, safety and environmental risk management arrangements are: 
  • in compliance with common law duty, legislative requirements and best practice standards e.g. safety, health and welfare, environmental protection, waste management, fire, etc.
  • in accordance with the Health, Safety and Environmental Management Work Programme and objectives.
  • Prepare reports with findings and recommendations (including where applicable statistical trending and analysis). 
  • Generate and coordinate action plans for improvement (track to close out).


Building Relationships

  • Work with the Senior Management Team and staff to develop and implement strategies to manage health, safety and environmental risks, reduce incidents and enhance health, safety and environmental management across the Zoo in accordance with the Zoo’s Risk Management Strategy.  
  • Collaborate with key internal stakeholders (as required) to ensure the integration of health, safety and environmental management practices in the day-to-day operations of the Zoo. 
  • Work with Senior Managers and Managers across all departments to support them to identify and manage interdependent risks and agree arrangements for health, safety and environmental governance and management.
  • Champion and increase awareness of good health, safety and environmental governance and build and maintain strong working relationships to promote, develop and embed health, safety and environmental management across the Zoo. 
  • Liaise with external monitoring and oversight bodies and facilitate site inspections as required, e.g. Health and Safety Authority, environmental protection agency, local authorities, etc. 
  • Liaise with external stakeholders and neighbours in the Phoenix Park on health, safety and environmental matters (as applicable) to ensure active communication and consultation. 


Sustainability

  • Lead and coordinate the Dublin Zoo Sustainability Team to support overall implementation of the Zoo’s Sustainability Master Plan.
  • Ownership and delivery of HSE related actions within the Sustainability Master Plan.



Requirements

Qualifications and Experience


  • Bachelor's degree in Health, Safety and Environmental Management, Occupational Health and Safety, Environmental Science or a related field
  • Professional certification in occupational health and safety 
  • Minimum 5 years' experience in a Health, Safety and Environmental management role
  • Experience implementing and maintaining management systems aligned with ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 standards
  • Proven track record in developing and implementing Health, Safety and Environmental policies, procedures and programs
  • Experience in risk assessment methodologies and incident investigation
  • Knowledge of relevant legislation and best practice standards related to health, safety, environmental protection, and fire safety


Technical Skills and Knowledge


  • Expertise in risk assessment and risk management techniques
  • Ability to analyse incidents, identify root causes, and develop effective corrective actions
  • Knowledge of emergency response planning and implementation
  • Understanding of sustainability principles and environmental management
  • Experience with HSE performance monitoring, auditing and reporting


Personal Attributes


  • Strong communication skills, both verbal and written
  • Analytical thinking and problem-solving ability
  • Detail-oriented with excellent organisational capabilities
  • Proactive approach to risk management and continuous improvement
  • Ability to build collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders
  • Resilience and ability to work under pressure
  • Commitment to promoting a positive safety and environmental culture


Preferred


  • Experience in a zoo environment, wildlife facility, or similar visitor attraction
  • Knowledge of animal welfare considerations as they relate to HSE management
  • Experience working with boards, committees, and senior management teams
  • Familiarity with public safety in a visitor attraction environment
  • Understanding of contractor management in a diverse operational setting