Head of Global Safety and Regional H&S

Job Description

The Head of Global Safety and Regional H&S APAC leads the delivery of Group safety priorities worldwide and heads Health & Safety across APAC. Working with regional, cluster and country H&S leaders and operational management, the role reduces incidents and serious injuries, strengthens the management of high risk activities, and builds a culture in which safety is part of everyday leadership and operational decisions.

The role encompasses a wide range of responsibilities, including but not limited to the following:

Lead global safety operations

• Translate Group H&S strategy into practical safety priorities and implementation plans across regions and countries.
• Partner with operational leaders to make safety responsibilities clear and integrate risk controls into work planning, supervision and daily routines.
• Support regions facing significant risks or performance challenges, helping them identify causes and deliver improvements.
• Share and scale effective practices across countries and business activities.
• Work across functions to ensure safety requirements are considered when operations, processes or ways of working change.

Head H&S across APAC

• Lead the APAC H&S agenda in close partnership with cluster H&S leaders, country teams and regional business leaders.
• Set regional priorities based on exposure, incident trends and the effectiveness of existing controls.
• Support clusters in developing and delivering improvement plans suited to their operations.
• Strengthen the capability, collaboration and accountability of the APAC H&S network.
• Review performance with cluster and business leaders, challenge gaps and agree timely action where needed.
• Ensure Group safety standards and programmes are applied consistently while allowing for local operational and legal requirements.

Manage H&S performance

• Establish regular performance reviews across the Group and APAC, using both outcome measures and indicators of risk and control effectiveness.
• Monitor incident rates, serious injury and fatality potential, high risk exposures and progress against improvement plans.
• Improve the quality and consistency of H&S data, dashboards and management reporting.
• Use data, field observations and feedback from employees to identify emerging risks and focus support where it will have the greatest impact.
• Provide clear performance and risk updates to senior leadership, including decisions and support required.

Strengthen incident management

• Ensure incidents and near misses are reported, classified, escalated and investigated in line with Group requirements.
• Support investigations of serious incidents and events with serious injury or fatality potential.
• Ensure investigations identify underlying causes, including weaknesses in work planning, supervision and critical controls.
• Monitor corrective actions through to completion and verify that they address the risks identified.
• Share lessons across relevant operations and check that changes have been embedded in practice.

Lead risk management and critical controls

• Establish Group minimum control standards and requirements for high risk activities.
• Work with operational teams to identify material safety risks and assess where people face the greatest exposure.
• Define expectations for the implementation and verification of critical controls in the field.
• Use focused assurance and operational reviews to test whether controls are working as intended.
• Escalate significant control gaps and support leaders in developing practical prevention plans.
• Ensure safety risks are considered in broader operational and business decisions.

Lead global safety programmes

• Lead the rollout and continued development of Drive for Life, Life First, Leadershift, and H&S for Frontline Leaders.
• Work with regional and country teams to turn each programme into practical actions with clear ownership.
• Set measures for programme adoption and effectiveness, beyond completion of training or communication activities.
• Gather feedback from frontline teams and operational leaders to improve programme design and delivery.
• Direct programme effort toward the activities, locations and groups facing the greatest risk.

Embed the Rules for Life and strengthen safety culture

• Embed the Rules for Life in work planning, training, supervision and field activities.
• Coach leaders and supervisors to recognise risk, discuss safety with their teams and intervene when work is unsafe.
• Encourage employee participation, open reporting and constructive responses to concerns and near misses.
• Strengthen safety behaviours through visible leadership and consistent operational expectations.
• Promote learning from both incidents and examples of effective risk management.

Build organisational capability and readiness

• Coach and develop regional, cluster and country H&S leaders, supporting succession and the sharing of specialist expertise.
• Strengthen frontline leaders’ ability to manage risks within their own teams.
• Support the safety aspects of emergency preparedness, crisis response and business continuity.
• Use appropriate digital tools and analytics to improve reporting, identify patterns and support earlier intervention.

Qualifications

We are looking for an experienced safety leader who combines global perspective with a strong understanding of how work is carried out in the field. The successful candidate will be able to set clear Group expectations, work effectively with regional and country teams, and help operational leaders turn those expectations into safer day-to-day practices.

Experience and qualifications

• At least 10 years of progressive H&S experience, including substantial leadership responsibility in a complex, multinational organisation.
• A proven record of improving safety performance and leading cultural change across multiple sites, countries or business units.
• Experience leading a regional H&S function and developing teams across different cultures; APAC experience is mandatory.
• Strong operational experience in environments involving field work, laboratories, inspection or other high risk activities.
• Demonstrated expertise in critical risk management, minimum control standards, incident investigation and the verification of controls in the field.
• Experience establishing performance measures, management reviews and reporting that lead to effective operational decisions.
• A track record of designing and delivering safety programmes that improve frontline leadership capability and employee engagement.
• Experience with H&S management systems, proportionate assurance and the integration of safety requirements into operational processes.
• Confidence using digital H&S systems, dashboards and data analysis to identify trends and guide preventive action.
• A relevant degree or professional H&S qualification, or equivalent senior level experience. Recognised certifications such as NEBOSH, CSP or CMIOSH are an advantage.

Additional Information

Why SGS?

• Global and very stable company, world leader in the TIC (Testing, Inspection and Certification) industry.
• SGS university and Campus for continuos learning options.
• Multinational environment where you will work with colleagues from multiple continents.
• Benefits platform.

Join Us: At SGS we believe in innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.  We offer a supportive and inclusive work environment that encourages professional growth and personal development.