Health, Safety & Environment Senior Specialist - Safety & Environment, HSE
About the job
- A NEBOSH National Certificate is required.
- Practical knowledge of United Kingdom health, safety, and environmental legislation is required.
- Strong understanding of ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 standards and auditing practices is required.
- Three to five consistent years of experience in a fast-paced manufacturing, fast-moving consumer goods, or heavy industrial environment is required.
- Experience managing and maintaining quality, safety, or environmental management systems is required.
- Experience leading complex incident investigations and liaising directly with regulatory bodies is required.
- Experience designing and delivering training programs that shift behaviors and safety culture is required.
- The ability to operate in a dynamic environment, make sound decisions under ambiguity, and drive progress is required.
- The ability to deliver measurable improvements in safety performance is required.
- The ability to build trust and maintain collaborative relationships with associates at all levels is required.
- The ability to provide constructive coaching to operational teams is required.
- Support the HSE Manager in developing and deploying the site's multi-year health, safety, and environmental strategies and roadmaps.
- Translate strategic objectives into actionable, line-level initiatives.
- Deputise for the HSE Manager during absences and serve as the primary point of contact for site leadership, external regulators, and corporate stakeholders.
- Act as an expert coach and advisor to site leadership, value stream managers, technical teams, and engineering.
- Maintain, audit, and continuously improve the Slough site's health, safety, and environmental management systems.
- Ensure continued accreditation to ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.
- Direct internal and external HSE audit programs.
- Investigate non-conformities and track corrective and preventative actions through effective closeout.
- Manage professional relationships with the Health and Safety Executive, Environment Agency, and company insurers.
- Monitor HSE legislation and corporate standards, assess site conformance, and implement compliance programs as regulations evolve.
- Oversee line-based risk assessments covering manual handling, machinery safety, and workplace transport.
- Identify, scope, and lead continuous improvement projects that reduce physical and environmental risks.
- Manage contracts and coordinate third-party HSE suppliers, assessors, and external consultants.
- Lead and coordinate investigations into significant or complex safety and environmental incidents.
- Apply root cause analysis methodology to identify systemic, cultural, and leadership-related root causes.
- Draft incident reports and action plans for external authorities and internal executive leadership.
- Design, develop, and deliver HSE training and behavioral safety programs, including Toolbox Talks and leadership safety walkabouts.
- Establish, track, and analyze safety and environmental key performance indicators.
- Consolidate and translate complex data sets into actionable reports for internal leadership and external regulatory bodies.
- Prioritize a diverse, high-volume workload while balancing short-term operational demands with long-term strategic objectives under minimal supervision.
- A NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent environmental qualification is highly desirable.
- An IEMA Certificate or equivalent environmental qualification is highly desirable.
- Experience in a Mars factory environment or a similar operational or technical role is highly desirable.
About the company
Mars, Incorporated makes and sells a wide range of food, confectionery, and petcare products worldwide, with brands like M&M’s, Snickers, Milky Way, Dove, Orbit, Skittles, Pedigree, and Royal Canin, and it also operates pet health services through networks such as AniCura, Banfield, BluePearl, and VCA. Its products come from integrated manufacturing and distribution systems, delivering everyday treats and meals as well as veterinary care through a global network of partners. Mars differentiates itself through its diversified portfolio, long family ownership, and the Mars Five Principles—Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency, and Freedom—that guide decisions and actions. The company aims to help communities prosper and improve social and environmental outcomes while growing its business and scale.
Company Size
10,001+
Company Stage
Debt Financing
Total Funding
$27B
Headquarters
McLean, Virginia
Founded
1911
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Mars Impact Fund granted over $13 million in 2026 to resilience and animal wellbeing.
- Mars Snacking added 600 Chicago jobs and committed $100 million to headquarters expansion.
- Mars completed CA$180 million Ontario upgrades in 2026, lifting pet nutrition and snack capacity.
What critics are saying
- Nature's Bakery closes Hazelwood by September 2027, signaling integration waste and demand misreads.
- Mars Wrigley cut 307 Newark jobs and relocated headquarters, exposing ongoing restructuring pressure.
- A failed Kellanova integration would erase expected scale benefits and hand rivals PepsiCo share.
What makes Mars unique
- Mars runs pet care, snacking, and food with 2026 Google Cloud Gemini Enterprise rollout.
- Mars controls nine billion-dollar snacking brands after Kellanova approval on 2026-09-09.
- Mars owns VCA, Banfield, Royal Canin, and global pet distribution across 145 markets.
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Benefits
Professional Development Budget
Conference Attendance Budget
Performance Bonus
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 10%1 year growth
↑ 10%2 year growth
↑ 10%Mars Incorporated has awarded more than $13 million in grants through its Mars Impact Fund to six organisations across Côte d'Ivoire, India, the United States and Thailand. The multi-year partnerships with Elucid, Tanager, Pratham Education Foundation, People's Action for National Integration, National 4-H Council and Worldwide Veterinary Service focus on three priorities: strengthening resilience in Mars sourcing communities, developing future scientists and improving companion animal wellbeing. Key investments include $2.07 million to Elucid for healthcare access for cocoa-farming households in Côte d'Ivoire, $5.6 million for mint-farming communities in India and $3 million to National 4-H Council to engage 200,000 young people in food and agriculture careers. The fund also committed $3 million to Worldwide Veterinary Service for rabies elimination efforts in Thailand.
Mars has appointed Christina Ruggiero as Regional President of its Pet Nutrition Division for North America, effective 1 July. She will oversee brands including Pedigree, Iams, Sheba, Cesar, Greenies, Temptations and Nutro across the United States and Canada. Ruggiero joins from Coca-Cola, where she served as President of the Global Nutrition Category, leading a $9 billion portfolio that included Minute Maid, Simply and Fairlife. She previously spent nearly four years in India as CEO of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, where she doubled the company's net worth. In her new role, Ruggiero will focus on science-backed innovation, omnichannel growth and digital acceleration. Mars operates a $65 billion business with approximately 170,000 associates worldwide.
Mars Wrigley will lay off 307 workers and relocate its US headquarters from Newark, New Jersey, to Chicago by mid-October. The candymaker, which produces M&M's, Snickers, Twix and Skittles, filed a WARN notice with New Jersey signalling the job cuts will end the company's presence in Newark. The move follows a $100 million investment to expand Mars Wrigley's Chicago facilities, where its global headquarters is now based. The company will continue operating its manufacturing facility in Hackettstown, New Jersey. The New Jersey Business & Industry Association warned the departure signals the state needs to improve its business climate. New Jersey has lost over 9,700 jobs through WARN notices this year, with Samsung and ExxonMobil also announcing recent departures.
Mars-owned snacks brand Nature's Bakery is permanently closing its manufacturing plant in Hazelwood, Missouri. Production will shift to other facilities, with the site expected to remain operational until a full shutdown in September 2027. According to a local government filing, 130 employees will leave on 11 September, followed by 215 more in February 2027. All affected staff have been notified and can seek alternative positions within Nature's Bakery or Mars. In January 2024, Mars announced a $237m investment in a new Nature's Bakery factory in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mars acquired Nature's Bakery in 2020 through its Kind snacking business and recently completed a $35.9bn acquisition of Kellanova in December.
Mars, Incorporated is renewing its partnership with the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings through a three-year, €1.5 million grant from the Mars Impact Fund. The funding will support fellowships for 30 young scientists annually to attend the meetings, which bring together Nobel Laureates and emerging researchers. Mars has partnered with the Meetings since 2007, but this marks the first collaboration through its Impact Fund, launched in early 2026. The grant aims to strengthen access for scientists who otherwise couldn't participate and support programming that fosters dialogue and learning. The partnership was celebrated at the 75th annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings in Germany, where Mars hosted events focused on interdisciplinary science. Michelle Grogg, Executive Director of the Mars Impact Fund, said the collaboration reflects the Fund's commitment to diversifying the global scientific pipeline.