Senior Director - Manufacturing Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE)

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us.

Senior Director – Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE): Katwijk, Netherlands | Manufacturing/Quality | Full-Time

Organization & Position Overview

Lilly is building a state-of-the-art oral solid dosage (OSD) manufacturing facility at the Leiden Bio Science Park in Katwijk, Netherlands. This greenfield site is a cornerstone of Lilly’s European manufacturing expansion, producing oral medicines across cardiometabolic health, neuroscience, oncology, and immunology.

The Senior Director – HSE leads the Environmental, Health & Safety function for the Katwijk site. Reporting to the Associate VP – Site Head, this role provides strategic direction and vision across occupational health, industrial hygiene, process safety, and environmental compliance. The role is a member of the site Lead Team and contributes to cross-functional decisions that shape the safety culture and operational readiness of this new facility.

Key Responsibilities

EHS Leadership & Strategy

• Lead the EHS department: set objectives, manage budgets and capital plans, and develop team members through robust performance management and individual development plans.
• Establish and champion a proactive safety culture with strategies for event reduction, employee engagement at all levels, and visible leadership commitment.
• Develop management systems, metrics, procedures, and trend analyses to integrate EHS into day-to-day operations and report performance to site leadership and Corporate.
• Lead EHS-by-design integration into site commercialisation, new product introductions, and change control processes.

Regulatory & Environmental Compliance

• Ensure compliance with Dutch and EU environmental, health, and safety regulations as well as Lilly Global HSE standards.
• Develop regulatory strategy for permits, timing, and applicability of rules to provide operational flexibility and support growth.
• Lead self-assessments, gap analyses, and corrective action plans; ensure regulatory documentation is accurate and timely.
• Serve as primary liaison with Dutch regulatory agencies, host government inspections and internal audits, and follow up on findings.

Capital Projects & Operational Readiness

• Support capital project design, commissioning, and start-up with EHS strategy, design reviews, process hazard reviews, and walk-downs.
• Ensure EHS representation in project teams, permit meetings, and operational readiness exercises.
• Provide oversight of site high-priority hazards (dust, electrical, steam, etc.).

Corporate & Network Collaboration

• Support corporate HSE initiatives; participate in Dry Products Network and Small Molecule Sites collaboration.
• Conduct area inspections, analyse trends, and drive corrective actions to completion.

Quality System Responsibilities

• Ensure adequate qualified personnel, defined roles, and compliance with Global and Lilly Quality Standards, including cGMP requirements.
• Demonstrate visible support for continuous improvement of the quality system.

Basic Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering (Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, or related discipline).
• Minimum 7 years of progressive experience in EHS within pharmaceutical or chemical manufacturing, with demonstrated leadership at a senior level.
• Deep knowledge of EU/Dutch environmental, health, and safety legislation and permitting processes.
• Experience supporting greenfield or major capital projects through design, construction, commissioning, and start-up phases.
• Experience in process safety (solvents management).
• Fluent in English (written and spoken). Dutch language proficiency is a strong advantage.

Additional Preferences

• Professional Engineer certification or equivalent (e.g., CSP, CMIOSH, or European equivalent).
• Experience with OSD pharmaceutical manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated ability to build an EHS function and culture from the ground up at a new site.
• Strong communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills across all organisational levels.
• Ability to influence and negotiate with regulatory bodies, corporate functions, and cross-functional teams.
• Systematic problem-solving, strong organisational skills, and a self-starter mindset.

Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities. Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, colour, religion, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

#WeAreLilly

Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form ( for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.

Lilly does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.