Operational Safety Manager

Function

As part of the Safety, Quality & Competence team in the Operational Center of Excellence (OCE), our mission is to support the company with operational safety and to strengthen ownership and empowerment at all levels of the Assets organisation by developing our systems and culture. 

With this purpose in view, you proactively ensure and facilitate the sustainable implementation of all processes and the culture relating to personal safety through various tasks such as managing operational documentation, training staff, carrying out and consolidating field visits and operational dialogue between operational technical teams and the Prevention department.

As Operational Safety Manager for the following areas you will be responsible for the following activities:

Operational dialogue

• Organising, maintaining and developing sustained exchange of experience at national level with Safety representatives in the field (Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for Safety in all four regional areas).
• Defining and monitoring the common objectives of regional Safety SPOCs to support them in this process.
• Providing a swift, consistent and concrete response to representatives in the field, so that solutions to the problems raised percolate throughout our organisation.
• If necessary, consulting the Internal Prevention department for advice on compliance with legislation (Well-being Act, General Regulations for Electric Installations (RGIE/AREI), etc.).
• If needed, escalating recurring malfunctions or urgent problems within the organisation, either to existing discussion platforms or directly via the hierarchical line.
• Providing systematic management and follow-up of discussion points to ensure that they are handled effectively and traceable.
• Preparing and ensuring consolidated communication on the issues addressed. 

Documentation

• Managing existing and new documentation (safety instructions related to operational work methods). Identifying the need for new/amended documents.
• Initiating, scoping, arbitrating and leading a specific working group, involving the relevant experts, in order to draft/update instructions. In the case of updates to more summary instructions, updating the document yourself.
• Identifying and planning the roll-out of the action plan, together with the relevant line managers, concerning training, communication, change and implementation of new instructions.
• Monitoring comprehensive deployment in the field. Organising/carrying out reviews of the correct application of operational safety instructions. Developing and monitoring improvement action plans.

Safety training and certification

• Managing and optimising existing and new training courses.
• Identifying the needs for new/adapted training courses. Designing and implementing training courses. Organising in-house training courses.
• Implementing all types of initiatives to improve operational safety culture (e.g. awareness campaigns in the field, etc.).

Field visits

• Performing regular field visits (observation, reviews).
• Analysing and consolidating observations made by the OCE department. Ensuring the quality and impact (feedback, probing, root causes) of these observations. Coaching / debriefing the observer.
• Analysing the outcome of field visits in a cross-functional manner. Identifying the respective actions and improvements. Ensuring their implementation within the organisation.
• Participating in quarterly/annual consolidation meetings to identify trends and improvements needed and taking part in drawing up annual action plans.
• Identifying the need for new reviews, developing and implementing them within the company.

In general

• You will be working in close collaboration with the various departments within the Assets department, as well as other departments (Safety, HR, Infrastructure, etc.).
• You will represent the OCE department, either as a participant or leader in various cross-functional projects or working groups related to Safety (e.g.: National switching expert working group, Safety Management System, Behavioural Approach to Safety, Digitisation of operational activities, etc.).
• You will set up, ensure and manage the necessary channels of communication (communication via team meetings, feedback sessions, Safety Week, etc.).
• You will develop and monitor the change plans resulting from your activities in collaboration with colleagues in charge of transformation within our organisation.
   

Your Profile

• You hold a master degree in civil or industrial engineering or can demonstrate equivalent experience.
• You have experience of safety management, either as an operational manager or as a prevention advisor.
• You have extensive experience of safety, both in terms of systems and culture, and an affinity for quality-related aspects.
• You have experience of maintenance activities and work, and operational safety in industrial installations, ideally in high-voltage electrical installations.
• You have experience in project/change management, including cultural change.
• You have strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• You are determined and have excellent formal and informal stakeholder management skills, both with teams in the field and at various levels of management.
• You are a good facilitator and have the powers of persuasion needed to implement improvement initiatives in the organisation.
• You have sound writing skills and an excellent command of MS Office tools.
• You are bilingual in French and Dutch, and have a good knowledge of English.

Offer

• Salary: a competitive salary package, allowance for representation expenses, year-end bonus, double vacation pay, meal vouchers (€8 per working day), eco-vouchers, sport & culture vouchers, bonuses based on individual and group results.  
• Insurance: group insurance, hospitalisation insurance, ambulant care insurance for the whole family and also personal accident insurance.  
• Vacation: You will be entitled to 20 vacation days and 5 additional vacation days, 6 local days, 4 exempt days (after 1 year of employment) and up to 5 long-service days (1 day for every 3 years in employment).  
• Social fund: Sinterklaas and year-end vouchers, birth and marriage allowance. We will also cover part of the cost of glasses, a dental prosthesis or similar needs.  
• Communication: you will be given an iPhone, a phone subscription (for work and private use) and a laptop with internet reimbursement.  
• Private PC plan: once every 3 years, a budget will be made available to you for a PC/tablet with software & peripherals for personal use.  
• Discounts: you will enjoy a 30% discount on your gas and electricity bill.  
• Mobility: we will offer you a company car and public transport or a mobility budget.  
• Elia shares: Elia will give you the opportunity to subscribe to shares with a discount of 16.66% on the average share price.  

Location

Avenue de Vilvoorde, 126 - 1000 Brussels