Taylor Hopkinson is retained by one of the world’s largest dedicated greenfield renewable energy fund managers to appoint a Safety Director for their European portfolio.
Founded over a decade ago, this organisation has grown into a global leader in large-scale energy infrastructure development, with tens of billions under management across a portfolio spanning offshore and onshore wind, solar, storage and transmission, backed by some of the world’s most sophisticated institutional investors.
This appointment will place the right candidate at the heart of how this organisation protects people across that programme, with genuine influence over safety culture, standards and outcomes from development through construction and into operations.
This is a permanent, full-time position based in the Netherlands.
The Role:
- Define and drive the company safety management system, including standards, governance, assurance, execution planning and continuous review.
- Ensure the project portfolio meets all HSE regulatory, permit and contractual requirements, with consistent compliance across all phases.
- Own the strategic relationship with safety counterparts at key contractors, building genuine alignment on how people are protected.
- Develop and embed a safety competence framework, deploying it outwards to project teams across the portfolio.
- Lead incident investigation and lessons learned processes, with the discipline to close the loop and drive visible improvement across projects.
- Focus the organisation’s attention on the effective management of high-consequence risks: HV electrical works, energisation, stored energy systems, fire and thermal runaway, lifting operations, working at height, temporary works, contractor interfaces, confined spaces and operational isolations.
- Drive visible improvement in safety culture, leadership behaviour and contractor management across the portfolio.
- Support investment due diligence through a safety lens as the portfolio grows.
- Interface regularly with EPC Directors, Project CEOs, the Head of FF EU and Head of Project Management on safety performance and direction.
- Engage executive leadership to maintain strategic endorsement, track progress and address any course corrections required.
- Lead engagement with EPC contractors, OEMs, advisors, regulatory bodies, transmission operators and ESOs on safety standards, culture and ways of working.
The Candidate:
- Proven safety leadership experience within an energy developer, infrastructure programme, industrial player or similarly complex operating environment.
- A track record of developing and implementing safety strategy, not just managing compliance.
- Deep familiarity with international and local HSE regulations, standards and audit processes.
- Hands-on experience with incident investigation, risk assessment and safety reporting at programme scale.
- Comfortable operating across executive discussions and frontline site environments with equal credibility.
- Skilled at influencing diverse internal and external stakeholders on safety matters.
- Results-driven and resilient, with the composure to lead in fast-moving, high-pressure project environments.
- Willingness to travel across the Netherlands and internationally as the portfolio requires.
