Process Safety Manager

Process Safety Manager / Functional Safety Lead – Hydrogen

Location: Sheffield

Salary: Competitive Salary

Overview:

• Are you an experienced Process Safety or Functional Safety Engineer looking to take technical ownership of safety within a rapidly developing hydrogen technology business?
• Our client is seeking a Process Safety Manager / Functional Safety Lead to provide technical safety leadership across our electrolyser product portfolio.
• This is an opportunity to work at the forefront of hydrogen production, electrolysis and clean energy, ensuring our products are safe, compliant and fit for deployment across international markets.
• You'll act as a key technical safety authority, leading process and functional safety activities from hazard identification and risk assessment through to design, verification, validation and close-out.
• You'll also lead and mentor a small team of safety engineers and work closely with Engineering, Design, Testing, Project Management, customers and regulators.

What you'll be doing

• Lead and facilitate Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) studies including HAZID, HAZOP and LOPA.
• Chair HAZOP and LOPA close-out meetings and ensure actions and recommendations are completed on time and to the required standard.
• Lead technical safety reviews across the companies electrolyser product portfolio.
• Develop and maintain Basis of Safety documentation and process safety frameworks.
• Develop and maintain Functional Safety Management (FSM) plans and support Functional Safety Assessments (FSA) throughout the product lifecycle.
• Apply IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 principles across analysis, design, implementation, operation and maintenance.
• Develop ALARP principles and calculations to support risk and LOPA assessments.
• Review Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) and proof-test procedures.
• Lead and review SIL verification and Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA), including Reliability Block Diagrams (RBD) and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA).
• Provide technical guidance on hazardous area classification, ATEX, DSEAR and IEC 60079 requirements.
• Support the development of safety cases and compliance documentation.
• Lead and mentor a small Process Safety team, including regular training and competence reviews.
• Promote process and functional safety awareness across Engineering, Design, Testing and other functions.
• Support Management of Change (MOC) activities where required.
• Work with customers, suppliers and regulators as necessary.
• Provide technical safety input to projects and product development programmes.

What we're looking for

We're looking for an experienced safety professional with a strong background in process safety, functional safety and hazardous process environments.

Essential experience

• Degree in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering or another relevant engineering discipline.
• At least 5 years' professional experience in process safety and/or functional safety.
• Strong experience leading or chairing HAZOP, HAZID and LOPA studies.
• Strong knowledge of IEC 61508 and IEC 61511.
• Practical experience with SIL assessment and verification, QRA, FTA and/or RBD methodologies.
• Strong understanding of SIS / Safety Instrumented Systems and functional safety lifecycle requirements.
• Experience with hazardous area classification, ATEX, DSEAR and IEC 60079.
• Experience working with hydrogen and/or oxygen, industrial gases, chemicals or other hazardous process environments.
• Experience developing or reviewing safety cases, risk assessments or equivalent safety documentation.
• Ability to work within structured quality and management systems such as ISO 9001 and ISO 45001.
• Strong project execution, organisational and documentation skills.
• Ability to influence engineering and cross-functional teams and communicate technical safety matters to senior stakeholders.

Desirable experience

• TÜV Certified Functional Safety Engineer or equivalent certification.
• Direct experience within the hydrogen, electrolyser, hydrogen production or renewable energy sector.
• Knowledge of ISO 22734 for hydrogen generators using water electrolysis.
• Experience with PHAST, Quadvent or similar consequence modelling tools.
• Chartered Engineer status or active progression towards chartership through IChemE, IET or another recognised professional body.
• Experience developing DSEAR, ATEX, IECEx or equivalent safety cases.
• Experience managing or mentoring a team of safety engineers.
• Experience working with customers, notified bodies, regulators or other external stakeholders.

The kind of person we're looking for

• You'll be technically credible, confident leading safety studies and comfortable challenging engineering decisions where necessary.
• You'll be able to take complex process and functional safety issues and communicate them clearly to engineers, project teams, senior management, customers and regulators.
• We're looking for someone who can influence rather than simply advise and who enjoys working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary engineering environment.

If you're a Process Safety Engineer, Functional Safety Engineer, Process Safety Manager, Functional Safety Manager, HAZOP Lead or Technical Safety professional looking for your next opportunity in hydrogen and clean energy, we'd like to hear from you.

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