Safety & Quality Manager

Do you have the skills to develop and implement a Safety & Quality policy for an international family logistics company?

Can you convince others of the importance of quality and safety in an organisation?

Are you looking forward to managing a team and building the future of a growing company?

Then this challenge at ECS is for you! This Belgian family business has grown into a strong player in the logistics world because of a clear strategy for sustainable growth. In this innovative and growing environment, you will get opportunities to further develop yourself and your team. 

As a Safety & Quality manager within the organisation, you certainly won't be starting from scratch. The objective is to further increase our safety performance and culture, to further grow the current team, and to expand the impact and connection with the organisation. Because of the importance and need for objective independent reporting to CEO, we are looking for a Prevention Advisor with Level 1 training (or Level 2 with willingness to obtain Level 1).

You will shape your team (5 colleagues) and set up new projects and initiatives. You report to the group's CFO, Sandrine Bostyn, and you work together with all colleagues from the different departments within the group such as the Warehouse, Technics, Facility, etc.

You will mainly work in Zeebrugge where the group's headquarters and main operational sites are located: the head office, manual warehouses and automated warehouses, technical workshops for rolling stock repair and containers. You will also go on site to and liaise with the other European subsidiaries where ECS operates, notably Venlo (Netherlands), Dourges (France) and Hull (UK).

RESPONSIBILITIES

Safety & prevention

• Drawing up and implementing the safety plan: you work together with the various business stakeholders to develop and implement the safety strategy You look pragmatically at how business operations can continue to operate optimally subject to compliance with an adequate safety standard 
• Follow-up safety plan: you manage the safety strategy and plan In the Safety Board, you will present priorities together with key stakeholders and the CEO, seek validation and allocate the necessary resources
• Promotion of a safety culture: you have a persuasive communication style, from a consultative and empowering perspective, to get employees on board. You are responsible for the rollout of a training programme and communication plan to ensure adequate safety awareness at all levels of the organisation. You advise and support the various sites and operations in the company for specific safety training. You organise a quarterly safety campaign to increase safety awareness at all levels of the organisation.
• Organisation: you help build an organisation that sees safety as a priority, from your own prevention department and coaching your teammates, but equally by coaching key internal stakeholders such as warehouse staff, CPBW members, technical services such as Technics & Facilities, etc. You can proactively and constructively raise risks in relation to organisational improvements  
• Risk analysis: you are responsible for managing the risk analysis matrix. You identify risks and integrate them into the safety plan. In case of safety incidents and accidents, you take the appropriate actions, decisions and communicative steps. You assist in the root cause analysis and ensure that the necessary actions are taken to prevent such incidents. You also give the necessary advice, validate from purchase to delivery and perform the necessary risk analysis.
• Audits & observations: you will carry out physical audits and inspections together with your teammates. You work with the warehouse staff and ensure they are self-trained to carry out observations regarding safety in the sites.
• Compliance: You monitor all legal aspects related to prevention in the different countries (mainly Be, Fr, Nl and UK) and the different sites and where necessary, adapt the safety plan. You keep abreast of new regulations and communicate their impact to the Safety Board.
• Reporting: You keep track of relevant KPIs and report according to legal needs (CPBW) and company needs (safety dashboard). You periodically report a state of affairs to the Safety Board (monthly), ExCom (half-yearly) and BoD (annually).

Quality Management

• As Safety & Quality manager, you will also be responsible for developing and implementing a strategic quality policy that meets quality, environmental and safety standards, tailored to our business activities and prioritised appropriately. You play a leading role in setting up and optimising our quality management systems (such as ISO9001, BRC, SQAS, AEO, ISO14001) and ensuring that these systems are effectively integrated into the company's day-to-day operations. You will also advise the Excom on quality issues and contribute to the sustainable growth of the organisation.

• You monitor relevant laws and regulations and implement new relevant standards together with your team.
• You attend key customer audits. You ensure that necessary actions are set up and followed up by internal stakeholders.
• Audit results (from external audits, customer audits, inspections, etc.) you report periodically to the Excom and Audit Committee. You keep a Balanced Scorecard on this and work out the necessary reporting. 

 TALENT AND EXPERIENCE

• You have at least 10 years' experience as a manager and possess strong leadership skills.
• You are familiar with logistics, warehousing and transport. Experience in the food industry is an asset. 
• You obtained the certificate Prevention Advisor level one, or Prevention Advisor level two if willing to obtain level one.
• You are a trigger of (safety) culture change, with a positive approach, and able to get people on board with your story.
• You are a fluent communicator, both top-down and bottom-up, with both internal and external partners. Your communication style is connecting and coaching.
• You are assertive and proactive. 
• You are independent and positively critical and know how to bring out the best in others.
• You are fluent in Dutch and English, you can get by in French.
• You can count on a competitive salary package in line with your responsibilities and experience, supplemented with extra-legal benefits (such as company car & tank/charge card, net expense allowance, meal vouchers, group insurance, hospitalisation insurance, etc.)
• You will join a nice working environment, with dynamic employees. We create an inclusive and sustainable culture where we support our people to build a healthy and balanced career, through continuous investment in training & development, but also through wellbeing initiatives, sports activities and facilities such as a nursery.