Head of EHS, Round Lake

By clicking the “Apply” button, I understand that my employment application process with Takeda will commence and that the information I provide in my application will be processed in line with Takeda’s Privacy Notice and Terms of Use .  I further attest that all information I submit in my employment application is true to the best of my knowledge. Job Description Title: Head of EHS, Round Lake Location: Round Lake, IL (Onsite) About the role: As the Head of HSE / Associate Director, EHS, you will serve as the site leader for environmental, health, safety, occupational health, emergency management, and regulatory compliance programs at the Round Lake facility. You will provide strategic and operational leadership to strengthen safety culture, maintain compliance with applicable federal, state, and local requirements, support 24/7 manufacturing operations, and ensure inspection readiness. You will partner up closely with Site Leadership, Operations, Quality, Engineering, HR, Legal, Corporate HSE, external regulatory agencies, and campus partners to proactively manage risk, prevent incidents, and continuously improve HSE performance. How will you contribute: Site HSE leadership: Provide overall leadership, coaching, and support to the HSE/EHS team and influence employees at all levels of the organization to achieve and maintain a strong culture of safety in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. Strategy and governance: Lead the development and execution of the site HSE strategy, ensuring alignment with Takeda standards, site priorities, and global HSE expectations. Visible safety culture: Drive proactive safety leadership through GEMBA presence, leader standard work, employee engagement, shift visibility, and timely escalation of significant risks. Regulatory compliance: Evaluate and act upon new environmental, health, and safety regulations, including federal, state, and local requirements; maintain readiness for regulatory inspections and commitments. Agency interface: Serve as the primary site contact for regulatory agencies such as OSHA, EPA, state/local authorities, and other applicable regulatory bodies. Management systems: Develop, implement, and continuously improve site procedures and management systems for environmental, health, safety, and security programs in alignment with ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 principles. Incident prevention and learning: Lead governance for significant risk reduction, high-potential events, serious injury/fatality prevention, incident investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective/preventive action effectiveness. Occupational health: Manage the Occupational Health Program with the onsite occupational services vendor, including appropriate interfaces with corporate, Human Resources, and Legal representatives. Environmental programs: Ensure effective environmental compliance programs, including air, water, waste, chemical management, permitting, and sustainability/continuous improvement initiatives. Permits and change management: Monitor and direct the facility regarding environmental permits related to operations, construction, manufacturing changes, and capital projects. Projects and contractor safety: Provide HSE oversight for capital projects, construction activities, contractors, maintenance shutdowns, and operational changes. Emergency readiness: Define, maintain, and manage site emergency management procedures to ensure preparedness and organized management of crisis situations, including spill response and business continuity-related HSE readiness. Cross-functional partnership: Partner with Operations, Quality, Engineering, HR, Legal, Security, Corporate HSE, and external/campus partners to manage site risks and sustain business continuity. Talent development: Develop HSE talent, build bench strength, and provide coaching to site leaders and HSE team members. Continuous improvement: Identify and implement opportunities to improve waste management practices, strengthen risk controls, reduce cost, and improve site HSE performance. Demonstrated effectiveness engaging employees and leaders at all levels of the organization, individually and in large group settings. Strong ability to organize and prioritize work personally and functionally; ability to execute strategically in a fast-paced manufacturing environment with multiple stakeholders and deadlines. Strong knowledge of EHS regulatory requirements, risk management, incident investigation, management systems, emergency response, and continuous improvement practices. Ability to lead through influence, coach leaders, build trust, and support a proactive safety culture across a 24/7 operation. What you bring to Takeda: Typically requires a bachelor’s degree, preferably in occupational health and safety, environmental science, engineering, science, or a related field; 8+ years of related experience with 3+ years in a management role. Preferred: Master’s degree in environmental or safety engineering, Science, Technology, or a related field. Equivalent advanced experience may be considered. Experience with ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 EHS management system principles is required/preferred per HR and functional review. Professional certification in the environmental or safety field is preferred or required per HR review, such as CHMM, CSP, CIH, or equivalent. Experience in a high-profile leadership position acting as the primary management representative for EHS/HSE topics in a regulated manufacturing environment. Physical Demands: In general, the position requires a combination of sedentary work and walking around observing conditions of the facility. Must be able to carry up to 50lbs, lift up to 50lbs, push/pull up to 50lbs (with assistance of material handling equipment). Working Environment: Work in a cold, wet environment. Work around chemicals such as alcohol, acids, buffers, and Celite that may require respiratory protection. Indoor wor