Location
Macclesfield Campus, AstraZeneca

Hours
Full Time

Salary
Negotiable

About the Role
As Associate Director - SH & Environmental Regulated Operations, you will own the Macclesfield Campus’s regulator-facing licences, permits and Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) compliance obligations. This includes environmental regulation, controlled substances, emissions, waste, chemicals, contaminated land and multimodal dangerous goods. You will provide expert regulatory and product stewardship input to Process Technology and Development (PT&D) and Research and Development (R&D) on new substances and novel chemistry, while holding statutory accountability and acting as the primary interface with regulators.

Your responsibilities include managing the AI toolset for register maintenance, statutory deadline tracking and correspondence drafting. You will hold the consolidated licence and permit estate including EA Environmental Permits, trade effluent consent, borehole abstraction licence, and REACH compliance. You will also hold the statutory Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser (DGSA) appointment for the Campus and oversee multimodal dangerous goods governance, haulier and freight forwarder audits, and TPED compliance.

You will lead the EA breach-notification workflow, permit-deviation interpretation, and provide evidence-pack sign-off for regulator inspections. Operating the compliance obligations register, permit-condition tracker, and statutory-clock dashboard will be key to your role. You will act as the SHE regulatory interface to PT&D and R&D on new-substance introduction, including regulatory impact assessments, REACH compliance, Home Office schedule reviews, and dangerous goods classification.

Collaboration is essential, working with the Sustainability Lead on EA permit and packaging EPR compliance, and with the Industrial Hygiene SME on COSHH and exposure-related permits. You will lead the Annual EA Sustainability Improvement Plan submission and own the DGSA, dangerous goods, and controlled drugs training programme for site personnel.

Additional responsibilities include environmental waste governance, contaminated land and groundwater monitoring, nuisance management, and holding the site Home Office licensing portfolio for Controlled Drugs, explosives precursors, poisons, and drug precursors. You will assess and manage site position under the Chemical Weapons Convention and biocidal products regulation, supporting Trade Compliance on export control screening.

Where applicable, you will manage IRR17 and Radioactive Substances Regulation governance, participate in AZ Pharma environmental peer-network, represent AstraZeneca in EA regional forums, and provide cross-departmental regulatory compliance advice. You will support the Director – SHE people, Workplace & Capital on regulator-facing matters.

At AstraZeneca, we are committed to Lean processes and sustainable practices, fostering an inclusive and adaptive environment where innovative solutions thrive. This role offers the opportunity to lead regulatory compliance in a dynamic and evolving manufacturing environment.

Experience
- Degree qualified in environmental science, chemistry, engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
- Current DGSA (Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser) certification
- Previous experience in regulated environmental and chemical compliance at industrial sites
- Strong working knowledge of UK Environment Agency permitting, REACH, dangerous goods regulations, and Home Office Controlled Drugs licensing
- Proven track record of credible regulator engagement

About you
- Highly organized and able to manage multiple regulatory obligations and deadlines
- Strong communicator with the ability to engage effectively with regulators and internal stakeholders
- Collaborative mindset with experience working across multiple departments and disciplines
- Adaptable and able to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving manufacturing environment
- Commitment to sustainable practices and continuous improvement

Qualifications
- Degree or equivalent in relevant scientific or engineering discipline
- Current DGSA certification
- Chartered status (CIWEM, IEMA) is desirable but not essential
- Experience with AI-enabled compliance register operation is advantageous
- Pharmaceutical industry experience is desirable
- Existing Environment Agency inspector relationships are a plus