Head of Health and Safety

We are looking for a Head of Health & Safety in Germany to build and own the health, safety and environmental capability behind our German operations. 
You will be responsible for HSE across our German R&D, manufacturing, assembly, test and production activities, establishing the systems, controls and culture required as the business scales. 
This is not a role where you inherit a mature corporate safety organisation. 
Facilities will evolve. New equipment will arrive quickly. Manufacturing capability will grow. Prototype and test activities will create new risks. Your job is to make sure we move quickly without allowing serious risk to become normalised. 
You will work directly with Engineering, Manufacturing, Facilities, Quality, Security and Operations, getting close enough to the work to understand the real risk rather than managing safety from a distance. 
This is a regional leadership role responsible for operations in Germany. Travel to suppliers, test locations and other Hypersonica sites may be required depending on programme needs, your location and the future development of the company.

What you’ll do

- Build and lead Hypersonica’s German health, safety and environmental capability across R&D, manufacturing, assembly, test and production environments.

- Define and implement the German HSE management system from zero, establishing clear standards, ownership and operating procedures without importing unnecessary bureaucracy.

- Translate German occupational health, safety and environmental requirements into practical controls that engineers, technicians, contractors and operators can actually use.

- Embed HSE requirements into facility design, equipment selection, commissioning, manufacturing processes and operational planning before risks become expensive or irreversible.

- Lead workplace and process risk assessments across machinery, lifting operations, pressure systems, electrical work, hazardous substances, work at height, laboratories, workshops and production activity.

- Establish safe systems of work, permit-to-work controls, contractor management, emergency arrangements, incident reporting and corrective-action processes.

- Build a consistent approach to machinery and equipment safety, including guarding, isolation, lockout/tagout, commissioning evidence, inspection and maintenance controls.

- Ensure appropriate implementation of German requirements relating to occupational safety, workplace safety, equipment operation and hazardous substances.

- Own incident and near-miss investigations, identifying root causes and driving corrective actions that permanently improve how the business operates.

- Define HSE requirements for new German sites and facility changes, supporting design reviews, readiness gates, operational handover and safe mobilisation.

- Establish the minimum credible controls for prototype and R&D activity, balancing experimentation speed with disciplined risk management.

- Build meaningful HSE metrics around incidents, near misses, corrective actions, audits, training, contractor performance and leading risk indicators.

- Develop training and competency programmes that are concise, relevant and respected by technical teams rather than treated as compliance theatre.

- Lead engagement with relevant German authorities, insurers, auditors, landlords, contractors, Berufsgenossenschaften and external specialists where required.

- Work closely with specialist capability responsible for energetic materials, explosives and major-hazard activity, ensuring those controls integrate cleanly into the wider German HSE system without duplicating accountability.

- Support the development of site-specific emergency response, environmental protection and operational safety arrangements as Hypersonica’s German footprint develops.

- Build the future German HSE team, identifying which capabilities should sit internally and where specialist external support makes more sense.

- Work closely with your counterpart in the UK and Group leadership to maintain high standards across Hypersonica while allowing each region to operate appropriately within its own regulatory environment.

- Travel to other Hypersonica locations, suppliers and test sites where risks are better understood and solved in person.

Who you are

- A senior HSE leader with significant experience in complex manufacturing, engineering, R&D, test or production environments.

- Proven at building or materially transforming an HSE function rather than only maintaining mature corporate systems.

- Deeply practical and comfortable spending time in workshops, laboratories, production areas and commissioning environments.

- Strong working knowledge of German occupational health, safety and environmental requirements relevant to industrial and engineering operations.

- Experienced around machinery safety, hazardous substances, contractor management, inspections and incident management.

- Comfortable operating around German requirements such as workplace risk assessment, safe operation of work equipment and hazardous-material controls.

- Credible with engineers and operational leaders and able to challenge unsafe decisions directly while still finding a practical route forward.

- Experienced supporting new-facility design, equipment commissioning, production readiness or operational mobilisation.

- Strong at incident investigation and root-cause analysis.

- Comfortable establishing proportionate controls for fast-moving R&D and prototype activity without lowering the bar around serious risk.

- Calm and decisive under pressure, with the judgement to distinguish manageable engineering risk from activity that must stop immediately.

- Comfortable operating autonomously as the senior German HSE authority.

- Clear and concise in your communication, documentation and training.

- Experienced in aerospace, defence, advanced manufacturing, automotive, motorsport, energy, chemicals or another high-consequence engineering environment.

- Exposure to energetic materials, explosives, hazardous substances or major-hazard environments would be particularly valuable.

- Motivated by building a safety culture where high standards increase programme velocity rather than becoming an obstacle to it.

Security and Eligibility Requirement

- Due to the nature of our defence work, applicants must be able to meet the nationality, security and clearance requirements applicable to the programmes they support.

What we offer

- The opportunity to build the German HSE capability behind one of Europe’s most ambitious defence technology companies.

- Genuine ownership over how safety is embedded into new facilities, manufacturing capability and test operations.

- Direct collaboration with exceptional engineers, technicians and operational leaders.

- Short decision paths and the autonomy to solve problems without unnecessary bureaucracy.

- The opportunity to build systems from first principles rather than inherit layers of legacy process.

- High ownership and autonomy. No time tracking, no micromanagement, just clear objectives and accountability for outcomes.

- Competitive compensation and meaningful share options aligned to responsibility and impact.

- The opportunity to build capability with genuine strategic importance to Germany and Europe.

The person we are looking for

We are not looking for someone whose answer to every new risk is another form, approval gate or committee.

We want someone who can stand in front of a new machine, process or facility and ask:

What can actually hurt somebody here? What controls genuinely reduce that risk? What needs to exist before we start? And what can we avoid building because it adds process without adding safety?

Someone who can hold an extremely high safety bar without slowing down everything around them.

If that sounds like you, come and build it with us.

At Hypersonica, every hire raises the bar. We are deliberately small, intensely capable, and deeply mission-driven. If this role feels like a strong fit, or if you believe you bring something exceptional that goes beyond the description, we encourage you to apply.
 
Hypersonica is an equal-opportunity employer and assesses candidates solely on merit, capability, and potential.
 
You can apply directly to this role or reach out to Nathan Sweeney, Head of Talent. We review every application and aim to respond to all candidates within two weeks, whether the answer is yes or no.