Environmental, Health and Safety Advisor - Data Centre - Germany

EHS Advisor – Data Centre

Location: Germany
Sector: Data Centres / Mission Critical Construction
Employment Type: Full-Time | Site-Based

The Role

Designer Group is seeking an experienced Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Advisor to support the delivery of major data centre projects in Germany.

This is a site-based construction safety role working within a fast-paced, highly regulated mission-critical environment.

You will work closely with project management, construction teams, engineers, subcontractors, client representatives and the wider EHS team to maintain high standards of health, safety and environmental performance throughout project delivery.

The role will suit an EHS professional with experience in data centres, M&E construction, building services, industrial, pharmaceutical, semiconductor or other technically complex construction environments.

Key Responsibilities

As EHS Advisor, you will:

• Support the implementation of the project EHS management system across the construction site.
• Conduct regular site safety inspections, audits and behavioural safety observations.
• Identify hazards, unsafe conditions and emerging risks and work with project teams to implement corrective actions.
• Support compliance with applicable German occupational health and safety legislation, construction-site requirements, DGUV regulations and client EHS standards.
• Support and review project Gefährdungsbeurteilungen / risk assessments, method statements and safe systems of work.
• Review subcontractor EHS documentation before mobilisation and throughout project delivery.
• Support coordination between Designer Group, subcontractors, the client and relevant SiGeKo / safety coordination functions where applicable.
• Deliver site inductions, toolbox talks, safety briefings and EHS awareness programmes.
• Support the management of Permit-to-Work processes and high-risk construction activities.
• Monitor activities including work at height, lifting operations, hot works, confined spaces, temporary works and electrical/mechanical installation.
• Support safe energisation, isolation and LOTO processes where applicable.
• Investigate accidents, incidents, near misses and unsafe conditions and support root-cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Maintain project EHS registers, inspection records, training records and statutory documentation.
• Monitor subcontractor safety performance and support corrective and preventative actions.
• Participate in daily coordination meetings, EHS meetings and project safety reviews.
• Support emergency preparedness, evacuation planning and incident-response arrangements.
• Track and report EHS KPIs, trends, observations and corrective actions.
• Promote positive behavioural safety and a proactive safety culture across the project.
• Support the preparation of EHS documentation required for project completion and handover.

Essential

• Recognised qualification in Occupational Health & Safety, Environmental Health & Safety or a related discipline.
• Previous EHS experience within construction or engineering environments.
• Strong practical knowledge of construction-site health and safety.
• Experience conducting site audits, inspections, risk assessments and incident investigations.
• Experience working with subcontractors and construction delivery teams.
• Strong communication and influencing skills.
• Ability to challenge unsafe practices professionally and constructively.
• Strong organisational, reporting and documentation skills.
• Comfortable working within a fast-paced, multicultural construction environment.
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office and digital EHS reporting systems.
• Professional working proficiency in English.

Highly Desirable

• Previous data centre / mission-critical construction experience.
• Experience within a major M&E contractor, general contractor or specialist subcontractor.
• Experience with high-risk M&E construction activities.
• Knowledge of German occupational health and safety requirements including ArbSchG, BaustellV and DGUV regulations.
• German language capability.
• Previous experience working on construction projects in Germany.
• Knowledge of Gefährdungsbeurteilung, Permit-to-Work and LOTO systems.
• Experience working with SiGeKo, client EHS teams and multidisciplinary subcontractors.
• First Aid qualification.
• Train-the-Trainer or equivalent training qualification.
• NEBOSH, IOSH or comparable international safety qualification.
• Fachkraft für Arbeitssicherheit (Sifa) qualification or recognised German safety training would be advantageous where relevant to the project.