Occupational Safety Expert

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European Patent Office seeks an experienced Occupational Safety Expert to oversee safety across Munich and Vienna, aligning safety practices with ISO 45001, leading risk assessments and investigations, and coordinating safety providers. The role blends advisory work with on-site leadership and requires a valid SFK/Sifa certificate for Austria or Germany, plus knowledge of the other country’s regulations and a technical degree or equivalent. You will drive risk management, support diversity and inclusion, and report on safety performance with health and sustainability colleagues. To apply, tailor your CV and a concise motivation, highlight hands-on leadership and multi-site collaboration, and submit via SuccessFactors by 17 August 2026; a reserve list may be created for 18 months.

Occupational Safety Expert (22617)

Help shape the future of workplace safety across two of our sites in Germany and Austria.

With a strong on-site presence and a hands-on mentality, you will help create a safe, healthy and inclusive working environment across two European locations.

The Principal Directorate General Administration (PD 4.4) is responsible for creating modern, sustainable and safe working environments for the European Patent Office. In PD 4.4, the Performance Management department's occupational safety team combines strategic, advisory and operational responsibilities to ensure consistent safety standards across all EPO sites and support the evolving needs of our new ways of working, including teleworking. A key priority is to harmonise occupational safety practices across the organisation in line with ISO 45001 recommendations, while promoting greater safety awareness, self-assessment and a strong safety culture.

We are looking for an experienced occupational safety expert for our Munich and Vienna sites. You will have a valid Austrian or German SFK/Sifa (Sicherheitsfachkraft) certificate, a solid understanding of the occupational safety legislation in one of those countries and substantial professional experience in the other.

Reporting to the senior occupational safety expert, you will combine advisory support with a strong operational presence. You will ensure compliance with occupational safety legislation, co-ordinate external safety providers, carry out workplace risk assessments, lead accident and incident investigations and contribute to harmonised occupational risk management across both locations.

Working closely with colleagues active in the areas of occupational health, diversity and inclusion, sustainability and facility management, you will help strengthen a safe, sustainable and inclusive working environment. You will also support internal and external audits, including ISO 45001, ISO 14001 and EMAS, ensuring our occupational safety practices continue to meet regulatory requirements and recognised international standards. Experience in occupational risk management is essential, while knowledge of ISO standards – or the willingness to develop this expertise – and experience supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives are considered strong assets.

With us you will:

• act as the occupational safety expert and central point of contact for our Munich and Vienna sites, performing the full spectrum of responsibilities of a certified occupational safety professional
• advise and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, supporting local projects and promoting occupational safety across the organisation
• play a key role in occupational risk management by carrying out and contributing to risk assessments for tasks, activities and workplaces
• oversee and co‑ordinate external occupational safety providers to ensure consistent implementation of safety standards
• help develop, implement and maintain the annual occupational safety plan
• strengthen local safety awareness through training, promotional activities and participation in local events
• conduct workplace inspections, lead local accident investigations and identify trends to support continuous improvement
• monitor, analyse and regularly report on occupational safety activities and performance
• support ongoing occupational safety initiatives, future safety projects and internal diversity and inclusion initiatives

Apply if you have:

• a valid Austrian or German SFK/Sifa (Sicherheitsfachkraft) certificate and proven knowledge of the occupational safety regulations in the other country
• a university degree in a technical discipline or equivalent professional experience in occupational safety
• experience in occupational risk management; a master's degree in risk management would be an advantage
• practical experience in occupational safety, ideally within an international, multi-site organisation
• experience supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives that promote equity and belonging (considered an asset)
• a passion for occupational safety, combining hands-on operational work with analytical thinking to inform management decision-making
• excellent interpersonal, collaboration and communication skills, both written and spoken
• the ability to work independently, plan and prioritise effectively while building strong stakeholder relationships
• sound judgement, discretion and the ability to handle highly sensitive information with confidentiality and tact
• confidence working in a politically sensitive and complex stakeholder environment
• a proactive, solution-oriented mindset with a genuine interest in continuously developing your occupational safety expertise

Our minimum requirements for this post

• Diploma of completed studies at master's level or – in exceptional cases – equivalent professional experience
• Generally, an excellent knowledge (at least C1) of one official language (English, French and German) and ability to understand the other two; alternatively, excellent knowledge (at least C1) of at least one official language (in such cases, the willingness to learn the missing language(s) and to reach level B2 within a set time frame would be required)
• Citizenship of one of the member states of the European Patent Organisation

Process

Candidates are kindly asked to upload an updated CV and outline their motivation in the designated application field (character limit 4000). If so wished, the motivation letter can also be uploaded as a Word or pdf attachment under "Application document" in SuccessFactors. In this case, please indicate in the designated field "Please refer to attached motivation letter".

The successful candidate will be selected on the basis of qualifications, competencies, professional experience and language knowledge, supplemented as appropriate by interviews, tests and/or a personality questionnaire.

A reserve list may be constituted, should more candidates than required at this time be considered suitable following the selection procedure. Such reserve lists are valid for 18 months and reserve list candidates may be contacted, should a vacancy with substantially the same profile arise during that period.

More information on how we recruit can be found on our EPO jobs and careers site.

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Key information

Job group: 4

Grade: G7 to G10 (net (basic) monthly salary* for this vacancy: EUR 7 076 to 10 021) 

Duration of appointment: Five years, with the possibility of extension

Career path: Technical 

Location: Munich 

Application deadline: 17.08.2026

Interviews planned for: between 07.09.2026 and 25.09.2026

* after deduction of EPO-internal tax and before deduction of staff contributions to the social security and pension schemes.