Process Safety Expert

Arxada is a global leader in innovative solutions that protect our world. Our groundbreaking technologies, in-depth regulatory know-how, manufacturing and process development help our customers to safeguard nutrition, health and infrastructure efficiently through chemistry and biotechnology that enhance sustainability. We offer a broad portfolio of ingredients and services for multiple end-markets that include Human Health & Nutrition, Home & Personal Care, Professional Hygiene, Paints & Coatings and Wood Protection. 

With customers in more than 100 countries, the company achieved sales of CHF 2 billion in 2024. Headquartered in Basel (Switzerland), Arxada employs 3,200 associates across 24 production sites and 14 R&D centers, all committed to our customers’ success. 

As our Process Safety Expert, you will play a central role in driving process safety and operational excellence at Arxada’s production site in Visp. You will ensure that robust risk assessments, safety standards, and preventive measures are deeply embedded in daily operations while maintaining full compliance with Swiss and international regulations. Acting as a trusted advisor to operations, laboratories, and workshops, you will help shape the site’s process safety strategy, lead critical HAZOPs and risk assessments, and foster a proactive, forward-looking safety culture across the site

Key Responsibilities

• Champion a strong process safety culture across the Visp site — ensuring that safe processes, robust risk assessments, and incident prevention are deeply embedded in daily operations.
• Ensure compliance with Swiss legal requirements, international standards, and corporate Process Safety and EHS expectations.
• Act as the site’s expert for Explosion Protection (ATEX 137), HAZOP and risk assessment methodologies, providing critical guidance to operations, labs, and workshops.
• Lead the development and continuous improvement of the site’s Process Safety Strategy, standards, guidelines, and best practices.
• Serve as Arxada Visp’s primary contact for authorities related to major incident prevention (e.g., OPAM) and as representative in national technical committees.
• Own and maintain the Site Risk Inventory, including release simulations and major incident assessments.
• Lead Process Safety activities in large capital projects, acting as the first point of contact for process development and evaluating EHS aspects across all project stages.
• Coordinate and facilitate HAZOPs, root cause analyses, and key EHS processes, driving aligned, high-quality methodologies across the site.
• Co-own the site’s EHS Management System and represent Visp in Arxada’s global Process Safety team.
• Hands-on mentality to support teams on the ground and ensure practical implementation of safety concepts.

Key Requirements

• Master’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Process Safety, or a related discipline; equivalent professional experience will also be considered.
• 5+ years of experience in the chemical or related process industries — ideally with exposure to operations, process development, or EHS roles.
• Strong expertise in Process Safety, including ATEX, HAZOP, risk assessment techniques, release modelling, and explosion protection.
• Solid understanding of Swiss regulatory requirements and international EHS/Process Safety standards.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to interact confidently with authorities, technical committees, and internal partners.
• Fluent in German and English (both required), French is an advantage.
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage both detailed technical analyses and broader strategic initiatives.
• Demonstrates resilience, ownership, and a solution-oriented mindset — turning complex technical challenges into opportunities for improvement.
• Willingness to be located on-site in Visp, Switzerland.

Arxada has world class offering in two distinct areas:  

Microbial Control Solutions (MCS) focuses on threats posed by microorganisms to people and planet through five distinct business lines including Professional Hygiene, Home & Personal Care, Wood Protection, Paints & Coatings and Material Protection.  

Nutrition, Care & Environmental (NCE), meanwhile, provides materials used to manufacture composites for electronics, aerospace and other markets, as well as vitamins and nutritional ingredients, chemicals and performance intermediates, and raw materials for a wide range of high-performance applications.