HSSE Specialist

Welcome to a workplace where everyone passionately believes in one purpose!

Our company's commitment extends beyond tasks; it's about infusing every action with purpose. We are dedicated to bringing unparalleled passion and customer focus to every facet of our business, creating an environment where your contribution truly matters.

With 70 years of experience, we are the leading strategic partner, providing specialized solutions for airlines, airports, and enterprises across 21 countries throughout The Caribbean and Latin America.

At GCG , we believe the secret recipe for a perfect team blends talent, focus, and discipline. We seek these qualities in candidates eager to thrive in a diverse and multicultural environment.

Our comprehensive solutions include Sky Dining, Airport Dining, Aviation Support, and Culinary. With a team of over 5,500 highly skilled experts dedicated to excellence, we uphold the highest standards of quality and service. We are committed to elevating travel & culinary experiences for all our customer's journeys, becoming the top choice in the region.

JOB PURPOSE

The HSSE Specialist is accountable for the technical adequacy of the Group’s health, safety, security, and operational environmental requirements and the effectiveness of related controls across stations, including ramp operations.

The role establishes preventive controls, directs technical implementation, investigates significant deviations, and requires timely corrective action. It develops local capabilities, verifies control effectiveness, and escalates unresolved risks, while Operations retains responsibility for daily execution and sustained implementation of controls.

Duties & Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Technical Requirements & Standards

· Establish and maintain HSSE requirements within the approved corporate framework.

· Translate applicable regulatory, airport, corporate, and customer requirements, together with relevant international standards and guidance, into practical operational controls.

· Assess proposed local adaptations and approve them within delegated authority or submit them to the QHSE Lead for approval.

· Require correction of practices that do not meet approved requirements and escalate unresolved technical disagreements.

· Obtain additional expertise when a requirement, assessment, or proposed solution exceeds the available technical competence.

Health, Safety, Security & Environment Programs

· Establish and maintain programs for occupational hazard identification, risk assessment, injury prevention, and emergency preparedness.

· Define and verify ramp safety requirements for activities around aircraft, including equipment positioning, vehicle movements, loading, unloading, and coordination between operational teams.

· Establish physical security controls within the department’s scope, including access control, protection of facilities and products, and reporting of security concerns.

· Define operational environmental controls for waste, chemicals, spills, and other applicable impacts.

· Review station programs and supporting evidence to confirm that controls reflect actual activities, equipment, facilities, and operating conditions.

· Coordinate specialized assessments or services where occupational health, security, or environmental matters require additional professional expertise.

Cross-Disciplinary Coordination

· Coordinate with the Food Safety & Quality Specialist where HSSE controls may affect hygiene, food safety, product protection, or service quality.

· Review shared risks associated with maintenance, cleaning chemicals, facilities, loading, transport, and emergency response.

· Define HSSE requirements for shared interventions without assuming technical ownership of food safety and quality.

· Coordinate with Operations, Maintenance, HR, and other responsible functions on corrective measures that require changes to equipment, facilities, work practices, or personnel arrangements.

· Escalate conflicting requirements to the QHSE Lead and contribute to practical, technically sound resolutions.

Risk Prevention & Performance Analysis

· Apply approved criteria to identify hazards, assess risks, and prioritize preventive or corrective interventions.

· Evaluate station performance using inspections, incident reports, near misses, control verification, and other relevant evidence.

· Identify recurring failures, overdue actions, and gaps in the effectiveness of preventive controls.

· Establish technical remediation priorities and deadlines proportionate to risk, within approved procedures.

· Require targeted corrective responses and report material risks or unresolved deficiencies to the QHSE Lead and relevant operational leadership.

· Promote accurate reporting of incidents, near misses, and unsafe conditions to support prevention and learning.

Local Technical Direction

· Provide functional technical direction to designated local representatives responsible for occupational safety, ramp safety, physical security, and environmental controls.

· Require implementation of approved requirements, completion of assigned programs, and timely submission of reliable evidence.

· Challenge inadequate controls, unsupported conclusions, or ineffective corrective responses.

· Coordinate resource and implementation requirements with station management and local OPEX Managers, where present.

· Provide technical performance feedback and escalate capability or execution gaps without replacing local personnel management responsibilities.

Technical Visits & Inspections

· Conduct HSSE inspections according to the corporate intervention plan and emerging operational risks.

· Evaluate work practices and control effectiveness through observation, records, interviews, and relevant technical assessments.

· Document deficiencies, communicate required corrective outcomes, and establish response deadlines within delegated authority.

· Require follow-up inspections or reassessments when evidence is insufficient, exposure remains unacceptable, or failures recur.

· Approve closure of technical inspection deficiencies within delegated authority, based on demonstrated implementation and effectiveness.

· Provide technical validation to EA for deficiencies linked to corporate audit findings; EA retains the formal closure decision.

Incidents, Deviations & Corrective Actions

· Require immediate containment of significant HSSE risks in accordance with applicable procedures and delegated authority.

· Lead the technical evaluation of significant incidents, near misses, security events, and environmental deviations within the assigned scope.

· Coordinate investigations with process owners and relevant specialists, ensuring that conclusions are supported by evidence.

· Challenge root cause analyses that do not adequately explain the event or control failure.

· Approve or reject the technical adequacy of corrective action plans within delegated authority and require revision of insufficient solutions.

· Verify implementation and sustained effectiveness, escalating overdue actions, continuing exposure, or recurring failures.

· Provide technical recommendations on suspension or restart of affected activities; decisions follow the applicable authorization requirements.

· Inform EA when new evidence indicates that a previously closed corporate audit finding may require reassessment.

Technical Competence & Capability Development

· Define HSSE training content, learning objectives, and practical competence criteria within the role’s scope.

· Train and coach local representatives and operational teams in relevant preventive controls, risk assessment, incident reporting, and corrective action practices.

· Verify competence through observation, practical exercises, and operational performance.

· Identify training gaps and coordinate additional development or specialist instruction where required.

· Validate techn