Health & Safety Director - Resort

LEGOLAND Parks•Winter Haven, FL

4h•Onsite

About The Position

The Resort Health & Safety Director is a strategic and operational leader responsible for shaping, embedding, and advancing a world-class safety culture across the resort. This role goes beyond compliance—it is about protecting guests, colleagues, and the Merlin brand by proactively identifying risks, driving continuous improvement, and embedding “Safety First” as a core value in everything we do. As a trusted advisor to the Resort Leadership Team, you will provide expert guidance, thought leadership, and governance, ensuring all health and safety practices are robust, forward-thinking, and aligned with both regulatory requirements and Merlin’s global standards. You will lead a risk-based, data-driven approach to safety—prioritizing what matters most, influencing decision-making, and enabling the business to operate safely while achieving its commercial ambitions.

Requirements

Proven leadership experience in Health & Safety within high-risk environments
Track record of delivering measurable safety improvements and cultural transformation
Experience operating in complex, multi-site or large-scale environments
Strategic thinker with strong commercial awareness
Exceptional ability to influence, partner, and lead through others
Deep expertise in risk management, compliance, and safety systems
Strong communicator with the ability to translate insight into action
Change leader who can drive innovation and continuous improvement
Bachelor’s Degree in Health & Safety (or related field)
Minimum 6+ years in a senior Health & Safety leadership role

Nice To Haves

Professional certifications (e.g., ASP, CSP) preferred

Responsibilities

Champion and embed a proactive, high-performance safety culture across the resort
Position Health & Safety as a core business value, not just a function
Partner with senior leaders to drive accountability, ownership, and behavioral change
Lead the “Protecting the Magic” vision—bringing safety to life across all teams
Identify, assess, and mitigate critical safety risks impacting guests, employees, and operations
Ensure full compliance with OSHA and all local/state regulatory requirements
Own and evolve the Health & Safety Risk Register and Annual Action Plan
Lead governance, assurance, and audit processes to maintain best-in-class standards
Design and implement scalable, effective safety programs and procedures
Ensure safe operations across rides, attractions, accommodation, and facilities
Oversee key safety programs including: Fall Protection, Lockout/Tagout, Electrical Safety, Confined Space, Powered Industrial Trucks
Drive continuous improvement initiatives to reduce incidents and enhance performance
Partner with Merlin Magic Making to ensure safety is embedded from design through delivery
Provide expert oversight across capital projects, new attractions, and operational changes
Ensure safe design, construction, commissioning, and launch of all new developments
Build, lead, and inspire a high-performing Health & Safety team
Develop talent pipelines and succession plans for long-term capability
Coach leaders and teams to own safety within their operations
Foster a culture of learning, accountability, and continuous growth
Deliver clear, data-driven reporting on KPIs, trends, and risk exposure
Present insights and recommendations to senior leadership forums
Act as the primary liaison with: Regulatory authorities, Industry bodies, External partners
Represent Merlin as a leader in safety excellence across the industry
Reduce incident rates and strengthen risk mitigation strategies
Elevate safety culture maturity across all departments
Ensure audit-ready compliance at all times
Enable safe, sustainable growth across resort operations and development