Senior Manager Environment Health Safety

A large, complex cellulose manufacturing facility in the Southeast US is seeking a Senior Safety & Health Manager to provide strategic and transformational leadership across site safety, health, and risk management. Reporting directly to the Vice President / General Manager, this role is a key member of the site leadership team and has significant influence on culture, performance, and long-term risk reduction.

The Senior Safety & Health Manager will lead a multi-disciplinary Safety & Health team and provide oversight across Occupational Safety, Process Safety, Workers’ Compensation / Medical Management, Emergency Response, and Site Security. The successful candidate will partner closely with operations and functional leaders to aggressively identify and mitigate risk, embed learning-based safety practices, and deliver sustainable improvements aligned with a long-term “Path to Zero” safety strategy.

• Lead, coach, and develop the site Safety & Health team, including succession and capability development
• Partner with site leadership to develop and execute long-term safety and health improvement strategies
• Champion a positive, principle-based safety culture aligned with organisational values
• Apply Human and Organisational Performance (HOP) concepts to build a learning organisation and accelerate knowledge sharing
• Lead site-wide hazard identification and risk assessment methodologies, including task- and department-level risk assessments
• Strengthen critical hazard program management (e.g. hazardous energy control, line breaking, fall protection, mobile equipment, cranes & rigging, work permitting, emergency preparedness)
• Facilitate incident and near-miss investigations with a strong focus on learning, prevention, and recovery
• Ensure compliance with OSHA regulations, including Process Safety Management (PSM) and relevant EPA requirements
• Drive continuous improvement through audits, self-assessments, leading and lagging indicators, and performance reviews
• Oversee workers’ compensation processes and work-related injury case management
• Align site programs with broader business safety strategies and corporate safety capabilities

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in safety within a pulp & paper or heavy manufacturing environment
• Proven safety leadership experience in an industrial or process manufacturing setting (e.g. pulp & paper, chemicals, energy, industrial manufacturing)
• Strong working knowledge of EHS management systems and regulatory compliance
• Experience leading and developing safety professionals and specialists
• Degree in Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Engineering, or a related technical discipline
• Experience applying Human & Organisational Performance (HOP) principles
• Professional certifications such as CSP, ASP, CIH, or PE
• Process safety experience in a high-risk manufacturing environment
• Track record of leading cultural and performance improvement at site level