Plant EHSS and Operational Risk Manager; OH - Pellet Mill Operations

Plant EHSS and Operational Risk Manager (OH) - Pellet Mill Operations Job Summary

The Plant EHSS & Operational Risk Manager is responsible for leading all Environmental, Health, Safety, Security (EHSS), and operational risk programs for a 24/7 manufacturing facility. This role partners closely with plant leadership to foster a world‑class safety culture, ensure regulatory compliance, strengthen operational resilience, and support continuous improvement initiatives.

As a member of the plant leadership team, this individual will develop and execute strategies that protect employees, ensure environmental stewardship, reduce operational risk, and support business objectives through proactive leadership and employee engagement.

• Lead all site Environmental, Health, Safety, Security (EHSS), and operational risk management programs.
• Drive a strong safety culture through leadership engagement, Behavior-Based Safety (BBS), Safety GEMBA, hazard recognition, and near‑miss reporting.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, DOT, and applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
• Lead incident investigations, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Develop and implement operational risk assessments for manufacturing processes, equipment, facility modifications, and business continuity planning.
• Manage environmental compliance programs including permitting, waste management, air emissions, stormwater, spill prevention, and regulatory reporting.
• Lead emergency preparedness, crisis management, business continuity planning, and facility security initiatives.
• Conduct EHSS audits, inspections, compliance assessments, and maintain readiness for regulatory and corporate audits.
• Monitor and report key EHSS metrics including TRIR, LTIR, DART, Severity Rate, corrective action closure, training compliance, and environmental performance.
• Partner cross‑functionally with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Human Resources, and Distribution Center teams to integrate EHSS into operational excellence, Lean manufacturing, capital projects, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Coach and develop supervisors and frontline leaders to strengthen accountability, risk awareness, and safety leadership across all shifts.
• Strategic safety and operational risk leadership
• Regulatory compliance and environmental stewardship
• Business continuity and emergency preparedness
• Root cause analysis and risk mitigation
• Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement
• Executive communication and cross‑functional collaboration
• Strong coaching, leadership, and organizational skills
• Data‑driven decision making with experience utilizing EHSS metrics and dashboards

• Bachelor's degree in Safety, Environmental Health, Engineering, Industrial Technology, Operations Management, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum seven years of progressive EHSS, operational risk management, manufacturing, or industrial leadership experience, including demonstrated responsibility for regulatory compliance, operational risk management, and strategic EHSS program development.
• Three to five years of leadership or influencing experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience supporting multi‑shift manufacturing operations, including 24/7 environments.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA, EPA, DOT, and industrial EHSS requirements.
• Experience leading Behavior‑Based Safety (BBS) programs and safety culture initiatives.
• Experience with environmental compliance and regulatory reporting.
• Strong understanding of operational risk assessment, incident investigation, and root cause analysis methodologies.
• Experience leading business continuity planning, emergency preparedness, or operational resilience initiatives preferred.
• Demonstrated experience influencing senior leadership and managing complex cross‑functional initiatives.
• Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement experience preferred.
• CSP, ASP, CHMM, or equivalent certification preferred.

• Deep understanding of OSHA regulations, federal, state, and local compliance requirements.
• Experience developing, implementing, and maintaining Behavior‑Based Safety…