Director, Health, Safety & Environment; Remote

Health Safety & Environment (HSE) Director

The Health Safety & Environment (HSE) Director provides strategic leadership for HSE performance across the Global Operations Business Unit. This role is responsible for establishing and executing the HSE strategy, driving operational excellence, strengthening risk management, and ensuring compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and enterprise standards while supporting business growth.

As a member of the Business Unit Leadership Team, the Director partners with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Human Resources, and Corporate HSE to integrate HSE into business planning, operational decision making, capital investments, acquisitions, and facility expansion. The role influences leaders at all levels to embed a proactive safety culture, prioritize risk, and improve performance across manufacturing environments with varying levels of HSE maturity.

Success in this role requires both strategic vision and operational execution. The Director translates enterprise HSE objectives into practical business solutions, balances enterprise consistency with specific needs, and builds organizational capability through influence, collaboration, governance, and continued improvement. The Director is accountable for delivering sustainable improvements that protect employees, strengthen environmental stewardship, and enable safe, compliance business growth.

The Director will also be an active member of the various corporate HSE teams and the HSE Council.

This is a remote-based position with a strong preference for candidates located near one of STERIS's manufacturing sites, including Mentor, OH;
Plymouth, MN;
Conroe, TX; or St. Louis, MO. The role requires up to 50% domestic and international travel.

Business Unit HSE Strategy & Performance (30%)

• Define and own the Business Unit HSE strategy, including safety, environmental compliance, and risk management, aligned to regulatory requirements, enterprise standards, and business objectives.
• Establish and drive BU-level HSE performance goals, KPIs, and dashboards; ensure accountability across sites.
• Own the BU risk profile, prioritizing initiatives and capital investments based on risk, compliance, and business impact.
• Integrate HSE into BU planning processes, including operations, capital planning, and growth initiatives.
• Provide strategic guidance to BU leadership on emerging risks, regulatory changes, and business impacts.
• Lead prioritization of capital investments related to HSE, including environmental compliance, risk reduction, and facility upgrades.
• Identify systemic risks and escalate to leadership with clear business cases to drive prioritization and resource allocation.
• Influence senior operations leaders to align priorities and drive execution.

Operational Integration & Execution (15%)

• Translate complex regulatory requirements (e.g., environmental permitting, emissions, waste, and safety regulations) and corporate HSE programs into effective BU execution plans across multiple sites.
• Ensure consistent implementation of HSE standards while adapting to BU-specific operational needs.
• Drive cross-site alignment, standardization, and sharing of best practices.
• Partner with Operations leadership to embed HSE into daily management systems and performance routines.
• Lead BU-wide initiatives focused on risk reduction, culture improvement, and operational excellence.
• Provide HSE leadership for facility expansions, renovations, and capital projects, ensuring safe design, regulatory compliance, and effective risk mitigation throughout all project phases.
• Maintain a strong field presence to understand operational realities and ensure solutions are practical and sustainable.

Risk Management (15%)

• Ensure full compliance with safety and environmental regulatory requirements, including air emissions, wastewater, hazardous waste, and chemical management standards.
• Oversee risk assessment processes, ensuring prioritization and mitigation of critical risks.
• Monitor and address compliance gaps, escalating significant risks and ensuring timely resolution.
• Provide leadership on incident investigation, ensuring high quality root cause analysis, corrective actions, and sharing of lessons learned.
• Oversee environmental permitting, reporting, and regulatory agency interactions across all Business Unit operations.
• Establish clear prioritization frameworks to focus resources on highest-impact risks and opportunities.

Environmental Compliance & Sustainability Leadership (10%)

• Provide strategic oversight of environmental compliance programs, including air emissions, wastewater, stormwater, hazardous waste, and chemical management.
• Ensure effective management of environmental permitting, reporting, and agency engagement across all BU operations.
• Lead environmental risk identification and mitigation strategies within manufacturing and operational environments.
• Oversee programs related to pollution prevention,…