Associate Director - HSE (Emergency Management)
About The Position
The Associate Director HSE – Emergency Management will be brought in early to support fire house and equipment design, define fire protection and emergency response requirements, and select the preventative and response equipment needed for site startup. This role will work directly with project, engineering, and HSE teams to establish operating plans, staffing, equipment readiness, and response capabilities before the site goes live. Prior to startup, the individual will stand up the emergency response team, implement core emergency response processes, and prepare the site for drills, incidents, and regulatory interface. Once the site is operational, this role will run the site’s emergency response programs, manage drills and exercises, maintain response readiness, and lead coordination with external emergency services and other key partners.
Requirements
- High School diploma or equivalent.
- Minimum 8 years of experience in fire department, industrial emergency response, or emergency services operations, including at least 3 years in a leadership or supervisory role.
- Must hold or be able to obtain, prior to site startup, the certifications required to perform assigned fire department and emergency response duties at the site.
- Valid driver’s license required.
- English proficiency required.
Nice To Haves
- Previous experience leading industrial emergency response, fire brigade, or fire department operations in a manufacturing, chemical, pharmaceutical, or other high-hazard environment.
- Experience supporting greenfield site startup, facility commissioning, or design review for fire protection, emergency response infrastructure, and operational readiness.
- Working knowledge of fire protection systems, emergency response equipment, hazardous materials response, and incident command practices applicable to an industrial site.
- Proven ability to build, train, and lead emergency response teams, including development of drills, qualification processes, and readiness standards.
- Strong experience working across engineering, operations, HSE, and external emergency response agencies to establish practical, site-specific emergency response plans and interfaces.
- Current fire service, incident command, hazardous materials response, or emergency medical certifications relevant to industrial emergency response operations.
Responsibilities
- Lead development of the site emergency response department and emergency response capability by defining staffing needs, hiring and onboarding team members, and establishing coverage, command, and response expectations ahead of startup.
- Define fire & emergency protection, emergency response, and operational readiness requirements for the fire house, vehicles, tools, systems, and response equipment, and partner with project and engineering teams to ensure those requirements are built into site design and startup plans.
- Implement core emergency response programs, procedures, and training needed for startup, including pre-incident planning, drill execution, equipment checks, alarm and communication protocols, and coordination with site operations and HSE teams.
- Manage day-to-day site emergency response operations by maintaining personnel readiness, inspecting and maintaining response equipment, leading drills and exercises, and ensuring emergency programs remain effective, compliant, and aligned with site risk.
- Lead coordination with external fire departments, EMS, mutual aid partners, and regulatory agencies to support emergency planning, incident response, inspections, and ongoing site preparedness.
Benefits
- company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance)
- company-sponsored 401(k)
- pension
- vacation benefits
- medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits
- flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts)
- life insurance and death benefits
- certain time off and leave of absence benefits
- well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
Education Level
High school or GED
