Director of Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS)

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company•Graham, KY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company (EBAD) is seeking a Director of Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) to lead EHS across its business as the company prepares to double in size over the next 2–5 years. The position combines strategic leadership with a strong manufacturing-floor presence to build EHS capability, influence operating decisions, and address problems at their source. The Director reports to the Vice President of Operations and leads EHS across manufacturing sites in Simsbury, Connecticut; Graham, Kentucky; and Moorpark, California. The Director will develop EBAD’s EHS strategy for complex aerospace and defense manufacturing risks, lead and develop EHS professionals across sites, establish consistent policies and standards, and advise senior leaders on risks, resources, and investments. The role leads OSHA, EPA, and other applicable EHS compliance; oversees regulatory readiness and environmental programs; and partners with operational and technical teams to reduce workplace and process risks. The role also embeds safety in EBAD’s operating system and daily management, leads investigations and corrective actions, and builds employee and leader ownership of safety. Regular travel among EBAD sites is required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
15+ years of progressive manufacturing EHS experience, including leadership of EHS professionals across multiple sites or complex, high-hazard operations.
Extensive OSHA General Industry and applicable EHS regulatory knowledge, including experience leading compliance programs, inspections, audits, and injury and illness recordkeeping and reporting.
Strong EPA and environmental compliance knowledge, including hazardous waste, air permitting, stormwater, wastewater, spill prevention, documentation, and reporting.
Technical depth in manufacturing safety, industrial hygiene, risk assessment, process hazard analyses, and management of change; ability to evaluate controls and guide site teams.
Success leading incident investigations, root cause analysis, lean daily management, and verified corrective actions that prevent recurrence.
Ability to develop EHS talent, translate requirements into practical standards, and influence leaders and employees through change and resistance.
Experience building EHS training, safety committees, and observation programs that sustain employee engagement and ownership in lean manufacturing.
Ability to travel regularly among EBAD sites.

Nice To Haves

Aerospace and defense, energetics, explosives, or other high-hazard manufacturing experience, including applicable DoD and DHS requirements.
CSP, CIH, or related credentials.
OSHA General Industry Outreach Trainer authorization.
Lean operating system experience.

Responsibilities

Develop EBAD’s EHS strategy to support growth and manage complex aerospace and defense manufacturing risks.
Lead and develop EHS professionals across sites, strengthening technical expertise, leadership, and the talent pipeline.
Establish consistent policies and standards, clear ownership, leading and lagging indicators, and routine effectiveness reviews.
Advise senior leaders on emerging risks, resources, and investments in safe, reliable operations.
Lead OSHA, EPA, and federal, state, and local EHS compliance, partnering with technical and security leaders on applicable DoD and DHS requirements.
Set standards and verify execution for lockout/tagout, machine guarding, electrical safety, hazard communication, hot work, confined spaces, hearing conservation, and respiratory protection.
Ensure hazard-based PPE and safety equipment selection, availability, use, maintenance, and inspection.
Direct regulatory readiness, inspections, and audits; manage agency relationships and verify timely, effective closure of findings.
Ensure accurate injury and illness records, required reporting, and timely adoption of regulatory changes.
Oversee air permitting, stormwater, wastewater, spill prevention, and hazardous waste storage, labeling, containment, disposal, inspections, documentation, and reporting.
Partner with Operations, Engineering, Facilities, and technical experts to control energetic material, chemical, equipment, and process hazards.
Prevent serious injuries and high-consequence events through risk assessments, process hazard analyses, engineering controls, and verified operating practices.
Integrate EHS into capital projects, equipment selection, process development, facility changes, and production readiness; ensure management-of-change reviews and controls precede implementation.
Oversee industrial hygiene, occupational health, contractor safety, and site-specific emergency plans, response capabilities, training, and drills.
Embed safety into daily management, gemba walks, visual management, leader standard work, and kaizen through the Ensign-Bickford Operating System (EBOS).
Lead root cause analysis of incidents, near misses, environmental events, and recurring compliance gaps; coach teams to investigate at the source and address process and organizational causes.
Assign countermeasure owners and deadlines, verify effectiveness through observation and data, and embed cross-site lessons in standards, training, and processes.
Engage employees and leaders on the floor in hazard identification, safety observations, and solutions; foster speaking up, stopping unsafe work, and resolving concerns.
Develop leaders’ ability to recognize risk, reinforce standards, and follow through on commitments.
Set role-based training and qualification expectations, verify application, and strengthen safety committees and observation programs that turn employee input into improvement.
Travel regularly among EBAD sites.