Director of Environmental Health & Safety

Allen Control Systems•Austin, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Allen Control Systems (ACS) is seeking an experienced safety professional to lead and scale its manufacturing safety program. This role will be responsible for the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of safety policies, training, compliance systems, and hazard controls across the facility. The work involves industrial manufacturing processes, hazardous materials, high-energy systems, and emerging weapons-related technologies, requiring strong judgment, technical credibility, and the ability to stop unsafe work. This is a hands-on leadership position that involves working directly with manufacturing, engineering, and leadership on the production floor to proactively identify risks, strengthen safeguards, and foster a culture of shared safety responsibility.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Safety Engineering, Environmental Health & Safety, Engineering, Industrial Hygiene, or a related technical field
10+ years of progressive EHS leadership experience within manufacturing, aerospace, defense, industrial technology, or other highly regulated environments
5+ years of experience leading and developing EHS teams and cross-functional safety programs
Deep expertise in OSHA 29 CFR 1910 (General Industry) and applicable federal, state, and local regulations
Proven experience building and scaling safety management systems in complex, high-risk operational environments
Experience leading enterprise risk assessments, hazard analyses, and system safety programs
Demonstrated ability to influence executive leadership and drive organizational change
Strong communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills
Ability and willingness to maintain a visible presence in manufacturing and testing environments

Nice To Haves

Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), or equivalent professional certification
Experience with explosives, energetics, ordnance, or weapons safety programs
Experience supporting field testing and operational test environments
Experience applying MIL-STD-882 or comparable system safety frameworks
Experience with high-power laser safety standards (ANSI Z136.1, MIL-HDBK-828, or equivalent)
Experience in defense, aerospace, autonomous systems, robotics, or other mission-critical industries
Experience supporting multi-site operations and facility expansion efforts

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the company's long-term Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) strategy in support of business growth, manufacturing scale-up, and operational excellence.
Establish, govern, and continuously evolve company-wide safety management systems, policies, standards, and procedures.
Serve as the executive owner of safety culture, accountability, and stop-work authority across all operations.
Partner with executive leadership to integrate safety considerations into strategic planning, facility expansion, product development, and operational decision-making.
Act as the primary company representative for regulatory agencies, audits, inspections, and external safety stakeholders.
Lead enterprise-wide risk identification, assessment, and mitigation efforts across manufacturing, testing, engineering, and future operational environments.
Establish system safety methodologies and governance frameworks, including application of MIL-STD-882 or equivalent risk management standards.
Drive cross-functional implementation of Design for Safety principles throughout product and process development.
Oversee safety requirements related to Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), machine guarding, lifting operations, keep-out zones, and industrial automation systems.
Develop safety strategies for emerging operational risks, including high-power laser systems, autonomous systems, weapons integration, and explosive ordnance programs.
Establish and govern safety programs for firearms handling, weapons integration, explosives, energetics, and other regulated activities as company capabilities evolve.
Provide executive oversight for field testing operations, ensuring safe planning, execution, and continuous risk reduction.
Direct chemical hygiene, hazardous materials management, storage, transportation, disposal, and digital SDS systems.
Oversee company-wide PPE, respiratory protection, industrial hygiene, and facility zoning programs.
Develop and maintain enterprise emergency preparedness, crisis management, and business continuity programs.
Oversee emergency action plans, evacuation procedures, incident command structures, and response capabilities.
Provide leadership for fire protection systems, emergency response equipment, drills, and emergency preparedness exercises.
Establish scalable incident reporting, investigation, root cause analysis, and corrective action processes.
Ensure readiness of first aid, AED, trauma response, and emergency responder training programs.
Establish enterprise-wide training standards and competency frameworks for all safety-critical activities.
Ensure compliance with OSHA and all applicable federal, state, local, and industry-specific regulations.
Develop safety performance dashboards, executive reporting, and governance reviews for leadership and board-level visibility.
Oversee compliance documentation, recordkeeping, audits, and regulatory reporting requirements.
Champion leadership engagement through safety councils, management reviews, and company-wide communications.
Define and monitor leading and lagging safety performance indicators across the organization.
Drive enterprise-wide corrective and preventative action programs to eliminate systemic risks.
Benchmark industry best practices and continuously elevate safety standards as operations, technologies, and facilities evolve.
Build and lead a high-performing EHS organization capable of supporting rapid company growth and increasingly complex operations.