Director of Global EHS & Facilities

Protolabs•Maple Plain, MN

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Global EHS & Facilities leads Protolabs’ global Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), facilities, and real estate strategy and operations. The role is responsible for creating safe, sustainable, compliant, resilient, and high-performing workplaces that support business growth across global locations. It partners with leaders in Operations, Engineering, Quality, Human Resources, Finance, Legal, and site leadership to establish enterprise standards and governance, plan facility investments, and deliver site expansions and other major projects. The position oversees EHS programs, regulatory compliance, incident investigation, facility operations and maintenance, infrastructure reliability, capital planning, and real estate partner governance. It also leads a global network of EHS and facilities professionals and identifies opportunities to reduce energy use, waste, environmental impact, and occupancy costs. This is a hybrid role, onsite Tuesday through Thursday in Maple Plain, Minnesota, with global travel up to 30% of the time.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, Facilities Management, Business, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
10+ years of progressive experience in EHS, facilities, real estate, engineering, manufacturing operations, or a related function.
5+ years of leadership experience, including responsibility across multiple sites or regions.
Experience leading facility expansion, construction, real estate, infrastructure, or major capital projects.
Experience developing enterprise standards, governance, metrics, and executive-level recommendations.
Experience in a manufacturing or industrial environment.
Strong knowledge of occupational safety, environmental, and facility-related regulatory requirements and risk management practices.
Experience with international EHS and facilities requirements.
Ability to translate business growth and operating requirements into practical facility footprint and investment strategies.
Strong financial and analytical capability, including operating budgets, capital planning, business cases, and total-cost evaluation.
Demonstrated ability to lead complex projects across functions, geographies, and cultures, including influence without direct authority.
Effective executive communication, decision support, negotiation, change leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to balance global consistency with local legal, regulatory, operational, and cultural requirements.
Ability and willingness to travel globally up to 30% of the time.
Role is open only to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), or foreign nationals granted refugee or asylee status; individuals with temporary visas are not eligible.

Nice To Haves

CSP, CIH, CHMM, CFM, PMP, or comparable professional certification.
Experience supporting rapid growth, acquisitions, facility consolidations, or greenfield and brownfield expansions.
Experience with sustainability, energy management, and business continuity programs.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a global EHS and facilities strategy aligned with business objectives, operational growth, and risk priorities.
Establish global EHS policies, standards, governance, accountability, and reporting, while enabling regional and site compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Lead enterprise-wide programs for occupational safety, environmental compliance, industrial hygiene, emergency preparedness, contractor safety, and incident prevention.
Oversee significant incident and environmental release investigations, including root-cause analysis, corrective actions, regulatory reporting, and organizational learning.
Define global safety measures, review leading and lagging indicators, and provide regular risk and performance updates to senior leadership.
Provide strategic leadership for facility operations, maintenance, workplace services, critical building systems, and infrastructure reliability across global locations.
Direct site due diligence, government incentives, permitting, design, construction, commissioning, and transition planning for expansion projects.
Oversee global facility operating budgets and capital investments, ensuring appropriate prioritization, financial discipline, and project delivery.
Establish global standards for facility conditions, security coordination, accessibility, employee experience, and professional workplace appearance.
Lead selection, negotiation, performance management, and governance of real estate partners, architects, engineers, contractors, consultants, and facility service providers.
Partner with Engineering, Operations, and Quality to incorporate EHS and facility requirements into equipment, process, work instruction, and site design decisions.
Identify opportunities to reduce energy use, waste, environmental impact, and total occupancy cost while improving operational resilience.
Build and lead a global network of EHS and facilities professionals and site resources, including clear roles, operating rhythms, capability development, and succession planning.

Benefits

Competitive salary and total rewards package.
Health insurance, including traditional or high-deductible plan options.
Flexible Spending Accounts and a Health Savings Account, including employer contributions.
Dental and vision insurance.
Basic and supplemental life insurance.
Short-term and long-term disability insurance.
Paid caregiver leave.
Unlimited PTO, wellness, holiday pay, and volunteer hours.
401(k) with company match and immediate vesting.
Employee Stock Purchase Program at a discounted rate.
Matching grants through the Protolabs Foundation.