Director Of Safety

Saige Partners•Greensboro, NC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Safety will lead and advance safety initiatives across a large, diversified transportation organization operating approximately 850 power units, traveling 50 million miles annually, and supporting nine terminals across multiple states. Transportation services include ammonia, waste, dump, petroleum, propane, and liquid asphalt transportation. The role oversees company-wide safety programs, regulatory compliance, driver safety, accident prevention, and risk management, while driving continuous improvement across transportation operations. The Director will lead an established team of nine safety professionals: six Field Safety team members and three Safety Compliance professionals. The role partners with executive leadership, Operations, Maintenance, HR, and terminal management to strengthen safety programs, improve measurable performance, and maintain a proactive safety culture. The ideal candidate is a strategic, approachable leader who understands large-scale transportation operations, particularly specialized and hazardous materials transportation, and can challenge unsafe practices, hold teams accountable, and escalate significant safety concerns. This is a direct-hire position requiring on-site work at the corporate headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Requirements

Minimum of 8 years of progressive transportation safety experience, including leadership responsibility within a trucking or transportation organization.
Strong working knowledge of FMCSA, DOT, and interstate motor carrier safety regulations.
Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and managing transportation safety programs.
Proven ability to lead, coach, and develop safety professionals.
Experience supporting multi-terminal or geographically dispersed transportation operations.
Strong understanding of accident investigation, root-cause analysis, risk mitigation, regulatory audits, and driver safety programs.
Experience using transportation safety technology, performance reporting, and data analytics to drive improvement.
Ability to measure and improve safety performance through accident rates, severity, DOT recordables, driver coaching, compliance, and corrective-action closure.
Strong communication and relationship-building skills, including the ability to work effectively with executive leadership, operations personnel, drivers, and regulatory agencies.
Excellent organizational, analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
Must be willing and able to work on-site at the corporate headquarters in Greensboro, NC.

Responsibilities

Lead the development and execution of company-wide safety strategies across all transportation divisions.
Strengthen safety culture through employee engagement, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Develop initiatives to reduce preventable accidents, improve driver performance, and minimize operational risk.
Establish measurable safety goals, KPIs, and performance expectations.
Partner with executive leadership, Operations, Maintenance, and HR to advance safety priorities.
Advise senior leadership on safety performance, regulatory exposure, and emerging risks.
Identify and escalate significant safety concerns, particularly when operational priorities conflict with established safety standards.
Lead, coach, and develop a nine-person safety organization consisting of six Field Safety professionals and three Safety Compliance professionals.
Establish clear expectations, performance standards, and accountability across the safety team; provide coaching, mentoring, and professional development.
Build working relationships with terminal leadership, drivers, and independent contractors, and identify opportunities to improve the safety organization's capabilities.
Partner with Operations to address safety deficiencies while maintaining clear ownership of day-to-day operational execution.
Oversee compliance with applicable FMCSA, DOT, and state transportation regulations, including driver qualification files, hours-of-service requirements, ELDs, and drug and alcohol testing.
Ensure compliance with hazardous materials transportation regulations, including specialized training and operating requirements.
Lead internal safety audits, regulatory reviews, corrective actions, accident investigations, and root-cause analysis.
Maintain safety policies and procedures for company drivers and independent contractors; monitor regulatory changes and coordinate necessary updates with operational leadership.
Support acquisition-related safety due diligence and integration, including compliance reviews, incident trends, training, and safety standards.
Use safety technology and data analytics to improve visibility, identify risks, and drive measurable performance improvements.
Analyze telematics, onboard camera, ELD, and other safety data to identify trends and opportunities.
Establish and monitor safety KPIs, including accident frequency and severity, DOT recordables, Netradyne scores, coaching outcomes, and corrective-action completion.
Improve driver coaching, training, incident prevention, and compliance processes; evaluate and recommend technologies, systems, and process improvements.
Collaborate with Operations and Maintenance to improve equipment safety and overall fleet performance.
Oversee driver safety orientation, ongoing training, and recurrent education, including training for specialized transportation divisions.
Establish consistent safety expectations for company drivers and independent contractors.
Strengthen driver engagement through coaching, communication, and field-level leadership.
Provide safety standards and guidance for specialized loading, unloading, and transportation activities in partnership with Operations.
Support driver retention through safety engagement, education, and employee development.