Director, Quality Environmental Health & Safety

Kymera International - Thermal Spray Solutions LLC•Chesapeake, VA

About The Position

The Surface Technology Director of Quality, Environmental, Health & Safety (QEHS) is a key member of the Surface Technology business unit leadership team and is accountable for leading and executing the Kymera QEHS strategy across the Surface Technology sites. This global role provides direction, leadership, and oversight of QEHS programs to ensure alignment with Kymera International’s corporate standards, legal requirements, and cultural goals. The Director will drive a proactive, preventative safety culture while ensuring compliance with local, state/provincial, and federal regulations. He/She will also guide the Quality systems (AS 91000, NADCAP, ISO 14001/45001) and operational excellence (5S, lean) approach. This individual will serve as a trusted advisor to Surface Technology site leaders and will mentor site-level QEHS professionals in building capability, consistency, and engagement in all areas of quality, environmental and occupational health and safety. This role reports to the VP Surface Technology with a dotted line to VP EHS. Kymera International is a leading global developer and manufacturer of advanced specialty materials across a diverse range of end markets. This position offers a challenging career opportunity for the right candidate in our company. This role will ideally be located in either Chesapeake, VA or Houston, TX.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety or related field.
Minimum five (5) years of EHS management
Minimum five (5) years of functional manager experience.
Minimum seven (7) years of industrial experience.
Quality, Environmental, Health and Safety background in US and Europe
Experience with job hazard analysis (coating industry) and safety management
Experience in coating and material knowledge in thermal spray, welding overlay and laser cladding

Responsibilities

Develop and execute QEHS strategy within Surface Technology entities in alignment with Kymera Corporate strategy, operational goals, and ESG priorities.
Safety background in US and Europe, experience with job hazard analysis (coating industry) and safety management (near miss reporting).
Drive improvement in energy/materials savings, environmental protection with scrap and over-spray.
Provide coaching, and guidance to site QEHS teams to drive accountability, engagement, and high-performance quality and Safety-First cultures.
Track key performance indicators (KPIs), metrics to monitor trends and drive continuous improvement within the Surface Technology business unit.
Ensure regulatory compliance across all Surface Technology sites, including U.S. OSHA & EU legislation, EPA, and other local legislation.
Partner with Legal and Corporate Risk Departments to ensure appropriate risk mitigation, reporting, and response to incidents and audits.
Champion behavior-based safety, coaching techniques, and culture change initiatives across the Surface Technology business unit.
Facilitate knowledge sharing and best practice transfer across all sites.
Ensure successful attainment and maintenance of ISO 14001 and 45001, AS 91000, NADCAP certifications across applicable sites.
Oversee all incident investigations and corrective action implementation; ensure root cause analysis tools are consistently used.
Maintain and ensure data integrity across systems (e.g., OSHA logs, incident management tools, training records).
With site management and corporate, develop and maintain environmental programs, including air permitting, stormwater, waste management, hazardous materials, chemical exposure monitoring, and sustainability reporting.
Mentor Surface Technology site-level QEHS professionals.
Build and maintain strong relationships with Plant Managers, HR Business Partners, Engineering, and Operations leadership.
Drive a 5S culture and lean process
Capability to travel 40-50%