Enterprise Director, Safety, Security & Environmental (SSE)

Middlesex Water Company•Iselin, NJ

22h•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Safety, Security & Environmental (SSE) is responsible for developing, leading, and continuously improving enterprise-wide strategies, programs, and policies that promote a safe, secure, and environmentally compliant and responsible workplace. This position provides strategic leadership for occupational safety, physical security, environmental compliance, emergency preparedness, and risk management initiatives to protect employees, customers, assets, and the communities we serve. This role champions a proactive, prevention-focused culture that reinforces the Company’s commitment to operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and its mission of “Sustaining life with every drop.” The Director partners across operations and support functions to foster a strong culture of safety, environmental stewardship, and operational resilience while ensuring compliance with applicable regulations, industry standards, and company’s policies. This role promotes accountability and continuous improvement through the Company’s guiding principle: “Think Safety, Act Safely.”

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in safety, Environmental Health, Engineering, Industrial Hygiene, or a related field.
Minimum of 15 years of progressive leadership experience in safety, environmental, security, or industrial operations.
Strong working knowledge of OSHA, EPA, and applicable state regulatory requirements.
Demonstrated leadership experience building and sustaining high-performance, compliance-focused cultures.
Strong communication, analytical, and cross-functional leadership skills.
Experience leading enterprise-wide safety and environmental programs.
Candidates must possess authorization to work in the United States.
Candidates must be able to pass a drug screen, pre-employment physical, background check, and have a valid driver’s license in good standing.

Nice To Haves

CSP (Certified Safety Professional), CHMM, or related professional certification.
Experience within the water, wastewater, utility, or other regulated industry environment.
Experience supporting emergency response, crisis response, business continuity, and enterprise risk management initiatives.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute an integrated enterprise-wide SSE strategy aligned with the MWC 2030 pillars and priorities.
Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on safety, environmental, security, and regulatory matters.
Lead initiatives that strengthen organizational culture, reduce operational risk, and enhance enterprise resilience.
Develop policies, standards, and procedures supporting regulatory compliance and operational excellence.
Foster a culture of accountability, prevention, and continuous improvement across all business units.
Lead SSE audits and inspections and ensure timely resolution of findings.
Ensure lessons learned from incidents and exercises are incorporated into policies and procedures.
Build strong relationships with regulators, emergency responders, law enforcement, industry organizations, and other stakeholders.
Develop and execute the company’s enterprise safety strategy, policies, standards, and programs.
Establish a proactive safety culture focused on prevention, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Ensure compliance with OSHA and all applicable federal, state, and local safety regulations.
Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of enterprise safety programs, policies, procedures, and training.
Lead incident investigations, root cause analysis activities, ensure implementation of corrective actions, and lessons learned processes.
Drive proactive hazard identification, near-miss reporting, and risk mitigation efforts.
Partner with operational leadership to embed safety into daily work practices and decision-making.
Drive behavior-based safety initiatives and continuous learning programs.
Establish and monitor safety goals, performance metrics, and KPIs.
Promote employee engagement and ownership of safety at every level of the organization.
Promote a culture where safety is integrated into daily operations and decision making.
Lead the company’s environmental compliance programs with environmental regulations and reporting requirements, including EPA, NJDEP, DNREC, and other applicable agencies.
Support environmental due diligence associated with capital projects, acquisitions, and other strategic initiatives.
Oversee environmental programs related to permitting, compliance, water quality, inspections, and environmental stewardship.
Partner with Operations and Engineering to integrate environmental considerations into operational activities and capital projects.
Monitor environmental performance metrics and develop and lead initiatives that support sustainability and continuous improvement.
Support environmental risk assessments and mitigation activities.
Develop, maintain, and oversee physical security programs for facilities, assets, and critical infrastructure across the enterprise.
Conduct security risk assessments and vulnerability assessments of critical facilities and infrastructure.
Partner closely with IT and cybersecurity leadership on the intersection of physical security, operational technology, and cybersecurity.
Establish appropriate access control, surveillance, intrusion detection, visitor management, and security protocols.
Monitor emerging threats to the water sector and recommend appropriate mitigation measures.
Ensure compliance with applicable utility security standards and regulatory requirements.
Partner with IT, Operations, and leadership teams on emergency preparedness, incident response, crisis management, and business continuity planning.
Lead emergency response planning and incident management processes.
Coordinate training exercises and preparedness drills.
Identify operational risks and develop mitigation strategies.
Support business continuity and resilience efforts.
Lead response coordination and mitigation efforts related to security risks, threats, or emergency events.
Lead and develop SSE teams.
Establish performance objectives and professional development plans.
Manage department budget and resources.
Foster a collaborative and high-performing team.
Integrate SSE standards and expectations into field operations, maintenance activities, construction, and capital projects (CAPEX).
Ensure consistent application of policies, procedures, and compliance standards across all locations and operating units.
Collaborate cross-functionally to align SSE priorities with operational and business objectives.
Develop and implement enterprise SSE training, awareness, and engagement programs.
Promote a speak-up culture centered on accountability, prevention, and employee involvement.
Lead communications and enterprise campaigns reinforcing the “Think Safety, Act Safely” philosophy.
Support leadership development and employee engagement initiatives related to SSE performance and culture.
Establish, monitor, and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs), including TRIR, DART, environmental compliance metrics, and security-related metrics.
Utilize trend analysis and data insights to identify risks and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
Prepare and present SSE performance updates, recommendations, and strategic insights to executive leadership and Board-level stakeholders.