EHS Manager - Data Center Operations

AFL Telecommunications•Dallas, TX

13h•Onsite

About The Position

AFL provides industry-leading fiber optic products and services across the globe. Our company was founded in 1984 with a single fiber optic cable and now we manufacture over two thousand products, employ over 5,000 associates and consistently generate annual sales in excess of 2 billion-dollars in revenue. With our commitment to professional growth and employee development, let AFL “Connect” you to your next career opportunity! Position Summary The EHSS Manager – Data Center Construction & Commissioning leads environment, health, safety, and security performance across data center construction, commissioning, and limited operational transition activities. This role protects people while enabling schedule certainty, quality execution, and customer confidence in highly complex, fast‑paced environments. The EHSS Manager serves as the primary EHSS interface between AFL leadership, customers, general contractors, commissioning agents, trade partners, and service providers. The role focuses on managing high‑risk activities typical of data center projects, including electrical work, working at heights, simultaneous operations (SIMOPS), equipment energization, and startup/turnover activities. The EHSS Manager reports to Senior EHS Manager – AFL US Services and has authority to escalate risk concerns and stop work when critical controls are not in place or when conditions present an imminent risk to people, property, or operations. Scope of Responsibility Construction: Full EHSS oversight of data center construction and fit‑out activities Commissioning / Startup: EHSS coordination during pre‑startup readiness, energization, testing, and turnover Operations (Limited): Support during transition to operations, including handoff reviews and early operational risk controls. This role does not provide full operational EHSS ownership but supports safe turnover and early operational stabilization.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in EHSS, Engineering, Construction Management, or related field (or equivalent experience)
7+ years of EHSS experience supporting construction or mission‑critical environments.
Strong working knowledge of OSHA regulations
Experience working in multi‑employer worksites.
Willingness to travel regularly and support off‑hours work as required.

Nice To Haves

Experience in data center construction, commissioning, or operations
Experience supporting multi‑site or concurrent projects.
OSHA 30
Professional certification (CSP, CHST, or equivalent)

Responsibilities

Lead and sustain a proactive, high‑accountability safety culture across multiple project sites.
Maintain a visible field presence, engaging where work and risk exist.
Coach project leaders, supervisors, and contractors to recognize risk and intervene early.
Serve as a trusted advisor to Data Center business leaders, aligning EHSS controls with schedule, cost, and quality objectives.
Exercise stop‑work authority and escalate unresolved critical risks through leadership channels.
Serve as the central EHSS point of contact for: AFL Data Center business leadership, General contractors and construction managers, Commissioning agents and customer EHS representatives, Trade partners, service providers, and vendors.
Translate customer safety and security expectations into executable site requirements.
Support alignment of contractor safety programs, permit systems, and site rules.
Participate in customer audits, readiness reviews, and leadership walkthroughs.
Lead hazard identification and task‑based risk assessments, with focus on: Electrical safety and energized work, Working at heights, SIMOPS, Equipment installation and lifts, Confined space work, where applicable.
Support and verify high‑risk permit systems and critical control implementation.
Conduct pre‑startup readiness and high‑risk activity reviews.
Validate controls are effective prior to permitting work to proceed.
Perform management of change reviews when scope, sequencing, or conditions change.
Support contractor prequalification, onboarding, and site‑specific orientation.
Monitor contractor compliance with site rules, regulatory requirements, and customer standards.
Conduct field audits, observations, and leadership engagements.
Address performance gaps through coaching, corrective actions, or escalation as required.
Promote consistent safety expectations across shared workspaces and multiple employers.
Lead or support investigation of incidents, near misses, and high‑potential events.
Apply structured root cause analysis and track corrective actions to closure.
Support emergency preparedness, evacuation planning, and crisis response coordination.
Escalate serious incidents in accordance with AFL and customer protocols.
Share lessons learned across projects to prevent recurrence.
Interpret and apply applicable federal, state, and local EHSS requirements.
Maintains compliant documentation, records, and permits for ongoing work.
Support internal, customer, and regulatory audits.
Reinforce site security requirements, access controls, and sensitive area protocols consistent with customer data center expectations.
Oversee delivery of EHSS onboarding, task‑specific, and refresher training for AFL personnel and contractors.
Ensure training aligns with project risk profiles and execution phases.
Communicate expectations using clear, practical, field‑ready language.
Reinforce expectations through consistent field engagement.
Deploy AFL enterprise EHSS programs using the Data Center Playbook.
Track and trend leading and lagging indicators, including: Audit findings and closure rates, Contractor compliance metrics, Training completion, Incident and near‑miss trends.
Report performance to business and EHSS leadership.
Support project closeout reviews and construction‑to‑operations handoff.