Environmental Health and Safety Director

Russell Landscape•Sugar Hill, GA

About The Position

The Director of Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) is the owner of all safety strategy, compliance, and execution across the organization. This role is responsible for architecting and operationalizing a best-in-class safety culture that minimizes risk, ensures regulatory compliance, and drives measurable performance outcomes. The EHS Director will operate as a strategic business partner to operations, field leadership, and Branch Safety Leaders—ensuring safety is embedded into every layer of the organization. This role requires a hands-on, field-oriented leader with a strong bias for action, continuous improvement, and accountability.

Requirements

8–12+ years of progressive EHS leadership experience, preferably in multi-site or field-based environments.
Proven track record of building and scaling safety programs across geographically dispersed teams.
Strong knowledge of OSHA regulations and multi-state compliance requirements.
Experience partnering with HR and operations leadership in a matrixed organization.
Valid state driver’s license; ability to pass DOT requirements.

Nice To Haves

Professional certifications preferred (e.g., CSP, ASP, CHST).
Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel; experience with dashboards/analytics tools preferred)

Responsibilities

Own and lead the company-wide EHS strategy, aligning safety initiatives with organizational growth objectives.
Build and scale a proactive safety culture that shifts the organization from reactive compliance to predictive risk management.
Establish and track KPIs (TRIR, DART, incident frequency/severity, near-miss reporting) with clear accountability frameworks.
Drive standardization of safety policies, procedures, and best practices across all regions and branches.
Ensure full compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local safety regulations (OSHA and multi-state requirements).
Lead all incident investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective action planning.
Oversee audits, inspections, and regulatory interactions; serve as the primary point of contact for safety-related inquiries.
Mitigate organizational risk through data-driven safety programs and continuous monitoring.
Partner directly with Branch Safety Leaders to drive consistent execution of safety programs in the field.
Conduct routine site visits, safety audits, and field observations to ensure standards are being met.
Hold field leadership accountable for safety performance, coaching where needed and escalating when necessary.
Build scalable safety training programs tailored to field operations and workforce dynamics.
Develop and deploy enterprise-wide safety training programs, including leadership development for safety accountability.
Lead safety communications, campaigns, and engagement initiatives to reinforce a culture of ownership.
Ensure all employees understand expectations, risks, and their role in maintaining a safe work environment.