Global EHS Director

Vantage Specialty Chemicals•Deerfield, IL

3d•$180,000 - $200,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Global EH&S Director establishes, implements, and audits the company’s global environmental, health, and safety strategy, systems, and standards. Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, the Director partners with site leadership and corporate functions to ensure regulatory compliance, manage high-hazard chemical manufacturing risks, and improve safety and environmental performance. A central focus is advancing a proactive, prevention-focused safety culture through behavior-based safety programs and leadership and employee ownership of safety. The position calls for practical experience with OSHA and EPA requirements, preferably in chemical, specialty chemical, petrochemical, refining, or other high-hazard manufacturing environments. The Director leads the global EH&S strategy and management systems; advises senior leaders on risk; oversees occupational safety, process safety, and environmental compliance; and manages audits, incident investigations, corrective actions, regulatory engagement, and site EH&S capability. The role also integrates EH&S into capital projects, acquisitions, operating decisions, and sustainability and customer reporting. Regular travel to manufacturing locations is required. The position is based in Deerfield. The estimated annual base pay range is $180,000 to $200,000, with eligibility to participate in a short-term incentive program. Vantage describes itself as a collaborative, global, people-centered organization operating in 11 countries and employing more than 1,000 professionals.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Safety Engineering, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Science, Chemistry, or a related technical discipline.
At least 12 years of progressive EH&S experience, including substantial experience in chemical manufacturing or another high-hazard process industry.
Leadership experience across multiple manufacturing locations, including leading and developing EH&S teams and managing budgets.
Strong practical experience with OSHA regulations and process safety management, including OSHA PSM and EPA RMP, and a strong understanding of chemical manufacturing hazards.
Strong working knowledge and practical experience with EPA environmental regulations affecting chemical manufacturing operations, including Title V air permitting.
Experience implementing or significantly improving a behavior-based safety program within an industrial organization, ideally across multiple facilities with measurable results.
Experience leading significant incident investigations and root-cause analyses.
Experience interacting directly with OSHA, EPA, state environmental agencies, or equivalent regulatory authorities.
Experience establishing EH&S metrics, management systems, auditing programs, and corrective-action processes.
Ability to communicate complex regulatory and technical issues clearly to senior executives and operating personnel.
Ability and willingness to travel regularly to manufacturing locations.

Nice To Haves

Professional certification such as CSP, CIH, CHMM, or CCPSC, or a Professional Engineer (PE) license.
Experience working in a global specialty chemical organization.
Experience with emissions-control and other environmental capital projects within the chemical industry.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement a global EH&S strategy aligned with operational and business objectives, including EH&S review of capital projects, design standards, and acquisitions.
Establish global EH&S policies, standards, management systems, metrics, and expectations aligned with frameworks such as Responsible Care/RC14001 and ISO 14001/45001, ensuring effective site-level execution.
Advise the COO and senior leadership team on significant safety, environmental, regulatory, and operational risks.
Set EH&S accountability and decision rights throughout the organization, from senior leaders to frontline employees.
Develop leading and lagging EH&S indicators and report performance, significant risks, compliance gaps, overdue corrective actions, and emerging regulatory issues to executive leadership.
Lead the development and implementation of a behavior-based safety program across manufacturing locations.
Build a safety culture in which employees identify hazards, report near misses, intervene when they observe unsafe behaviors or conditions, and participate in workplace safety improvements.
Define and implement expectations and processes for visible safety leadership, management observations, employee engagement, field presence, safety feedback, and corrective-action follow-through.
Use BBS data, near-miss information, incident trends, and leading indicators to identify systemic risks and improvement opportunities, ensuring behavioral safety complements engineering controls, process safety systems, operating discipline, and compliance.
Provide corporate leadership and technical expertise on OSHA requirements, particularly PSM and injury and illness recordkeeping and reporting under 29 CFR 1904, and ensure programs cover life-critical procedures and core occupational safety requirements.
Lead process safety management across chemical manufacturing operations, including OSHA PSM and EPA RMP compliance and implementation of applicable program elements.
Drive use of HAZOP, What-If analysis, LOPA, and other suitable process hazard assessment methods, including facility siting, safety instrumented systems, and reactive chemistry hazard evaluation where applicable.
Manage fire, explosion, and combustible dust hazards, including hazardous area classification and applicable NFPA standards.
Lead and oversee environmental compliance programs and permitting, reporting, emissions management, waste management, wastewater, and environmental monitoring.
Establish standards for reporting and investigating injuries, environmental incidents, process safety events, spills, releases, and high-potential near misses.
Ensure significant incidents receive appropriate root-cause analysis, executive visibility, corrective action, and communication of lessons learned across relevant facilities.
Develop and manage a risk-based global EH&S audit program and conduct or oversee periodic audits of manufacturing locations.
Work with Legal on audit privilege and voluntary self-disclosure decisions.
Maintain a system for tracking corrective actions from audits, incidents, inspections, and regulatory findings through verified completion, escalating overdue items.
Lead preparation for and responses to OSHA, EPA, and state agency inspections, investigations, and enforcement matters, supporting sites and coordinating with Legal.
Develop plant EH&S leaders and professionals through training, coaching, technical support, and clear performance expectations, and establish minimum competency standards for site EH&S personnel.
Work with Operations, Engineering, Manufacturing Excellence, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Legal, and other functions to integrate EH&S into business decisions.
Build relationships with regulatory agencies, external consultants, insurers, industry organizations, and other stakeholders.
Monitor proposed and emerging federal and state EH&S regulations, assess operational impacts, and advocate for company interests through industry organizations where appropriate.
Implement and maintain EH&S information systems for incident, audit, management-of-change, and corrective-action management.
Provide EH&S data and support for sustainability reporting, customer audits, and customer questionnaires.
Travel regularly to manufacturing locations.

Benefits

Medical coverage
Health Savings Account (HSA)
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Flexible Spending Accounts, including limited-purpose, dependent-care, and commuter/parking accounts
Life and AD&D insurance
Accident, hospital indemnity, and critical illness insurance
Short- and long-term disability
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Identity theft protection
Paid time off
Parental leave
401(k) with company match
Eligibility to participate in a short-term incentive program