Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Director - Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

AtkinsRéalis•Richmond, VA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Director to join our Pharmaceutical Manufacturing in TX, AL, VA, PA, OH, IN, and WI. Our Pharmaceutical team is growing! The Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Director serves as the owner's senior HSE governance leader across a major pharmaceutical manufacturing campus. This role provides independent oversight of environmental, health, safety, and process safety performance across all contractors, construction managers, and EPC organizations. Unlike contractor-led safety positions, this role represents the owner's interests by establishing expectations, verifying compliance, monitoring performance, identifying systemic risks, and ensuring effective management of Process Safety Management (PSM) obligations throughout the project lifecycle. The position acts as the primary owner authority for HSE governance, contractor assurance, serious incident prevention, life-critical risk management, process safety oversight, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives. Success in this role is measured by the effectiveness of HSE governance systems, contractor compliance performance, reduction of serious incidents and high-potential events, successful regulatory readiness, and achievement of industry-leading safety outcomes throughout design, construction, commissioning, startup, and operations readiness activities. This is a unique opportunity to help shape and lead one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturing investments in North America while working alongside industry-leading professionals on a career-defining program on a greenfield campus. We are offering a full-time position with AtkinsRéalis that provides the opportunity to lead complex, high-profile programs, collaborate with world-class delivery teams, and receive a highly competitive compensation package with robust benefits.

Requirements

20+ years of professional experience supporting HSE, Process Safety, industrial operations, construction safety, or major capital project delivery.
Minimum 10 years of leadership experience overseeing HSE programs on large industrial, manufacturing, chemical, pharmaceutical, energy, or infrastructure projects.
Demonstrated experience supporting programs exceeding $1 billion in capital value.
Experience leading incident investigations, root cause analysis programs, corrective action management, and assurance reviews.
Experience managing contractor HSE compliance and performance across multiple EPC organizations.
Experience performing HSE audits, management system assessments, and governance reviews.
Experience presenting HSE performance, risks, and recommendations to executive leadership teams.
Demonstrated experience implementing and governing Process Safety Management programs within complex industrial environments.
Demonstrated success working on large, fast-paced programs with multiple contractors and stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to identify systemic risks and implement proactive mitigation strategies.
Extensive knowledge of OSHA regulations, Process Safety Management, contractor safety management, and industrial risk management practices.
Strong understanding of design, construction, commissioning, startup, and operational readiness activities from an HSE and PSM perspective.
Strong understanding of environmental regulatory compliance, permitting obligations, and sustainability considerations.
Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving capabilities.
Exceptional communication, leadership, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.

Nice To Haves

Professional certifications such as CSP, CIH, CHMM, ASP, PE, CCPSC, or equivalent preferred.
Pharmaceutical industry experience preferred; semiconductor, chemical processing, petrochemical, battery manufacturing, energy, advanced manufacturing, or other highly regulated industrial sectors will also be considered.
Familiarity with GMP-regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing environments preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the owner's senior HSE representative across all capital project activities, contractors, construction managers, and EPC organizations.
Establish, implement, and govern owner-side HSE standards, expectations, procedures, and assurance programs across the campus.
Lead development and execution of sitewide HSE governance frameworks to ensure alignment with Lilly requirements and regulatory obligations.
Oversee contractor compliance with project HSE requirements, environmental permits, regulatory requirements, and owner standards.
Monitor and evaluate contractor HSE performance through audits, assessments, inspections, observations, and assurance reviews.
Lead owner investigations of significant incidents, high-potential events, process safety concerns, and environmental non-compliance issues.
Oversee corrective action management programs and ensure timely closure of identified deficiencies and improvement opportunities.
Provide independent verification that contractor safety performance data, leading indicators, and lagging indicators are accurate and complete.
Establish and oversee life-critical risk management programs including working at height, confined space, lifting operations, energized work, excavation, and contractor control systems.
Lead Process Safety Management (PSM) oversight activities during design, construction, commissioning, startup, and operational readiness phases.
Ensure effective management of PSM elements including process hazard analysis, management of change, pre-startup safety reviews, operating procedures, mechanical integrity, and contractor safety programs.
Partner with engineering, operations, commissioning, CQV, startup, and project leadership teams to identify and mitigate process safety risks.
Participate in design and constructability reviews to ensure HSE and PSM requirements are incorporated into project execution strategies.
Facilitate HSE leadership reviews, executive governance meetings, and contractor performance evaluations.
Develop executive-level HSE dashboards, risk assessments, assurance reports, and performance metrics for owner leadership.
Monitor regulatory developments and ensure project compliance with applicable OSHA, EPA, environmental, and process safety requirements.
Support emergency preparedness, crisis management planning, incident response readiness, and contractor emergency response coordination.
Drive continuous improvement through lessons learned programs, trend analysis, and industry best-practice implementation.
Promote a culture of safety, environmental stewardship, risk awareness, accountability, and operational excellence across the project.
Build strong relationships with client leadership, regulatory stakeholders, contractor organizations, and project delivery teams.
Communicates on a regular basis with clients to assure satisfaction with services provided.
Directs risk management initiatives and supports enterprise-wide HSE improvement objectives.
Obtains client feedback and manages lessons learned processes to improve future program delivery.