Lead EHS Engineer

Mach Industries•Huntington Beach, CA

8d•$125,000 - $175,000•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a knowledgeable and proactive Lead Environmental Health & Safety Engineer to provide technical leadership and hands-on execution of EHS programs across our engineering, manufacturing, prototyping, testing, and operational environments. This role will serve as a senior technical EHS resource, partnering directly with Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Facilities, and site leadership to identify hazards, evaluate risk, develop engineering and administrative controls, and ensure compliance with applicable environmental and occupational safety requirements. The Lead EHS Engineer will be highly engaged in day-to-day operations and is expected to spend significant time in manufacturing, laboratory, prototype, test, and other operational areas. The ideal candidate is comfortable operating in rapidly evolving environments where new equipment, processes, materials, and hazards are regularly introduced. The successful candidate will combine strong regulatory knowledge with an engineering mindset; focusing on eliminating or reducing hazards through design and practical risk controls rather than relying solely on procedures or administrative compliance.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Environmental Health & Safety, Occupational Safety, Engineering, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Science, or a related technical discipline.
Minimum 5+ years of professional EHS experience in manufacturing, aerospace, defense, automotive, energy, chemical processing, industrial operations, or another high-hazard technical environment.
Demonstrated experience implementing and maintaining occupational safety and environmental compliance programs.
Strong working knowledge of OSHA and Cal/OSHA regulations.
Experience performing hazard assessments, risk assessments, incident investigations, and root-cause analysis.
Experience supporting manufacturing equipment, industrial processes, laboratories, test environments, or other technically complex operations.
Working knowledge of hazardous materials and hazardous waste management requirements.
Ability to interpret technical drawings, equipment documentation, SDSs, engineering specifications, and regulatory requirements.
Demonstrated ability to work directly with engineers, technicians, operators, contractors, and leadership.
Ability to independently identify hazards and drive corrective actions through closure.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Nice To Haves

10+ years of EHS experience within aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, energetics, automotive, energy, or other high-reliability/high-hazard industries.
Professional certification such as CSP, ASP, CIH, CHMM, or equivalent.
Experience with Process Safety Management (PSM), process hazard analysis, or high-hazard manufacturing operations.
Experience with industrial hygiene sampling and exposure assessment.
Experience with electrical safety and NFPA 70E.
Experience with machine guarding, robotics/automation, laser safety, pressure systems, combustible materials, and hazardous energy control.
Experience with hazardous waste requirements, including applicable RCRA and California hazardous waste regulations.
Experience supporting prototype-to-production or New Product Introduction (NPI) environments.
Experience developing EHS programs or systems within a rapidly growing organization.
Familiarity with ISO 45001, ISO 14001, AS9100, or similar management systems.
Experience with EHS software, incident-management systems, corrective-action tracking, and data analytics.

Responsibilities

Serve as a technical subject matter expert for environmental, health, and safety matters across Mach operations.
Identify, assess, and mitigate occupational and environmental hazards associated with manufacturing, engineering, prototyping, testing, maintenance, and facility operations.
Lead and support Job Hazard Analyses (JHAs), Job Safety Analyses (JSAs), risk assessments, and task-specific hazard evaluations.
Apply the hierarchy of controls to eliminate or reduce hazards, prioritizing engineering controls and inherently safer solutions wherever practical.
Partner with engineering teams during equipment, tooling, process, and facility design to integrate safety requirements early in the design process.
Review new and modified equipment, processes, materials, and operations prior to implementation.
Support operational readiness and pre-startup safety reviews for new equipment and higher-risk processes.
Identify high-consequence hazards and develop practical risk-reduction strategies.
Provide technical EHS support for manufacturing and high-hazard activities, including electrical systems, machinery, hazardous energy, chemicals, pressure systems, hot work, material handling, lasers, robotics/automation, and other production hazards.
Develop and maintain machine safety, guarding, lockout/tagout (LOTO), electrical safety, confined space, fall protection, hot work, and other applicable safety programs.
Support process safety evaluations for operations involving hazardous materials, energetic materials, flammable materials, compressed gases, or other high-consequence hazards.
Participate in Process Hazard Analyses (PHAs), What-If analyses, FMEAs, or similar structured risk-assessment activities where appropriate.
Partner with Engineering and Operations to ensure safety controls remain effective as prototype processes transition into higher-rate production.
Identify and evaluate employee exposure to chemical, physical, and environmental hazards.
Develop and support industrial hygiene assessments and exposure-monitoring strategies for noise, airborne contaminants, chemicals, welding fumes, particulates, and other workplace exposures.
Coordinate third-party industrial hygiene monitoring and interpret results to determine appropriate corrective actions.
Develop or support respiratory protection, hearing conservation, PPE, ergonomics, and other occupational health programs.
Maintain appropriate exposure records and documentation in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements.
Lead and support environmental compliance programs across Mach facilities, ensuring adherence to applicable federal, state, and local environmental regulations.
Manage hazardous materials and hazardous waste programs, including proper identification, classification, labeling, storage, handling, transportation, and disposal in accordance with EPA, DTSC, RCRA, and applicable California regulations.
Oversee environmental permitting, compliance monitoring, and reporting requirements associated with air emissions, wastewater discharge, stormwater management, and hazardous materials storage.
Develop and maintain Hazardous Materials Business Plans (HMBPs), chemical inventories, Safety Data Sheets (SDSs), and applicable reporting requirements through the California Environmental Reporting System (CERS).
Coordinate environmental compliance activities with applicable regulatory agencies, including local Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPAs), DTSC, Regional Water Quality Control Boards, and Air Quality Management Districts.
Support environmental assessments for new manufacturing processes, equipment installations, facility modifications, and operational expansions to identify potential permitting requirements and environmental impacts.
Establish and maintain hazardous waste accumulation areas, inspection protocols, waste manifests, disposal documentation, and waste minimization initiatives.
Develop and implement spill prevention, containment, and emergency response procedures, including Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) plans where applicable.
Conduct routine environmental compliance inspections and audits, identify deficiencies, and drive corrective actions through closure.
Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Facilities, and Operations to incorporate pollution prevention, responsible material management, and environmental risk mitigation into operational planning.
Maintain environmental compliance calendars, permit conditions, inspection records, and reporting deadlines to ensure timely regulatory submissions.
Maintain working knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local EHS regulations, including OSHA, Cal/OSHA, EPA, and other relevant regulatory requirements.
Ensure EHS programs, policies, and operational practices align with applicable regulatory standards and company requirements.
Maintain required regulatory documentation, inspection records, permits, and compliance reports.
Serve as a technical resource during regulatory inspections, agency inquiries, audits, and enforcement-related activities.
Monitor regulatory changes, assess operational impacts, and implement necessary compliance measures in partnership with Engineering, Manufacturing, Facilities, and Operations.
Lead or support investigations of injuries, illnesses, near misses, spills, releases, property damage, and other EHS events.
Apply structured root-cause analysis methodologies to identify underlying system, process, equipment, and behavioral contributors.
Develop corrective and preventive actions that address root causes rather than symptoms.
Track corrective actions through closure and verify effectiveness.
Communicate lessons learned and help deploy applicable corrective actions across other Mach operations.
Support required incident notifications, recordkeeping, and regulatory reporting.
Conduct routine EHS inspections and operational audits across manufacturing, engineering, laboratory, test, and support areas.
Identify unsafe conditions and behaviors and work directly with operational teams to implement corrective actions.
Develop risk-based inspection programs focused on higher-consequence hazards.
Support internal EHS compliance assessments and external audits.
Analyze leading and lagging EHS indicators to identify trends and prioritize improvement activities.
Develop practical metrics for hazards, near misses, incidents, corrective actions, inspections, and other EHS performance indicators.
Support contractor safety requirements for construction, maintenance, equipment installation, commissioning, and other work performed at Mach facilities.
Review contractor work plans and higher-risk activities for appropriate EHS controls.
Participate in contractor onboarding, pre-job planning, permitting, and field safety observations.
Identify contractor safety deficiencies and coordinate corrective actions with project and operational owners.
Develop and deliver EHS training for employees, contractors, supervisors, engineers, and operational teams.
Translate regulatory and technical requirements into clear, practical expectations that can be implemented on the floor.
Coach employees and leaders on hazard recognition, risk assessment, incident prevention, and regulatory requirements.
Promote proactive reporting of hazards, near misses, and safety concerns.
Build strong relationships with Engineering and Operations so EHS is viewed as an enabling technical partner rather than solely a compliance function.
Reinforce a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement.