Manager, Environmental Health & Safety

Simpson Strong-Tie•Gallatin, TN

4d•Onsite

About The Position

As the Manager, Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) for our new Gallatin manufacturing operation, you will play a critical role in building and sustaining an industry-leading safety culture while ensuring compliance with all applicable environmental, health, safety, and regulatory requirements. This is substantially more than a compliance role. We are seeking a strategic EHS leader who can drive risk reduction, build leadership capability, influence operational decision-making, and create lasting organizational ownership of EHS. You will serve as a trusted business partner to plant leadership, helping integrate safety, environmental stewardship, and sustainability into every aspect of the operation. The Manager, EHS will lead site EHS strategy, management systems, compliance programs, risk assessments, employee engagement initiatives, incident prevention efforts, and ESG-related objectives. This individual will establish measurable performance standards, leverage leading indicators and data analytics to identify emerging risks, and ensure effective implementation of programs that protect employees, support business continuity, and enhance operational performance. Success in this role requires a leader who can engage employees at every level of the organization, translate EHS requirements into practical business solutions, and drive continuous improvement through influence, coaching, and operational partnership.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in environmental health & safety, Occupational Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, Industrial Hygiene, or related field required.
Certified Safety Professional (CSP) required.
Demonstrated success leading EHS programs in complex manufacturing environments and developing operational leaders who actively own safety performance
Experience building or significantly transforming EHS programs, culture, and management systems.
Demonstrated success influencing operational leaders and driving organizational ownership of EHS.
Expert knowledge of OSHA, EPA, NFPA, DOT, Tennessee environmental regulations, and applicable consensus standards.
Strong understanding of risk assessment methodologies, machine safeguarding, energy control (LOTO), contractor safety, industrial hygiene, emergency preparedness, fire protection, ergonomics, and environmental compliance.
Ability to analyze leading and lagging indicators to predict and prevent incidents.
Experience managing EHS management systems and driving compliance through operational ownership rather than enforcement alone.
Exceptional leadership presence with the ability to influence without direct authority.
Skilled in coaching frontline leaders, supervisors, managers, and plant leadership teams.
Strong business acumen and ability to connect EHS performance to operational performance, productivity, quality, and business outcomes.
Proven ability to manage change, build trust, gain buy-in, and lead through organizational transformation.
Advanced critical thinking and risk-based decision making.
Strong communication, facilitation, presentation, and executive reporting skills.
Excellent investigation, root cause analysis, and problem-solving capabilities.
Strong project management skills with the ability to lead multiple priorities simultaneously.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, data analytics tools, EHS management systems, and reporting platforms.

Nice To Haves

Advanced certifications such as CIH, CHMM, Lean Six Sigma, or equivalent are preferred.
Experience supporting startup, expansion, greenfield, brownfield, or major capital projects preferred.
Experience with ISO 14001, ISO 45001, environmental permitting, and sustainability initiatives preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of site EHS management systems, policies, programs, and performance standards.
Partner with plant leadership to integrate EHS into operational strategy, capital projects, maintenance activities, and production processes.
Identify, evaluate, and mitigate organizational risk through proactive risk assessment methodologies and data-driven decision-making.
Ensure compliance with all federal, state, local, corporate, and customer EHS requirements while driving sustainable operational excellence.
Build and sustain a world-class, employee-driven safety culture that promotes ownership, accountability, trust, and engagement at all levels of the organization.
Coach and develop leaders to strengthen EHS leadership capabilities and increase operational ownership of safety performance.
Drive employee involvement through observation programs, recognition initiatives, hazard reporting, learning teams, and continuous improvement activities.
Lead, develop, and mentor EHS personnel through clear expectations, performance management, coaching, and professional development opportunities.
Build organizational capability by developing future EHS and operational leaders.
Delegate responsibility, foster accountability, and create an environment where employees are empowered to contribute, innovate, and grow.
Lead efforts to prevent incidents through risk identification, verification of controls, and operational engagement.
Oversee reporting, investigation, and analysis of incidents, near misses, property damage events, environmental releases, and high-potential events.
Facilitate thorough root cause analyses and ensure development, implementation, validation, and sustainability of effective corrective and preventive actions.
Drive organizational learning from events and trends.
Develop and monitor leading and lagging performance indicators to identify trends, assess program effectiveness, and prioritize risk reduction efforts.
Conduct audits, assessments, and field verifications to ensure program implementation and effectiveness.
Utilize data analytics to identify emerging risks, measure progress, and communicate performance to plant and business leadership.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen EHS performance and operational reliability.
Maintain and continuously improve site emergency response, crisis management, fire protection, and business continuity programs.
Partner with internal and external stakeholders to conduct drills, validate preparedness, and ensure organizational resilience.