National Director, Health & Safety - USA

GFL Environmental•Sugar Land, TX

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

The National Director, Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) - USA provides strategic, executive, and operational leadership for EH&S programs across national operations, high-hazard facilities, field sites, and refinery operations. The role establishes national standards, continuous improvement frameworks, a culture of safety excellence, and alignment with applicable regulatory requirements across the United States and North America. The director connects enterprise strategy with operational needs by developing digital EH&S platforms, overseeing high-severity risk mitigation and incident-management governance, and leading cross-functional teams. The position includes oversight of EH&S management systems, safety standards, environmental compliance, facility monitoring, site remediation, emergency response, regulatory inquiries and permitting, incident investigations, and integration of acquired businesses. The director works with HR, Fleet Compliance, Risk & Insurance, and other functions, and oversees digital management software and dashboards. The role has a hybrid work environment involving corporate and regional offices, operational yards, waste-processing facilities, and refinery sites, with approximately 25% travel across North American operations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences, Engineering, Occupational Safety, or a related field as listed.
10–15 years of relevant experience in a senior EH&S leadership role.
Multidisciplinary experience across operations, hazardous waste management, environmental management or consulting, emergency response, engineering, and process safety management.
Expert knowledge of enterprise EH&S management systems and governance, including EH&SMS, GreenBook, Corporate Safety Standards, and development of corporate policies, manuals, and SOPs.
Extensive expertise in North American environmental protection legislation; federal, provincial, and state OHS regulations; Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG); WHMIS; and municipal environmental bylaws.
Deep technical understanding of Process Safety Management (PSM), pressure systems safety engineering, Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) standardization, and hazard identification in complex industrial services and high-hazard operations.
Functional implementation experience with digital EH&S management platforms and data visualization platforms.
Technical background in environmental earth sciences, Phase I/II/III environmental site assessments, Decommissioning & Reclamation Plans (DRP), spill contingency planning, and regulatory reporting.
Ability to influence and direct senior operations executives, regional directors, and frontline teams.
Ability to evaluate complex operational data and incident trends to develop mitigation strategies.
Track record of cross-functional collaboration and embedding EH&S into HR, Legal, Claims, IT, and Finance workflows.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills for board-level reporting, regulatory negotiations, and company-wide safety messaging.
Valid work authorization in the country where the job is located; the company does not provide visa sponsorship.

Responsibilities

Formulate, govern, and continuously enhance the enterprise-wide health and safety management system framework, including KPIs, EH&SMS, corporate safety standards, policies, and SOPs.
Drive company-wide safety excellence through executive-led initiatives, continuous training, and proactive risk mitigation.
Standardize safe operating practices, hazardous-task controls, and engineering risk mitigations.
Establish senior leadership oversight and executive reporting protocols for critical incidents.
Align EH&S stewardship goals with business objectives and operational sustainability.
Provide strategic direction and executive oversight for operational risk management across company operations and client industrial sites.
Oversee health and safety onboarding and integrate acquired business units, personnel, and infrastructure into corporate EH&S systems and safety cultures.
Oversee environmental compliance, facility monitoring, site remediation, and land-stewardship strategies.
Direct responses to complex regulatory inquiries and permitting requirements, and oversee third-party compliance verification systems such as ISNetworld and Avetta.
Provide senior oversight for environmental emergency responses, including facility emergencies and third-party technical consultants.
Direct root-cause investigations of critical events using methods such as SCAT and RCA, and ensure corrective and preventive action frameworks are executed.
Partner with Human Resources on employee retention, safety leadership training, and Workers' Compensation Board disability claims management.
Collaborate with Fleet Compliance on driver safety, National Safety Code alignment, and fleet technology integration.
Coordinate with Risk & Insurance on certificates of insurance, asset and vehicle coverage, and enterprise risk management.
Provide EH&S oversight and technical reviews for commercial proposals, RFPs/RFQs, and client pre-qualification submissions.
Oversee the functional design, optimization, and rollout of digital management software, including Enablon, SEMS, and GFL Learning Hub.
Use EH&S dashboards to track real-time KPIs, audit findings, KPI logs, and critical incident trends across business units.
Travel approximately 25% across North American operations to support EH&S team members, conduct site inspections, participate in senior leadership initiatives, and provide frontline leadership engagement.

Benefits

Four medical plan options, including an HSA with employer contribution and match program
Dental coverage
Vision coverage
Employee Assistance Program with free counseling services
Paid time off
401(k) with employer match
Competitive wages
Growth opportunities
Continuous learning opportunities
Career advancement opportunities
Job stability within an essential services company