A defense manufacturing company is seeking an Environmental Health and Safety Manager to lead the safety and environmental program at its Southern California production site. The facility works with energetic materials, so this role carries real weight: you will own process safety, industrial hygiene, environmental compliance, and the safety culture that connects them. This is a hands-on leadership position for someone who wants to be visible on the floor, build a capable team, and show that safer processes also run better.
Environmental Health and Safety Manager Responsibilities:
-Own the site EHS management system and annual safety plan, with a primary focus on preventing ignition events involving energetic materials
-Lead, coach, and develop the safety and environmental team, setting clear expectations and holding the group accountable for timely follow-through
-Spend significant time on the production floor observing high-risk work, engaging with supervisors and operators, and confirming critical controls are working as intended
-Lead process safety programs including hazard analyses, management of change, pre-startup reviews, explosives storage and siting controls, and static and ignition source control
-Oversee high-risk work programs such as lockout/tagout, confined space entry, hot work, machine guarding, and electrical safety
-Run root cause investigations for injuries, near misses, fires, and environmental events, and verify that corrective actions address the underlying causes
-Manage industrial hygiene, occupational health, and environmental compliance, including exposure monitoring, respiratory and hearing programs, hazardous waste, air, stormwater, and permitting
-Direct emergency preparedness and serve as the primary site contact for regulatory agencies and inspections
-Partner with production, engineering, maintenance, and quality to design hazards out of processes, and report leading and lagging metrics to site leadership with clear recommendations
Environmental Health and Safety Manager Requirements:
-Bachelor's degree in safety, environmental engineering or related field preferred
-7+ years of progressive EHS experience in industrial manufacturing
- Experience managing 10+ direct reports, including a supervisor
- Experience with Cal/OSHA reporting and regulations
- Demonstrated experience improving site safety (reduced TRII, etc.)
-Experience in a high-hazard manufacturing environment strongly preferred