Sr. Director, Environmental Health & Safety

Position Overview

At Johnsonville, our Members are at the center of everything we do. The Senior Director of Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) will lead our enterprise-wide commitment to protecting people, communities, and the environment across harvest, processing, cold storage, and distribution operations. This role serves as a key leader across the end-to-end supply chain, partnering closely with cross-functional teams to embed safety and environmental excellence at every stage of operations.

This leader will deliver world‑class safety and environmental performance through engineered risk reduction, disciplined management systems, and cultural transformation. Success includes sustaining a TRIR below 1.0, driving toward Zero environmental impact, and embedding safety into everyday work. The ideal candidate is a people‑centric, operationally credible leader who thrives in complex, high‑hazard environments.

Responsibilities

• Human Safety First
  • Make human safety a non-negotiable value; ensure production never outweighs Member well-being.
  • Prevent serious injuries and fatalities related to knife/cut hazards, machine guarding, ergonomics, slips/falls, and chemical exposure.
  • Build programs that empower Members to identify hazards and act in real time.
  • Promote dignity, respect, and psychological safety across a diverse workforce.
  • Strengthen EHS team capabilities and ensure site security protects Members and assets.
• EHS Strategy & Management Systems
  • Design and continuously improve a multi‑site Safety Risk Management Program.
  • Maintain environmental systems for compliance and long‑term performance.
  • Lead enterprise standards for machine guarding/LOTO, confined space, ammonia refrigeration, contractor safety, ergonomics, training, and environmental controls.
  • Drive disciplined hazard identification, JSAs, and critical control verification.

• Engineering Controls & Risk Elimination
  • Champion an engineering‑first approach that prioritizes hazard elimination.
  • Partner with Operations, Engineering, and CI to design safer lines, improve ergonomics, enhance guarding/interlocks/sensors, and integrate safety into capital projects.
  • Strengthen emergency response readiness and community coordination.

• Behavioral Transformation & Engagement
  • Lead cultural change across sites with varied safety maturity.
  • Build behavior‑based safety programs that empower Members to stop unsafe work and reinforce safe behaviors under production pressure.
  • Develop plant leaders through presence, coaching, and accountability.
• Regulatory & Industry Compliance
  • Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, USDA, and state regulations.
  • Lead performance during inspections, audits, and enforcement actions.
  • Oversee OSHA PSM and EPA RMP compliance for ammonia systems.
  • Integrate safety and environmental requirements with food safety and FSIS expectations.
  • Lead incident investigations focused on systemic correction.
• Performance Excellence & Metrics
  • Sustain TRIR < 1.0 with declining severity and strong near‑miss reporting.
  • Develop meaningful leading indicators (ergonomic risk reduction, guarding integrity, training effectiveness).
  • Translate data into actionable insights for plant and executive leadership.
  • Embed safety as a core enabler of operational excellence and Member retention.
• Leadership & Organizational Development
  • Build and mentor a high‑performing EHS team capable of influencing in demanding protein environments.
  • Align senior leaders, plant teams, HR, maintenance, warehouse, and engineering around shared safety ownership.
  • Serve as a strategic advisor on risk, resilience, and long‑term Member sustainability.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in EHS, Engineering, Industrial Hygiene, or related field required
• Master’s degree preferred
• CSP, CIH, CHMM, PE, or similar certification preferred

Experience

• 20+ years of EHS leadership in high‑speed industrial operations, required
• Proven success improving recordable rates in high‑hazard, labor‑intensive environments, required
• Experience in large, multi‑site, complex operations, required
  • Food processing preferred

Skills

• Strong knowledge of ergonomics, machinery safety, automation, ammonia refrigeration (PSM), and chemical/environmental hazards.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cultural transformation with frontline teams.
• Ability to influence from the boardroom to the plant floor.
• People‑centric: Believes all injuries are preventable and every person matters.
• Operationally credible: Trusted on the plant floor and by production leaders.
• Engineering‑minded: Sees design and automation as essential to prevention.
• Change leader: Capable of shifting behaviors in fast‑paced environments.
• Resilient and pragmatic: Balances production realities with uncompromising safety standards.

Other Requirements

• Travel: Approximately 20% of your time

Benefits and Compensation

Members have potential for a monthly bonus and 401k with a company match. Members also have access to terrific benefits including affordable medical, dental and vision coverage; flexible spending accounts; disability and life insurance; and fertility and adoption assistance. Johnsonville also offers competitive paid time off, including paid parental time off, as well as access to the 24/7 onsite fitness center, and onsite medical clinic! Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and location.

Applicants must be eligible to work in the country where this job is located, without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.