Safety Manager / Safety Director - Manufacturing

Job Description

Job Description

Safety Manager / Safety Director – Manufacturing

Milwaukee, WI
Direct Hire | Full-Time | Onsite
$100,000 – $150,000+ per year, based on experience

About the Opportunity

We are working with a growing, privately held steel manufacturing company in the Milwaukee area that is looking for an experienced Safety Manager or Safety Director to join its team.

The company has a large manufacturing operation that includes heavy-gauge steel fabrication, welding, assembly and other industrial manufacturing processes. They also operate across multiple facilities and have an established Safety Team already in place.

We are intentionally keeping the level of this position somewhat open. We would like to talk with an experienced Safety Manager who is ready to take on more responsibility, as well as an established Safety Director who has already led safety at a higher level. The title and compensation will ultimately depend on the experience and capabilities of the person selected.

This is definitely not a position where you will spend your entire day behind a desk. We need someone who is comfortable being out on the manufacturing floor, talking with employees and supervisors, identifying concerns and working with production to get things corrected.

At the same time, this person needs to be able to look at safety from a bigger-picture standpoint. That includes looking at incident trends, improving programs and procedures, developing the Safety Team and working with upper management on where improvements need to be made.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead and support an established Safety Team across multiple manufacturing facilities
• Spend time on the manufacturing floor working directly with employees, supervisors and production management
• Develop, implement and improve safety policies, procedures and programs
• Make sure facilities remain compliant with OSHA and applicable federal, state and local safety requirements
• Conduct regular safety audits, inspections and process reviews
• Identify unsafe conditions or work practices and work with the appropriate teams to correct them
• Investigate workplace incidents and near-misses and determine root cause
• Develop corrective actions, follow them through completion and make sure they are properly documented
• Provide and coordinate safety training for employees
• Maintain required safety records and documentation
• Track incidents, trends, safety metrics and KPIs
• Look for patterns and identify areas where additional training, process changes or corrective actions may be needed
• Work closely with Production, Quality, Human Resources, Safety and upper management
• Help create accountability for safety throughout the organization
• Stay current on OSHA requirements, regulatory changes and manufacturing safety practices
• Continue looking for practical ways to improve safety without losing sight of the realities of a busy manufacturing environment

What We’re Looking For

We are looking for someone who has a strong safety background in a manufacturing or industrial environment. Experience around steel fabrication, welding, heavy manufacturing or similar operations would be especially valuable.

Candidates should have:

• 5+ years of progressive safety experience
• Strong knowledge of OSHA regulations and manufacturing safety requirements
• Experience conducting safety audits and facility inspections
• Experience investigating incidents and near-misses
• Strong root cause analysis and corrective action experience
• Experience developing and/or delivering employee safety training
• The ability to lead and develop other safety professionals
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• The confidence to address unsafe practices when necessary while still building good working relationships with employees and production
• The ability to work independently, prioritize issues and follow things through to completion

A Bachelor's degree in Occupational Health and Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering or a related field is preferred.

CSP, ASP or similar safety certifications are also preferred.

Manager vs. Director Level

For someone coming in at the Safety Manager level , we are looking for a strong hands-on safety professional who can effectively manage the day-to-day safety operation, lead the Safety Team, work closely with production and make sure programs, investigations, training and corrective actions are being handled properly.

For someone coming in at the Safety Director level , we would expect that same strong manufacturing safety background along with broader leadership experience. This person should be comfortable looking across multiple facilities, analyzing safety trends and KPIs, developing company-wide initiatives and communicating safety performance and recommendations to upper management.

You don't necessarily need to already have the Director title to be considered at that level. If you are currently a strong Safety Manager who has been taking on broader responsibilities and are ready for the next step, we would like to talk with you.

Compensation

$100,000 – $150,000+ per year

Compensation and final title will be based on experience, depth of manufacturing safety knowledge and the level of responsibility the candidate is prepared to take on.

This is a direct-hire opportunity with a growing Milwaukee-area manufacturer looking for someone who can become an important part of its long-term safety leadership team.