Director, Environmental Health & Safety

Director, Environmental Health & Safety

Torrington, CT, US, 06790

FuelCell Energy is a global leader in decarbonizing power and producing hydrogen through our proprietary fuel cell technology. Our mission is to enable a world powered by clean energy. As an innovator and manufacturer of fuel cell clean power platforms, FuelCell Energy has the only technology in the world capable of capturing carbon from an external source and producing power at the same time. In addition, we offer the only technology in the world capable of producing hydrogen, power and water simultaneously.

The pay for this position ranges from $150000 - $173500.

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Director, Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) to own and elevate the EH&S function across FuelCell Energy's multi-facility operations. Reporting to the SVP, Carbonate Manufacturing & Operations, this leader sets the enterprise EH&S vision, strategy, and management systems; ensures regulatory compliance; and drives a proactive, employee-driven safety culture during a period of major manufacturing scale-up.

This is both a strategic and hands-on leadership role. The Director will build, lead, and develop a multi-disciplinary EH&S team - including managers, engineers, and site safety representatives - while partnering closely with Operations, Manufacturing, Field Service, Engineering, Facilities, Quality, Human Resources, Finance, and senior leadership to embed EH&S into daily operations, capital projects, and every stage of the company's production ramp. The role carries executive- and Board-level visibility and accountability for EH&S performance across the enterprise.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy

• Set and own the enterprise EH&S vision, multi-year strategy, and annual objectives; establish standards, policies, and continuous-improvement expectations across all FCE sites and field operations.
• Build, lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing EH&S team; provide coaching and career development to managers, engineers, and site safety representatives.
• Drive a management-supported, employee-driven safety culture that proactively eliminates hazards through achievement of daily, monthly, and annual safety goals.
• Serve as the senior EH&S advisor to executive leadership; prepare and deliver Board-level slides, communications, and technical reports.
• Define, track, and achieve sustained improvement to top-quartile performance in EH&S KPIs - including recordable incidents, near misses, leading indicators, risk scores, and audit findings.
• Own the EH&S budget, resources, systems, and vendor relationships to support effective program execution and scale.

Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, local, and corporate environmental and safety regulations (e.g., OSHA, EPA, DOT, State Environmental Agencies - i.e. CT, NY, CA), and with corporate EH&S policies and procedures.
• Own OSHA compliance programs, including but not limited to OSHA 300 recordkeeping, hazard communication, lockout/tagout, confined space, machine guarding, respiratory protection, electrical safety, fall protection, hot work, and personal protective equipment.
• Direct environmental compliance programs, including air permitting (Clean Air Act), stormwater (SWPPP), spill prevention (SPCC), hazardous waste generation and disposal (RCRA), chemical management, and emergency planning and community right-to-know (EPCRA).
• Maintain required regulatory and agency permits and paperwork in a timely manner, and own the corporate EH&S compliance calendar.
• Serve as the primary liaison with regulatory agencies, external auditors, consultants, and insurance representatives; lead regulatory inspections and agency interactions.
• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of formal EH&S management systems, including ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 where pursued.

Manufacturing Scale-Up & Capital Projects

• Own the EH&S aspects of the Torrington capacity expansion and manufacturing scale-up - embedding safety and environmental requirements into new production lines, equipment installation, and facility build-out.
• Lead management-of-change (MOC) and front-end process and design reviews - assessing new processes, equipment, chemicals, and facility layouts for safety, ergonomic, and environmental considerations before commissioning.
• Establish and lead contractor and construction safety management programs for capital projects, including pre-qualification, orientation, permitting, and on-site oversight.
• Scale EH&S staffing, training, and infrastructure to keep pace with headcount growth, new shifts, and expanded production throughput.
• Anticipate emerging regulatory and permitting requirements associated with increased production volumes and communicate business impacts to leadership.

Operations & Risk Management

• Oversee EH&S compliance audits, inspections, risk assessments, job hazard analyses, and corrective and preventive action (CAPA) tracking to closure.
• Lead accident/incident investigations and re-enactments to identify root causes; develop, recommend, and implement corrective actions and share lessons learned.
• Lead and sustain EH&S continuous improvement / kaizen activity across the organization.
• Develop and maintain emergency preparedness, crisis-response, evacuation, fire-prevention, and business-continuity safety plans; manage Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and all fire and emergency-response equipment.
• Partner with HR and Finance to administer the workers' compensation program and facilitate employees' safe return to work.
• Ensure timely communication of critical metrics, incident reporting, incident-reduction activities, training, and employee involvement.

Field Service & Multi-Site Operations

• Extend EH&S programs, standards, and oversight to field service, installation, commissioning, maintenance, and customer-site work.
• Assess and mitigate EH&S risks related to equipment, installations, and high-risk field activities - including electrical safety, crane and rigging operations, and work at customer and project sites.
• Develop, deliver, and sustain safety orientation and required training for employees, supervisors, managers, contractors, and field personnel to comply with OSHA, corporate, and site protocols.

General

• Stay current on regulatory changes and industry best practices, and translate them into practical, business-aware guidance for leadership.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Environmental Health & Safety, Occupational Health & Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, Industrial Hygiene, or a related field is required; a Master's degree is preferred.
• Minimum of eight to ten (8 - 10) years of progressive EH&S experience in a manufacturing, industrial, energy, or technical-operations environment, including at least three (3) years of EH&S leadership or people-management responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience managing EH&S programs across multiple sites, departments, or geographically dispersed teams.
• Demonstrated experience developing EH&S management systems, risk assessments, and process-control tools, and leading regulatory inspections, compliance audits, and corrective-action programs.
• Experience supporting capital projects, plant expansions, or manufacturing scale-up (including contractor safety and management-of-change) is strongly preferred.
• Experience with ISO 14001 / ISO 45001 or other formal EH&S accreditations is strongly desired.

Certifications

• Certified Safety Professional (CSP) - required or strongly preferred.
• Associate Safety Professional (ASP), Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), or Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) are desirable.
• OSHA 30-Hour General Industry certification.

Critical Competencies & Skills

• Deep knowledge of EH&S regulatory requirements at the federal and state level (e.g., OSHA, EPA, State Environmental Agencies - i.e. CT, CA, NY), in addition to corporate environmental and safety policies and procedures.
• Executive presence and leadership skills to guide business leaders and employees with technical expertise, EH&S knowledge, and hands-on implementation of related initiatives.
• Strong interpersonal skills that foster teamwork and collaboration, and the ability to build high-quality relationships that influence, gain support, and achieve results - with coworkers, senior leadership, and external agencies.
• Program- and project-management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Professional oral, written, and presentation skills - communicating clearly, persuasively, and credibly to all levels of the organization, including executive leadership and the Board.
• Problem-solving, critical-thinking, and analytical skills, including the ability to identify underlying issues, trends, and cause-and-effect relationships and to make data-driven decisions.
• Results-oriented, with a strong sense of urgency and the discipline to meet deadlines under time pressure.
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

Core Leadership Competencies

• Strategic leadership & operational execution: sets vision and delivers results in a fast-scaling environment.
• Regulatory compliance expertise: authoritative command of EH&S law and standards.
• Risk assessment & hazard mitigation: proactively identifies and reduces risk.
• Incident investigation & root-cause analysis: drives learning and prevention.
• Safety culture & employee engagement: builds an employee-driven safety culture.
• Cross-functional collaboration & influence: aligns partners across the enterprise.
• Change management & communication: leads through growth and change.
• Continuous improvement: advances EH&S maturity and performance over time.

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements

• Must be able to work throughout the 170,000-square-foot Torrington manufacturing facility - including the production floor, mechanical rooms, and outdoor grounds; the Danbury location, and outdoor fuel cell power plant installations.
• Role requires work in office, manufacturing, laboratory, warehouse, field, and customer-site environments, including walking the manufacturing floor, accessing field work areas, and participating in inspections and incident reviews.
• Travel as needed (estimated 15-25%), including to other FCE locations and job sites; international travel may be required as the company grows.
• Must be able and willing to work outside of core business hours in response to business needs.
• Willing and able to wear required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including safety glasses, safety shoes, hard hats, hearing protection, gloves, and other designated PPE.
• Must be able to effectively read, write, and speak English to ensure team communication and to follow written procedures.
• Must have, or be able to obtain, a valid driver's license and be willing to travel locally for company business.

Equal Opportunity Employer

FuelCell Energy is an equal-opportunity employer committed to an inclusive and safe work environment for people of all backgrounds.

We offer a competitive compensation package as well as comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, company-paid life/disability insurance, 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase plan, and generous paid leave.

The successful candidate is required to complete a drug screen, criminal background check, and employment and education verification.

FuelCell Energy, Inc. is committed to ensuring that its application process provides an equal employment opportunity to all U.S. job seekers, including individuals with disabilities. If you believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or to submit an application, please send an email with your resume to View email address on click.appcast.io or contact us by calling View phone number on click.appcast.io . Please indicate the specifics of the assistance needed.

NOTE: This dedicated phone line and email address are designed exclusively to assist disabled job seekers whose disability prevents them from being able to apply online. Only messages left for this purpose will be acknowledged. A response to your request may take up to two business days.

No agency submissions please. Resumes submitted to any FuelCell Energy employee without a current, signed and valid contract in place with the FuelCell Energy Recruiting team for this position will become the property of FuelCell Energy and no agency fees will be paid.

For more information about FuelCell Energy and our available openings, please visit our website:

We thank all candidates for their interest in a career with FuelCell Energy. However, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

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Nearest Major Market: Torrington