4.3. Director of Environmental, Health & Safety (EH&S)

Job Description

Job Description

About Phoenix Tailings  

Phoenix Tailings is a rapidly growing clean mining and metals production startup dedicated to sustainable and economic critical metals production. Our mission is to be the world’s first fully clean mining and metals production company, producing the resources needed for the next generation of our economy. 

 

Why Phoenix Tailings  

At Phoenix, we believe that nothing great is ever accomplished alone or without the passion of people who push and motivate one another. We are building the foundational infrastructure for the modern world—cleanly, safely, and responsibly. If you are excited by hands-on problem solving, rapid scale, and setting the safety standard for an entirely new industry, Phoenix Tailings is the place for you. 

 

Our Values:   

● You are only crazy if you are wrong, it’s ok to be wrong

● Lead with Compassion

● Be Resourceful

● Listen

● Hustle

 

Who We Are Looking For:  

Phoenix Tailings is looking for a hands-on Director of Environmental, Health & Safety to build, own, and scale EH&S across our Exeter and Burlington facilities. This role is critical to ensuring that as our manufacturing processes scale—often involving high temperatures, novel chemicals, and first-of-their-kind systems—we do so with uncompromising safety and environmental stewardship. The ideal candidate has experience operating in fast-moving startup environments, is comfortable being on the floor daily, and knows how to build EH&S systems that enable speed rather than slow it down. 

 

This pay range reflects the expected compensation for this role and may vary based on experience and qualifications.

 

Salary Range: $140,000-$180,000

Key Responsibilities:

• Own and lead all EH&S programs across Phoenix Tailings’ manufacturing and R&D facilities in Exeter and Burlington 
• Build, implement, and continuously improve EH&S management systems suited for a scaling startup environment 
• Maintain a strong on-the-floor presence, proactively identifying hazards and working directly with operators and engineers to mitigate risk 
• Develop safety practices for operations involving high temperatures, hazardous or novel chemicals, and industrial-scale processing equipment 
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local EH&S regulations, permits, and reporting requirements 
• Lead incident investigations, root cause analyses, and corrective actions with a focus on systemic improvement 
• Partner with engineering and operations teams to embed safety into process design, scale-up, and equipment selection 
• Own environmental compliance, including waste handling, emissions, chemical storage, and spill prevention 
• Train, coach, and empower employees at all levels to take ownership of safety and environmental responsibility 

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health & Safety, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or a related technical field 
• 8+ years of EH&S experience in industrial, chemical, metals, energy, or advanced manufacturing environments 
• Demonstrated experience building and scaling EH&S programs in a startup or rapidly growing manufacturing organization 
• Hands-on experience supporting operations involving high temperatures, hazardous materials, or novel chemical processes 
• Strong working knowledge of OSHA, EPA, and state-level EH&S regulations 
• Proven ability to operate independently, make sound risk-based decisions, and influence teams through trust and credibility 
• Comfortable working directly on the manufacturing floor and in lab or pilot-scale environments 
• Experience with PSM, industrial hygiene, and environmental permitting strongly preferred 

We offer a competitive compensation package that is based on expertise. We also offer the following benefits:

• Healthcare, we care about you and your family: 100% Medical, dental, and vision coverage 
• Stock: Ownership in a fast-growing venture-backed company. 
• Family Focus: Parental leave and flexibility for families. 
• Time Off: Flexible vacation policy to encourage people to get out and see the world. 
• Team Fun: Regularly scheduled events, and celebrations. 
• Learning: Learning and development Opportunities to grow your skills and career. 
• Great team: Working with fun, hard-working, kind people committed to making a difference! 
• Flexible culture: We are results-focused. We don’t work at the office every day. 

At Phoenix Tailings, we have an open culture that values learning, and we are looking to grow the team with enthusiastic individuals who share our vision of sustainable mining.  

 

Phoenix Tailings, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we value diversity at all levels. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information, or any other applicable protected characteristics, and these characteristics will not be a factor for consideration of any work-related decisions (including but not limited to hiring, firing, compensation, and discipline). 

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.