HSE Manager

HSE Manager

Location: NW Houston, TX

Work Environment: Office & Job Site

Employment Type: Full-Time


Position Overview


Our client is seeking an experienced HSE Manager to lead health, safety, and environmental initiatives across the company's operations and active construction projects.


This is a hands-on leadership position that will split time between the NW Houston office and active jobsites , partnering closely with project managers, superintendents, foremen, and field crews. The HSE Manager will be responsible for maintaining strong safety standards, ensuring regulatory and client compliance, identifying and mitigating jobsite risks, and continuing to build a proactive safety culture throughout the organization.


The ideal candidate will have a strong background in heavy civil, pipeline, underground utility, HDD, trenchless, or similar construction environments and be comfortable working directly with field operations.


Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage HSE programs for company operations and active construction projects.
• Maintain a strong presence in the field through regular jobsite visits, inspections, audits, and safety observations.
• Partner with project management and field leadership to identify hazards and implement practical risk mitigation strategies.
• Develop and maintain site-specific HSE plans, JSAs/JHAs, emergency response plans, and other safety documentation.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, environmental regulations, client requirements, and applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
• Conduct and administer Operator Qualification (OQ) training and ensure employees meet applicable qualification requirements.
• Maintain OQ training, qualification, and certification records and coordinate refresher training as needed.
• Conduct and document jobsite inspections, safety audits, and corrective actions.
• Lead incident and near-miss investigations, including root-cause analysis and corrective action implementation.
• Deliver safety orientations, toolbox talks, training, and ongoing safety education to employees and subcontractors.
• Monitor safety performance and trends and provide recommendations to company and project leadership.
• Work closely with operations on high-risk activities including heavy equipment, lifting and rigging, excavation, underground utilities, confined spaces, drilling operations, and work around waterways.
• Review subcontractor safety programs and monitor compliance with company and project-specific requirements.
• Maintain HSE records, training documentation, inspection reports, incident reports, OQ records, and regulatory documentation.
• Support project teams with client audits, safety prequalification requirements, and HSE reporting.
• Participate in project planning and kickoff meetings to identify safety and environmental risks before work begins.
• Promote a culture in which employees are empowered to identify hazards and stop unsafe work.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive HSE/safety experience in heavy civil, construction, pipeline, utilities, HDD/trenchless, or a related industry .
• Demonstrated experience supporting active construction jobsites.
• Experience conducting or administering OQ training and maintaining Operator Qualification records.
• Strong working knowledge of OSHA construction standards and safety best practices.
• Experience with safety inspections, audits, JSA/JHA development, incident investigation, and corrective actions.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively with both field personnel and senior leadership.
• Ability to balance office-based HSE administration with hands-on field safety responsibilities.
• Bachelor's degree in Safety, Environmental Health, Construction Management, Engineering, or related field preferred; equivalent experience will be considered.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with horizontal directional drilling, trenchless construction, pipeline construction, heavy civil, or underground utilities .
• Experience with large-scale infrastructure or complex construction projects.
• OSHA 30 certification.
• CSP, CHST, ASP, or similar safety certification.
• OQ training credentials or experience administering pipeline/operator qualification programs.
• Experience with environmental compliance and construction projects involving waterways or other environmentally sensitive areas.
• Experience managing subcontractor HSE performance.

What We're Looking For


Our client is looking for an HSE leader who is comfortable in the field, credible with construction crews, and capable of partnering with project leadership . This person should be proactive rather than reactive-someone who can identify potential issues before they become incidents while helping operations execute work safely and efficiently.


The successful candidate will be equally comfortable reviewing HSE documentation in the office, conducting training with employees, and putting on a hard hat to walk an active construction site.