Director, Environmental Health and Safety

The Director, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) leads the enterprise EHS strategy for Danone US and Canada, building a proactive, data-driven culture that protects people, communities, and the environment while enabling operational excellence. This leader owns the EHS roadmap, compliance governance, IWS Safety Pillar integration, Workers’ Compensation strategy, and continuous improvement of safety and environmental performance across manufacturing plants, offices, sales, and R&D facilities. The role also represents Danone USA within global health, safety, and wellbeing forums.

-Set and execute the multi-year EHS strategy, standards, governance, and performance roadmap for Danone US and Canada.

-Strengthen a proactive safety culture by embedding EHS into daily management, IWS, leadership routines, and frontline capability building.

-Lead the IWS Safety Pillar and ensure safety is integrated into DDS, AM, PM, E&T, and other core operating systems.

-Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, Canadian and local regulatory requirements, Danone standards, and external audit expectations.

-Use EHS data, digital tools, automation, and leading indicators to improve visibility, reduce risk, and accelerate corrective action.

-Lead incident investigation, root cause analysis, case management, and enterprise-wide sharing of corrective and preventive actions.

-Oversee Workers’ Compensation strategy, injury management, claims reduction, and return-to-work processes.

-Provide functional leadership for core EHS programs, including WISE2, 12 Safety Basics, LOTO, machine safety, ergonomics, industrial hygiene, contractor safety, emergency response, and high-risk work standards.

-Advance environmental compliance and sustainability performance, including permitting, waste, wastewater, stormwater, air emissions, recycling, spill prevention, and Zero Waste to Landfill.

-Partner with Manufacturing, Engineering, Digital Manufacturing, HR, Legal, and Global EHS leaders to align risk priorities, investments, and capability plans.

-Develop, coach, and connect the corporate and site EHS network; build talent, onboarding, training, and best-practice replication across locations.

-Stand, walk, and move throughout a manufacturing facility, including production, warehouse, office, and outdoor areas, for extended periods of time.

-Sit intermittently to perform administrative, planning, and reporting functions

-Use hands and fingers to operate computers, phones, office equipment, and other standard business tools.

-Reach with hands and arms and occasionally bend, stoop, or crouch while observing operations or engaging employees on the production floor.

-Must be able to travel occasionally to manufacturing sites, corporate offices or offsite meetings as business needs require.

-This role may occasionally be required to lift and/or move materials such as files, training materials, personal protective equipment, or office supplies. Lifting is generally limited and incidental to the role and does not involve continuous or production level of physical exertion.

-Vision, with or without correction, sufficient to review documents, observe working conditions, and monitor compliance

-Hearing, with or without correction, sufficient to communicate effectively with employees and leaders in both office and manufacturing environments

-This role requires standing for extended periods and lifting up to 25 lbs.

-This position will frequently be in manufacturing plant environment and requires regular presence on the production floor. The employee may be exposed to moderate noise, moving mechanical parts, and temperature variations.

-Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is required when accessing designated areas of the facility.

-Work schedules could include nights, weekends and/or holidays to provide the ability to support a 24/7 or a 24/5 manufacturing environment as business needs dictate. 

Ensure adherence to plant standards and procedures (including but not limited to GMP, AIB, FDA, IWS, Quality, Safety, Finance, ISO, HOPE, Danone Behaviors, Daily Direction Setting, Driving OE). As a fundamental piece of the organization, your responsibility is to participate and own the implementation and deployment of IWS system and its pillars (Leadership foundation, Daily Direction Setting, Driving OE; Autonomous Maintenance; planned Maintenance; Focused Improvement; Education and Training; Environmental, Health and Safety; Quality; Organization; Supply Network; Early Equipment Management) with the objective of owning your space, owning your performance (Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Mobilization, Nature) and owning your continuous improvement.    

-Bachelor’s degree in Safety, Environmental Health, Engineering, Chemistry, or related field, required; master’s degree preferred.

-Professional EHS certifications preferred, such as CSP, CIH, CHMM, PE, or equivalent.

-15+ years of progressive EHS leadership experience across plant and multi-site/regional or corporate environments, required; global experience preferred.

-Deep knowledge of U.S. and Canadian EHS regulatory requirements and management systems in manufacturing or related operations.

-Enterprise EHS strategy, governance, risk management, and regulatory compliance expertise.

-Strong manufacturing acumen with hands-on understanding of equipment, utilities, warehousing, industrial hygiene, ergonomics, and high-risk work.

-Ability to convert data, trends, and leading indicators into clear priorities, risk controls, and measurable business outcomes.

-Executive presence and influence with senior leaders, plant teams, global partners, and cross-functional stakeholders.

-Proven change leadership, program management, communication, coaching, and talent-development capability.

-Comfort leading through ambiguity, competing priorities, strict deadlines, and complex matrixed relationships.

-Ability to travel to headquarters and plant locations across the U.S. and Canada, with periodic international travel.