Director of Safety

SUMMARY

The Director of Safety is a senior leadership role responsible for protecting the company's most important asset — its people. Operating across a complex dual environment of dispersed contract foodservice accounts and high-volume meal manufacturing, this leader sets the strategic direction for all safety programs. They are accountable for ensuring regulatory compliance, driving measurable reductions in risk and injury and building a culture where every employee goes home safe — not just managing programs, but transforming how the organization thinks about safety at every level.

Key Responsibilities

Workplace Safety & OSHA Compliance

• Develop, implement, and enforce safety policies and procedures compliant with OSHA and applicable federal, state, and local regulations
• Manage all safety programs including lockout/tagout, confined space, machine guarding, powered industrial trucks, ergonomics, and chemical/GHS hazard communication
• Lead incident investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective action tracking to closure
• Conduct and oversee regular safety audits, inspections, and risk assessments across manufacturing and field service sites

Training & Culture

• Design and deliver safety training programs for hourly food service workers, production staff, supervisors, and management
• Build and sustain a strong safety culture through visible leadership, engagement programs, and accountability systems
• Develop safety onboarding standards across all sites and contract accounts

Contract Operations Support

• Establish and monitor safety standards across multiple contract foodservice accounts serving diverse client environments (education, residential, healthcare, corporate dining, etc.)
• Serve as the Safety subject matter expert for contract bids, renewals, and client-facing audits
• Align safety protocols with client requirements while maintaining company standards

Workers' Compensation Oversight

• Provide strategic direction and oversight to the Workers' Compensation Manager, ensuring programs are cost-effective, compliant, and support injured employee recovery
• Review claims trends and loss data to identify opportunities for injury prevention and program improvement
• Ensure alignment between workers' compensation outcomes and broader Safety initiatives

Leadership & Strategy

• Build, mentor, and manage a geographically dispersed safety team
• Set annual Safety strategy with measurable goals tied to business objectives
• Report safety performance metrics and trends to senior leadership
• Manage the Safety department budget including training, PPE, equipment, and compliance programs

This role offers a salary range of $170,000–$190,000 annually, based on skills, experience, and location. Employees also receive a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, generous PTO, and paid holidays.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in safety management, Environmental Health & Safety, or a related field preferred.

Certifications

Relevant certifications (CSP, CHST, OSHA 30) a strong plus.

EXPERIENCE, OTHER QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES:  

Experience:

8+ years of progressive safety experience, ideally in food service, hospitality, facilities management, manufacturing, distribution, or other multi-site service industries.

Other Qualifications:

• Proven success designing and implementing safety programs across a large, distributed workforce
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously in a lean organization, driving results with minimal supervision.
• Experience managing direct reports and coaching leaders at all levels.
• Strong working knowledge of OSHA regulations and relevant state/local requirements
• Experience with incident management systems, OSHA logs, and workers’ compensation processes.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and change-management skills.
• Ability to analyze data, identify trends, and recommend practical, scalable solutions.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly to company and customer sites.
  

Computer Skills:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365

Expected Hours of Work:

This is a full-time exempt position. Typical work hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00a. - 5:00 pm with additional hours needed to meet business demands and production schedules. As an exempt position, it is expected that Team Member will devote whatever time necessary to accomplish the goals and responsibilities. This will often require extended work hours, evening, and/or weekend work.

Travel Requirements:

Travel regularly to company and client sites to conduct audits, support investigations, deliver training, and build field engagement.

Physical Demands of the Job:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the team member is frequently required to sit, stand, walk, talk, and hear; use hands and fingers to feel, manage, or operate objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Work Environment:

Work is primarily performed in an office environment with moderate noise levels

The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work and duties that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duty does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, or a logical assignment to the position, and the Company reserves the right to add additional duties or modify existing duties.

The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the Company and employee and is subject to change by the Company as the needs of the Company and requirements of the job change. Employee’s signature below constitutes an employee’s understanding of the requirements, essential functions, and duties of the position.