EHS Manager

Position Summary

Ventura Foods is seeking a hands-on, results-driven Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Manager to lead and support all environmental, health, safety, and regulatory compliance initiatives at our Bremen, Georgia manufacturing facility. This position serves as a key business partner to plant leadership and is responsible for building and sustaining a strong safety culture while ensuring compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

The EHS Manager will oversee facility safety programs, environmental compliance, wastewater management, employee training, incident investigations, workers' compensation support, and continuous improvement initiatives. This role requires approximately 70% floor presence and 30% administrative responsibilities and will work closely with operations, maintenance, quality, HR, and corporate leadership to drive operational excellence and employee wellbeing.

Why Join Us:

Ventura Foods offers career growth opportunities as well as competitive compensation and benefits:

• Medical, Prescription, Dental, & Vision – coverage beginning on your 1st day for eligible employees
• Profit Sharing and 401(k) matching (after eligible criteria is met)
• Paid Vacation, Sick Time, and Holidays
• Employee Appreciation Events and Employee Assistance Programs
• Annual Bonus (based on the incentive program terms and conditions)

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Environmental, Health & Safety Leadership

• Lead the implementation, administration, and continuous improvement of all environmental, health, and safety programs, policies, and procedures.
• Promote a proactive safety culture through employee engagement, coaching, accountability, and leadership involvement.
• Conduct hazard analyses, risk assessments, job safety analyses (JSAs), and behavioral safety observations.
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local environmental and occupational safety regulations.
• Serve as the site EHS subject matter expert and advisor to plant leadership, supervisors, and employees.
• Prepare and communicate safety performance metrics, trends, and recommendations to plant and corporate leadership.
• Support and maintain compliance with DYMA Brands' EHS Management System and audit requirements.

Environmental Compliance & Wastewater Management

• Manage environmental compliance programs including wastewater, stormwater, waste management, chemical management, air emissions, and pollution prevention activities.
• Oversee day-to-day wastewater treatment and discharge compliance activities, ensuring adherence to permit requirements and regulatory standards.
• Maintain environmental permits, records, reports, inspections, and required documentation.
• Coordinate wastewater sampling, monitoring, reporting, and corrective actions as required.
• Work closely with operations and maintenance teams to optimize wastewater system performance and proactively address compliance concerns.
• Ensure compliance with EPA, state environmental regulations, and local wastewater authority requirements.
• Support Tier II, SPCC, wastewater, stormwater, and other environmental reporting requirements.
• Act as the primary liaison with environmental agencies, regulators, consultants, and auditors.

Incident Management & Workers' Compensation

• Maintain and administer accident, injury, illness, and near-miss reporting systems.
• Lead incident investigations utilizing root cause analysis methodologies and ensure timely completion of corrective actions.
• Track safety performance metrics and identify opportunities for risk reduction.
• Partner with Human Resources to support workers' compensation claim administration and documentation.
• Assist with claim investigations, return-to-work programs, case management follow-up, and claim closure efforts.
• Maintain OSHA logs and required injury and illness records.

Training & Safety Culture Development

• Coordinate and conduct new hire EHS orientation and onboarding programs.
• Develop and deliver monthly supervisor safety training and train-the-trainer sessions.
• Manage and monitor compliance training through Alchemy Learning Management System.
• Facilitate weekly safety huddles and ongoing employee safety awareness initiatives.
• Ensure all required safety training is completed, documented, and maintained.
• Foster employee participation and engagement in continuous improvement and safety initiatives.

Safety Committees & Employee Engagement

• Establish, facilitate, and lead monthly Plant Safety Committee meetings.
• Encourage employee involvement in identifying hazards and implementing solutions.
• Develop safety campaigns and initiatives that reinforce safe behaviors and accountability.
• Recognize and promote safety achievements across the facility.

Inspections, Audits & Compliance

• Conduct daily facility inspections to identify unsafe conditions and behaviors.
• Perform weekly safety observations and risk assessments throughout the facility.
• Lead internal audits and support external regulatory and customer audits.
• Ensure timely corrective actions and follow-up activities resulting from inspections and audits.
• Maintain regulatory compliance documentation and records.

Safety Program Administration

Manage and continuously improve site programs including:

• Hazard Communication
• Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)
• Respiratory Protection
• Hearing Conservation
• Exposure Control
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Machine Guarding
• Emergency Response Preparedness
• Contractor Safety
• Industrial Hygiene Monitoring
• Ergonomics and Injury Prevention

Equipment & Process Safety

• Review and approve safety requirements for new and modified equipment.
• Participate in equipment design reviews and process improvement projects.
• Inspect new equipment prior to startup to ensure compliance with safety requirements.
• Assist in establishing standards for machine guarding and PPE selection.
• Support ergonomics assessments and continuous improvement efforts related to workplace design and injury prevention.

Corporate & Multi-Site Support

• Support corporate EHS initiatives and strategic objectives.
• Travel to other DYMA Brands facilities as needed to provide EHS support, training, audits, and project assistance.
• Collaborate with Corporate EHS leadership on regulatory compliance, reporting, and risk reduction initiatives.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Science, Industrial Hygiene, Engineering, or related field preferred; equivalent experience may be considered.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive Environmental, Health, and Safety experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong working knowledge of OSHA regulations, safety management systems, incident investigation, and risk assessment methodologies.
• Experience conducting employee training, safety audits, and compliance inspections.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and engage employees and leaders at all organizational levels.
• Strong verbal, written, organizational, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint).

Preferred Qualifications

• OSHA 30-Hour Certification.
• Experience with EPA compliance programs and environmental permitting.
• Experience managing industrial wastewater treatment systems and discharge permit compliance.
• Knowledge of wastewater, stormwater, SPCC, Tier II, and environmental reporting requirements.
• Experience working with OSHA, EPA, local environmental agencies, and regulatory inspections.
• Professional certifications such as ASP, CSP, CHMM, or related credentials.
• Food manufacturing experience preferred.
• Familiarity with GMP, SQF, HACCP, and/or GFSI standards.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.

Technical Skills

• Working knowledge of VelocityEHS including:
  • Incident Management
  • Corrective Actions
  • Safety Audits
  • Risk Assessments
  • Compliance Tracking
  • Inspection Management
• Experience administering Alchemy Learning Management and Training Systems, including:
  • Compliance Training
  • New Hire Orientation
  • Training Assignments
  • Recordkeeping and Reporting
• Experience utilizing Redzone for:
  • Safety Observations
  • Employee Engagement
  • Action Item Tracking
  • Continuous Improvement Initiatives
• Manufacturing Performance Collaboration
• Ability to analyze and present EHS metrics, KPIs, injury trends, audit findings, and corrective action data.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment

• Ability to spend approximately 70% of work time on the production floor.
• Ability to walk, stand, climb stairs, and conduct facility inspections throughout a manufacturing environment.
• Ability to work in varying temperatures, noise levels, and manufacturing conditions.
• Ability to wear required PPE and comply with all site safety requirements.
• Ability to work flexible schedules and hours as business needs require.
• Ability to travel to offsite events multiple times a year

Our Culture

Our Culture reflects our commitment to treating every employee with respect and creating an environment where people can do their best work. We rely on a variety of strengths, backgrounds, and experiences across our teams to help us innovate, grow, and deliver for

our customers. By fostering a workplace that is supportive, collaborative, and grounded in integrity, we continue to attract strong talent and meet the high expectations of a rapidly evolving marketplace.

Diversity & Inclusion:

Our commitment to a diverse and inclusive environment in which all employees are treated with respect is evident in our company culture and values. We believe that fostering an environment of inclusion and a focus on diversity across our organization is vital to attracting top talent, driving innovation, and meeting the high expectations of our customers in a rapidly evolving global marketplace.

Ventura Foods is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Disclaimer

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, or working conditions associated with the position. Management reserves the right to modify, assign, or reassign duties and responsibilities as business needs change. Employees must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation and must comply with all company safety, environmental, quality, and GMP requirements.