Safety Manager (relocates to Kwajalein atoll, Marshall Islands)

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Job Description:

Safety Operational Risk & Performance Leader

We are looking for a Safety Manager who operates at the program level—someone who understands that safety is not a parallel function, but a core driver of delivery, risk management, and operational performance. Someone who can influence outcomes across complex projects, diverse subcontractor networks, and multinational workforces integrating safety into delivery across complex federal and commercial programs—including work performed under U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) contracts.

***Must be able to relocate to Kwajalein atoll, Marshall Islands on long-term assignment for this role.

This role sits at the Program Management Office — partnering with program leadership, holding subcontractors accountable, and ensuring that safety is embedded into how work gets done, executed, and measured, ensuring that risk is understood upfront and controlled through disciplined execution—not hindsight.

This is not a compliance-only role. This position requires direct field enforcement, decision-making under pressure, and the ability to manage safety on a project under active USACE scrutiny.

You will work alongside subcontractors to integrate safety into scope, schedule, cost, and quality, driving outcomes that protect people while enabling high-performing, profitable delivery.

What You’ll Own

1. Subcontractor Performance & Accountability

• Set and enforce clear expectations for subcontractor safety performance from onboarding through execution
• Lead pre-mobilization risk alignment sessions to ensure subcontractors understand critical risks and controls
• Intervene decisively when performance does not meet expectations—up to and including removal from site
• Drive consistency across subcontractors operating under different standards, cultures, and geographies

• Align safety with schedule, cost, and risk registers—not standalone plans
• Lead development and oversight of program-level SH&E plans
• Ensure safety risks are visible, prioritized, and managed at the same level as financial and delivery risks

2. High-Risk Work Management

• Identify and prioritize critical risks with potential for serious injury or life-changing events (LCEs)
• Ensure controls are defined, understood, and actively verified in the field
• Partner with operations to strengthen planning, sequencing, and execution of high-risk activities
• Eliminate “check-the-box” behaviors by focusing on what actually prevents harm

3. Leadership & Workforce Influence

• Direct, challenge, and hold subcontractors accountable in the field—including stopping work when required
• Lead by presence—visible in the field, coaching in real time, and addressing issues as they occur
• Navigate and influence multinational teams with varying cultural norms and safety maturity levels
• Build trust while maintaining a firm stance on standards and expectations

4. Incident Learning & Organizational Performance

• Lead investigations with a focus on learning, system improvement, and human performance—not blame
• Translate findings into actionable changes in planning, training, and execution
• Drive timely, high-quality reporting and ensure accountability for corrective actions
• Contribute to building a learning organization where insights are shared and applied

5. Integration with Operations

• Work as a core member of the project leadership team—not a support function
• Ensure safety considerations are integrated into planning, scheduling, procurement, and execution
• Challenge decisions that introduce unmanaged risk—and provide practical alternatives
• Support delivery outcomes by enabling safe, efficient, and predictable work

6. USACE / Federal Compliance Leadership

• Ensure full compliance with EM 385-1-1 (Safety and Health Requirements Manual)
• Serve as or support the designated Site Safety and Health Officer (SSHO) where required
• Develop, review, and maintain:
  • Accident Prevention Plans (APPs)
  • Activity Hazard Analyses (AHAs)
  • Job Hazard Analyses (JHAs) where applicable
• Lead coordination with Government Designated Authorities (GDA) and Contracting Officers
• Support responses to audits, inspections, and cure notices / stop-work orders
• Ensure subcontractors meet all USACE safety qualification and documentation requirements

What Success Looks Like

• Critical risks are clearly identified, understood, and controlled across all phases of work
• Subcontractors consistently meet or exceed expectations for safe execution
• Field teams demonstrate strong ownership of risk—not reliance on safety oversight
• Incidents are thoroughly understood and drive meaningful change
• Safety is viewed as a driver of operational excellence, not a constraint
• USACE audits and inspections are passed without major findings or stop-work actions
• Subcontractors consistently meet EM-385 requirements without reliance on Parsons intervention

Who You Are

• A leader who is comfortable challenging senior project staff and subcontractors alike
• Experienced managing complex subcontractor environments across multiple scopes and cultures
• Skilled at influencing without authority in fast-paced, high-pressure environments
• Grounded in human and organizational performance principles
• Able to balance firm accountability with practical, solution-oriented thinking
• Known for being credible in the field—not just behind a desk

Experience & Qualifications

• 10+ years in construction, infrastructure, or industrial environments with increasing leadership responsibility
• Demonstrated experience supporting U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) or other federal construction programs
• Strong working knowledge of EM385-1-1 with prior experience serving as SSHO or equivalent on USACE projects (required)
• Demonstrated ability to:
  • Enforce EM 385-1-1 compliance in the field
  • Stop work and defend decisions under Government scrutiny
• Experience operating in:
  • Remote / isolated / hardship environments
  • Limited-resource conditions
• Proven ability to manage:
  • Underperforming subcontractors
  • High-conflict situations with field leadership
• Comfortable operating in:
  • Ambiguous, rapidly changing project conditions
  • Recovery or transition environments
• Proven ability to manage safety across large, complex, multi-site programs
• Experience integrating safety into program management disciplines (scope, schedule, cost, risk)
• Demonstrated success managing subcontractor safety performance on complex projects
• Experience working with multinational workforces and diverse cultural environments
• Strong understanding of risk-based safety approaches and serious incident prevention
• Investigation experience focused on root cause, systems thinking, and learning
• Relevant certifications: OSHA 30 hour training required (e.g., CSP, CHST, preferred but not a substitute for leadership capability)

Security Clearance Requirement:

None

This position is part of our Federal Solutions team.

The Federal Solutions segment delivers resources to our US government customers that ensure the success of missions around the globe. Our intelligent employees drive the state of the art as they provide services and solutions in the areas of defense, security, intelligence, infrastructure, and environmental. We promote a culture of excellence and close-knit teams that take pride in delivering, protecting, and sustaining our nation's most critical assets, from Earth to cyberspace. Throughout the company, our people are anticipating what’s next to deliver the solutions our customers need now.

Salary Range: $112,200.00 - $196,400.00

We value our employees and want our employees to take care of their overall wellbeing, which is why we offer best-in-class benefits such as medical, dental, vision, paid time off, Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), 401(k), life insurance, flexible work schedules, and holidays to fit your busy lifestyle!

This position will be posted for a minimum of 3 days and will continue to be posted for an average of 30 days until a qualified applicant is selected or the position has been cancelled.

Parsons is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other protected status.

We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY!

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