Contractor Safety & Risk Management Lead

American Electric Power; Corpus Christi (TX); On-site; USD 116,000 - 151,000; Full time

Job summary

American Electric Power (AEP) Texas is seeking a Contractor Safety Program Manager to lead the contractor safety management program. The role oversees qualification, approval, assurance, performance, and continuous improvement across field operations, partnering with operations, procurement, and legal teams to ensure safety programs are executed in the field.

The position focuses on VERO oversight, risk-based contractor management, audits, investigations, and governance, driving data-driven

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial safety or engineering.
• Seven (7) years of safety experience in industrial safety.
• 50% Travel required.
• Maintain valid driver’s license.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the AEP Texas program owner and primary relationship manager for VERO, including contractor enrollment, qualification status, renewals, documentation quality, system issues, and performance reporting.
• Partner with Operations and Procurement to assign contractor risk tiers based on scope and hazards before enrollment or contract execution.
• Verify mid/high-risk contractors meet qualification, insurance, safety program, and approval requirements before work.
• Maintain accurate contractor records, approval status, and supporting documentation.
• Monitor pending submissions, reviews, and renewals to ensure timely resolution.
• Conduct risk-based desktop reviews of contractor safety programs, OSHA records, EMR data, and incident investigation processes.
• Lead structured contractor office audits evaluating leadership commitment, safety governance, and training.
• Conduct field effectiveness reviews to verify programs and controls are understood and applied by supervisors and workers.
• Interview contractor employees to test hazard recognition, pre-job planning, stop-work authority, and emergency expectations.
• Document audit findings, classify deficiencies, assign owners and due dates, and verify closure.
• Develop and maintain a risk-based contractor audit schedule based on risk and performance.
• Develop and maintain contractor scorecards combining exposure indicators with leading indicators and tracking trends to identify risks.
• Establish routine performance reviews with contractor leadership and AEP Texas sponsors.
• Identify repeat deficiencies and determine when enhanced oversight or disqualification should be considered.
• Evaluate contractor concentration and fragmentation to improve safety and operational consistency.
• Review contractors to recommend a preferred top-performing group based on safety capability and capacity.
• Manage conditional approval processes, SIPs for underperforming contractors, and ensure corrective actions are implemented.
• Maintain visibility of conditional contractors and escalate overdue or ineffective actions.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in industrial safety or engineering

Job description

American Electric Power (AEP) Texas is seeking a Contractor Safety Program Manager to lead the contractor safety management program. The role oversees qualification, approval, assurance, performance, and continuous improvement across field operations, partnering with operations, procurement, and legal teams to ensure safety programs are executed in the field.

The position focuses on VERO oversight, risk-based contractor management, audits, investigations, and governance, driving data-driven