Director of EHS

Biopharma Careers; Sheboygan Falls (WI); On-site; USD 181,000 - 271,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off (PTO)

Retirement contributions

Other perquisites

Job summary

Merck in the United States seeks a Director of Environmental Health & Safety to shape the EHS strategy, embed safety and regulatory compliance, and lead enterprise‑wide risk mitigation across operations.

You will set performance metrics, drive a proactive safety culture, oversee the EHS budget, and ensure training across functions with emphasis on data analytics, incident prevention, and cross‑functional collaboration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or 8+ years of relevant experience in EHS, ideally in chemical manufacturing.
• 8+ years of progressive industrial experience with EHS focus.
• Experience in the chemical manufacturing industry.
• 5+ years at the plant level in environmental, occupational health, or safety.

Responsibilities

• Define and communicate the site's EHS strategy and objectives, aligning with regulatory requirements.
• Lead implementation of environmental, health and safety management systems with compliance across operations.
• Establish risk-management frameworks using data, predictive insights, and root-cause analysis.
• Develop and maintain emergency and crisis-response plans for incidents; coordinate response and recovery.
• Monitor EHS performance via KPIs; ensure regulatory reporting and improvement actions.
• Promote a strong culture of safety and sustainability across functions and partners.

Skills

Industrial Hygiene

Safety leadership

Regulatory compliance

Hazard assessment

Process safety management

Lean & continuous improvement

Data analytics

Stakeholder communication

Training & mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Industrial Hygiene, Chemical Engineering, or closely related field

No degree and 8+ years of relevant experience

Job description

Work Your Magic with us!

Start your next chapter and join MilliporeSigma.

Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you've got big plans - so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people's lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.

This role does not offer sponsorship for work authorization. External applicants must be eligible to work in the US.

Your Role

As the Director of Environmental Health & Safety, you will shape and drive the organization’s EHS strategy, ensuring that safety, environmental stewardship, and regulatory compliance are embedded into every layer of operations. In this pivotal role, you will lead enterprise-wide risk identification and mitigation, leverage data analytics to monitor performance trends, and oversee emergency response planning for critical incidents. You will set clear performance metrics, champion a proactive safety culture, and ensure that EHS protocols and training are integrated effectively across all functions. You will also hold accountability for the EHS function budget, making strategic investment decisions that protect people, assets, and the environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and communicate the site's EHS strategy and objectives, aligning priorities with Merck's business goals, regulatory requirements, and sustainability commitments.
• Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of environmental, health, and safety management systems across operations, ensuring compliance with applicable local and global regulations, standards, policies, and building codes.
• Establish proactive risk-management frameworks that use data, trend analysis, predictive insights, formal risk assessments, near-miss reporting, and root-cause analysis to prevent injuries, incidents, and quality non-conformances.
• Oversee process safety management and the identification, assessment, and mitigation of operational, environmental, chemical, and supply-chain risks.
• Develop and maintain emergency and crisis-response plans for events such as chemical spills, fires, environmental incidents, and other critical situations; coordinate timely response and recovery efforts.
• Integrate EHS requirements into daily operations, including effective training and consistent execution across employees, contractors, vendors, and other external partners.
• Monitor and report EHS performance through meaningful KPIs, ensuring data accuracy, regulatory reporting, transparency, and follow-through on improvement actions.
• Promote a strong culture of safety, health, environmental stewardship, and sustainability by serving as a visible role model and engaging teams at all levels.
• Translate regulatory and sustainability requirements into practical operational standards, supporting waste management, environmental compliance, circular-economy objectives, and responsible resource use.
• Drive EHS innovation and continuous improvement by piloting emerging technologies, applying analytics and machine learning where appropriate, and using employee feedback to strengthen processes.
• Coach, mentor, and develop EHS professionals, leaders, and autonomous production teams to build capability, accountability, problem-solving skills, and succession readiness.
• Empower cross-functional teams to make informed local decisions, collaborate effectively, and deliver sustained improvements in EHS performance.
• Partner with internal and external stakeholders to embed holistic safety management throughout the site and broader supply chain.

Who You Are

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Industrial Hygiene, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field, or no degree and 8+ years of relevant experience
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive industrial experience
• Experience in the chemical manufacturing industry
• 5 or more years of hands‑on experience at the plant level in environmental, occupational health, and/or safety

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional certification in Industrial Hygiene, Safety, Environment, and/or Engineering (e.g., CIH, CSP, PE)
• Advanced knowledge of chemical hazard classification and environmental, occupational health, and safety evaluation and control methods
• Working knowledge of federal, state, and local environmental, occupational health, and safety regulations
• Familiarity with process safety management elements and regulations
• Experience with operational excellence tools such as lean methodologies and continuous improvement frameworks
• Strong presentation, training development, and stakeholder communication skills
• Effective hazard assessment skills and knowledge of advanced incident prevention methods
• Basic knowledge of occupational medicine practices

Pay Range for this position: $181,000 - $271,400. The offer range represents the anticipated low and high end of the base pay compensation for this position. The actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level of experience, education, skills, and other job-related factors. Position may be eligible for sales or performance‑based bonuses. Benefits offered by the Company include health insurance, paid time off (PTO), retirement contributions, and other perquisites.

What we offer

We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work your magic and champion human progress!