Director of EHS / Senior EHS Manager

Manpower Group (USA); Franklin (WI); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Manpower Group (USA) represents a premier client seeking a Senior EHS Leader to drive Environmental, Health, Safety, and Risk Management across a growing multi-site manufacturing enterprise in North America. This role reports to Operations leadership and emphasizes strategic safety culture, workforce development, and operational excellence.

Success comes from partnering with leadership, guiding automation and advanced manufacturing initiatives, and building a proactive EHS organization that

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a relevant field.
• 7+ years of progressive leadership experience in EHS or related environments.
• Experience supporting manufacturing operations within a complex industrial setting.
• Demonstrated ability to influence leaders and drive organizational change.
• Strong communication, leadership, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead Environmental, Health, Safety, and Risk Management strategies across a multi-site manufacturing organization.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership regarding organizational risk and safety performance.
• Develop long-term strategies supporting operational excellence and workforce development.
• Utilize trend analysis, leading indicators, incident data, and risk assessments to drive decision-making.
• Partner with leaders to strengthen ownership and accountability for safety.
• Build organizational capability and improve engagement across all levels.
• Continue evolving a culture centered on learning, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Lead incident investigations, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and risk mitigation initiatives.
• Support facility growth, expansion, and capital projects.
• Evaluate risks related to robotics, automation, and advanced manufacturing technologies.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Influence stakeholders

Communication skills

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Safety, Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, Environmental Science, Business

Tools

EHS management systems

Job description

Director of EHS / Senior EHS Manager

Planned Succession Opportunity

Lead the Future of Safety, Operational Risk, Culture & Organizational Excellence

This is not a traditional EHS leadership role. Our client is a global leader in industrial automation, robotics, motion control, power management, and advanced manufacturing technologies serving many of the world's most innovative industries. As the organization continues a significant North American expansion, they are seeking a Senior EHS Leader to lead Environmental, Health, Safety, and Operational Risk initiatives across a growing manufacturing enterprise.

Reporting directly to executive Operations leadership, this individual will serve as a strategic business partner responsible for helping shape the future of safety culture, operational excellence, workforce development, organizational capability, automation deployment, and manufacturing growth.

This is an opportunity for a leader who wants to build, influence, improve, and create lasting organizational impact rather than simply maintain an existing program.

Why This Opportunity?

Many EHS leadership positions focus primarily on compliance, reporting, inspections, and policy administration. This role is different. The organization views EHS as a strategic business function and expects this leader to influence culture, organizational effectiveness, operational performance, leadership development, and long-term business success.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Report directly to executive Operations leadership.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to leaders throughout the organization.
• Influence strategy across Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, HR, and Operations.
• Support a major advanced manufacturing and campus expansion initiative.
• Help guide the safe implementation of automation, robotics, AGVs, autonomous vehicles, and future manufacturing technologies.
• Build and strengthen a proactive culture centered on leadership, decision-making, and operational ownership rather than enforcement.
• Play a visible leadership role supporting multiple sites across North America.
• Help shape the future structure and capability of the EHS organization.

A True Succession Opportunity:

Unlike many openings that arise due to turnover or performance concerns, this search represents a planned leadership succession. The current leader has spent nearly three decades building a highly respected EHS function that extends well beyond regulatory compliance and into leadership development, organizational performance, safety culture, operational risk management, training systems, reporting tools, and continuous improvement initiatives. The successful candidate will benefit from a structured transition period and extensive knowledge transfer while inheriting a strong foundation from which to build the next generation of EHS leadership.

The Opportunity:

The Senior EHS Manager will provide leadership for Environmental, Health, Safety, and Risk Management activities across a multi-site manufacturing organization while serving as a highly visible member of the broader Operations leadership team.

Success in this role requires someone who can move comfortably between:

• Executive leadership discussions
• Manufacturing operations
• Continuous improvement initiatives
• Organizational development
• Safety culture transformation
• Incident investigations
• Risk management
• Capital projects
• Workforce development

This position is ideal for a leader who enjoys building systems, influencing change, coaching others, solving complex organizational problems, and partnering with leaders throughout a business.

What Success Looks Like:

The most successful person in this role will:

• Operate as a coach and business partner rather than a compliance enforcer.
• Strengthen leadership engagement throughout the organization.
• Help supervisors and employees make better operational decisions.
• Continue evolving a highly developed EHS management system.
• Develop future organizational capability and talent.
• Support manufacturing expansion and operational growth.
• Utilize data, root cause analysis, and leading indicators to anticipate risks before incidents occur.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Lead Environmental, Health, Safety, and Risk Management strategies across a multi-site manufacturing organization.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership regarding organizational risk, safety performance, and future growth initiatives.
• Develop long-term strategies supporting operational excellence and workforce development.
• Utilize trend analysis, leading indicators, incident data, and risk assessments to drive decision-making.

Culture & Organizational Development

• Partner with leaders throughout the organization to strengthen ownership and accountability for safety.
• Support leadership development initiatives focused on decision-making, risk recognition, and operational discipline.
• Build organizational capability and improve engagement across all levels of the business.
• Continue evolving a culture centered on learning, ownership, and continuous improvement.

Safety & Risk Management

• Lead incident investigations, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and risk mitigation initiatives.
• Support pSIF and significant risk identification strategies.
• Conduct hazard assessments and support organization-wide safety initiatives.
• Develop tools and systems that enable proactive safety performance.

Future Manufacturing Support

• Support facility growth, expansion, and capital projects.
• Evaluate risks associated with robotics, automation, AGVs, autonomous vehicles, and advanced manufacturing technologies.
• Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Facilities, and Operations teams to mitigate emerging risks.

EHS Systems & Infrastructure

• Support and improve existing EHS management systems.
• Continue evolving reporting, analytics, training, and communication tools.
• Help determine the future direction of EHS technology and management systems.

Multi-Site Responsibility & Travel

This position supports a diverse manufacturing footprint and requires a visible leadership presence. The role provides exposure to multiple manufacturing, engineering, warehouse, service, and operational facilities across North America. Travel is generally moderate and consists primarily of:

• Site visits
• Leadership meetings
• Audits
• Relationship building
• Operational assessments

Most travel can be accomplished through short domestic trips.

Qualifications & Experience

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Safety, Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, Environmental Science, Business, or a related discipline.
• 7+ years of progressive leadership experience within EHS, Manufacturing, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Facilities, Operational Excellence, or related industrial environments.
• Experience supporting manufacturing operations within a complex industrial setting.
• Demonstrated ability to influence leaders and drive organizational change.
• Strong communication, leadership, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred:

• Multi-site leadership experience.
• Experience supporting advanced manufacturing, automation, robotics, or highly engineered products.
• Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, Six Sigma, Quality Systems, or Operational Excellence experience.
• Experience developing programs, systems, organizations, or business processes.
• CSP, CIH, CHMM, or related certification

Compensation & Benefits

The organization offers a highly competitive compensation package designed to attract and retain top-tier leadership talent including:

• Competitive base salary commensurate with experience and leadership level.
• Significant annual performance-based bonus opportunity.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Retirement savings programs.
• Paid vacation and holidays.
• Relocation assistance for qualified candidates.
• Long-term leadership growth opportunities.

Additional Information

We are recognized consistently for our diversity - as a best place to work for Women, Inclusion, Equality and Disability and in 2026 ManpowerGroup was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the 17th year - all confirming our position as the brand of choice for in-demand talent.

All resumes and candidate information submitted are kept in the strictest confidence. No resume will be released without the candidate's prior permission.