Director of Environment, Health & Safety (EHS)

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company (EBAD); Simsbury (CT); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company (EBAD) seeks a Director of Environment, Health & Safety to lead EHS across multiple manufacturing sites, including Simsbury, CT; Graham, KY; and Moorpark, CA. You will shape an ambitious EHS strategy, develop talent, and ensure strict regulatory compliance while promoting a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.

Reporting to Operations leadership, you’ll drive risk reduction through PHAs, change management, training programs, and robust

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 15+ years of progressive manufacturing EHS experience across multiple sites.
• Extensive OSHA General Industry and applicable regulatory knowledge.
• Strong EPA and environmental compliance knowledge including hazardous waste, air permitting, stormwater, wastewater, spill prevention, documentation, and reporting.
• Technical depth in manufacturing safety, industrial hygiene, risk assessment, PHAs, and management of change; ability to evaluate controls and guide site teams.
• Experience leading incident investigations, root cause analysis, lean daily management, and verified corrective actions.
• Ability to develop EHS talent, translate requirements into practical standards, and influence leaders and employees through change and resistance.
• Experience building EHS training, safety committees, and observation programs that sustain employee engagement.
• Ability to travel regularly among EBAD sites.

Responsibilities

• Lead EHS across EBAD manufacturing sites (Simsbury, CT; Graham, KY; Moorpark, CA).
• Develop EHS strategy to support growth and manage aerospace/defense risks.
• Lead and develop EHS professionals across sites; build capabilities and leadership.
• Establish policies (LOTO, guarding, electrical safety, hazard communication, hot work, confined spaces, PPE) and ensure compliance.
• Oversee inspections, audits, incident injury records, regulatory reporting, and regulatory readiness.
• Integrate EHS into capital projects, changes, and production readiness; manage MOC reviews.
• Embed safety into daily management, leader standard work, and EBOS; coach for root cause analysis.
• Foster employee engagement, hazard identification, and safety observations.

Skills

Leadership

EHS Strategy

Regulatory Compliance

Incident Investigation

Risk Assessment

Training & Development

Change Management

Cross-site Leadership

Travel Required

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

At Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company (EBAD), we believe that our strengths are built on our most important resource - our people. Join EBAD and you'll be a part of a team who creates cutting edge technology that will blast us into the future. No other company can match the innovative energetic solutions that we provide. At EBAD you will actively contribute to successful missions putting men, women and satellites into space, and protecting our armed service men and women around the world. If this is the culture and work environment you are seeking, then EBAD is the place for you!

Job Description

Director of Environment, Health & Safety (EHS)

Protect Our People. Advance Our Mission. Shape What Comes Next.

At Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense (EBAD), we’ve spent nearly 200 years delivering mission-critical technologies that protect lives and advance exploration. As we prepare to double in size over the next 2–5 years, keeping our people safe is fundamental to our growth.

We’re seeking a Director of Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) to lead EHS across our business. Combine strategic leadership with a strong manufacturing floor presence to build capability, influence operating decisions, and solve problems at their source.

Reporting to the Vice President of Operations, you’ll lead EHS at manufacturing sites in Simsbury, CT; Graham, KY; and Moorpark, CA.

The Impact You’ll Make

Set the Direction. Build the Capability.

• Develop EBAD’s EHS strategy to support growth and manage complex aerospace and defense manufacturing risks.
• Lead and develop EHS professionals across sites, strengthening technical expertise, leadership, and the talent pipeline.
• Establish consistent policies and standards, clear ownership, leading and lagging indicators, and routine effectiveness reviews.
• Advise senior leaders on emerging risks, resources, and investments in safe, reliable operations.

Champion OSHA Compliance & Operational Discipline

• Lead OSHA, EPA, and federal, state, and local EHS compliance; partner with technical and security leaders on applicable DoD and DHS requirements.
• Set standards and verify execution for lockout/tagout (LOTO), machine guarding, electrical safety, hazard communication, hot work, confined spaces, hearing conservation, and respiratory protection.
• Ensure hazard-based PPE and safety equipment selection, availability, use, maintenance, and inspection.
• Direct regulatory readiness, inspections, and audits; manage agency relationships and verify timely, effective closure of findings.
• Ensure accurate injury and illness records, required reporting, and timely adoption of regulatory changes.
• Oversee air permitting, stormwater, wastewater, and spill prevention, plus hazardous waste storage, labeling, containment, disposal, inspections, documentation, and reporting.

Reduce Risk Where the Work Happens

• Partner with Operations, Engineering, Facilities, and technical experts to control energetic material, chemical, equipment, and process hazards.
• Prevent serious injuries and high-consequence events through risk assessments, process hazard analyses (PHAs), engineering controls, and verified operating practices.
• Integrate EHS into capital projects, equipment selection, process development, facility changes, and production readiness; ensure management of change reviews and controls precede implementation.
• Oversee industrial hygiene, occupational health, contractor safety, and site-specific emergency plans, response capabilities, training, and drills.

Solve Problems at the Source Through EBOS

• Embed safety into daily management, gemba walks, visual management, leader standard work, and kaizen through the Ensign-Bickford Operating System (EBOS).
• Lead root cause analysis of incidents, near misses, environmental events, and recurring compliance gaps; coach teams to gather facts at the source and address process and organizational causes.
• Assign countermeasure owners and deadlines, verify effectiveness through observation and data, and embed cross-site lessons in standards, training, and processes.

Build a Culture of Ownership

• Engage employees and leaders on the floor in hazard identification, safety observations, and solutions; foster speaking up, stopping unsafe work, and resolving concerns.
• Develop leaders’ ability to recognize risk, reinforce standards, and follow through on commitments.
• Set role-based training and qualification expectations, verify application, and strengthen safety committees and observation programs that turn employee input into improvement.

The Candidate We Are Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 15+ years of progressive manufacturing EHS experience, including leadership of EHS professionals across multiple sites or complex, high-hazard operations.
• Extensive OSHA General Industry and applicable EHS regulatory knowledge, with experience leading compliance programs, inspections, audits, and injury and illness recordkeeping and reporting.
• Strong EPA and environmental compliance knowledge, including hazardous waste, air permitting, stormwater, wastewater, spill prevention, documentation, and reporting.
• Technical depth in manufacturing safety, industrial hygiene, risk assessment, PHAs, and management of change; ability to evaluate controls and guide site teams.
• Success leading incident investigations, root cause analysis, lean daily management, and verified corrective actions that prevent recurrence.
• Ability to develop EHS talent, translate requirements into practical standards, and influence leaders and employees through change and resistance.
• Experience building EHS training, safety committees, and observation programs that sustain employee engagement and ownership in lean manufacturing.
• Ability to travel regularly among EBAD sites.

Preferred: Aerospace and defense, energetics, explosives, or other high-hazard manufacturing experience, including applicable DoD and DHS requirements. CSP, CIH, related credentials, OSHA General Industry Outreach Trainer authorization, and lean operating system experience are valued.

Ready to Make a Difference?

If you’re a leader who earns trust on the manufacturing floor, brings clarity to complex risks, and develops people who solve problems, this is an opportunity to leave a lasting mark. Join EBAD and help shape a future where our people and our business thrive together.

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, national origin, or veteran status.