Director of QHSE

GEA Group; Romeoville (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Paid holidays

PTO / vacation time

401(k) employer match

Tuition reimbursement

Wellness program

Employee Assistance Program

Health Savings Account / Spending

Job summary

GEA Group in the United States is seeking a Director of Quality, Health, Safety, and Environmental to lead our HSE program across multiple sites from Romeoville, IL or neighboring locations. This senior role reports to the leadership team and drives policy, training, and workplace safety improvements.

The position requires a strong HSE background, 5+ years in QHSE, and experience managing a team. A Six Sigma belt and ISO/QMS knowledge are preferred, with a focus on regulatory compliance and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree – Health, Safety and Environment (Masters Preferred).
• Minimum 5 years of general experience within the QHSE field.
• Broad management experience across HSE areas, including a 5+ person safety team.
• Experience in complex matrix and centralized organizations.
• Proven QHSE experience and cross-functional collaboration.
• Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement HSE strategy aligned with global standards.
• Ensure compliance across country operations with regulators.
• Build relationships with clients, subcontractors and partners.
• Provide consultancy support to senior managers and local staff.
• Close corrective actions from audits in a timely manner.
• Appoint external advisors and liaise with regulatory bodies.
• Conduct risk assessments and secure resources to minimize risk.
• Develop and roll out HSE training and policy implementation.
• Establish and run an Integrated Management System for HSE and Quality.
• Lead audits, investigations and root-cause analyses as needed.

Skills

Leadership

Change management

People management

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Health, Safety and Environment

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Quality Management System

ISO standards knowledge

Job description

GEA Group, founded in Germany in 1881, is a global leader in engineering solutions, serving industries such as food and beverage, pharma, dairy, and more. With over 18,000 employees worldwide and a strong U.S. presence since 1929, GEA combines the heritage of a well‑established company with the innovation of a forward‑thinking industry leader. At GEA, we’re not just building equipment, we’re building lasting careers with an average employee tenure range from 5 to over 11+ years, reflecting the strong culture, growth opportunities, and support we provide.

• Start strong – Medical, dental, and vision coverage begins on your first day
• Recharge and refresh – Enjoy 12 paid holidays, including a flexible floating holiday, and 136 hours of PTO to relax or explore
• Invest in your future – A 7% 401(k) employer match helps grow your retirement savings faster
• Keep learning – Take advantage of tuition reimbursement to further your education or skillset
• Live well – Our wellness incentive program rewards healthy habits
• Get support when you need it – Access to a confidential Employee Assistance Program for personal or professional guidance
• Save smart – Flexible Health Savings and Spending Accounts to manage out‑of‑pocket expenses

GEA Group, located in Romeoville, IL, is searching for a Director of Quality, Health, Safety, and Environmental to join our Leadership team!

This position can work out of our Romeoville, IL or Galesville, WI locations!

Health, Safety, and Environment

Develop and implement a strategy to ensure HSE compliance in the country operations in line with our GEA Group global objectives and standards/measures. Responsible for 5 sites.

Builds effective relationships with clients, subcontractors and partners to support the Company's core safety values.

Provide ‘consultancy’ support to Senior Managers and local HSE personnel of the GEA operations.

Work with the Management Teams to ensure timely closure of corrective actions arising from audits.

Appoint and manage external advisors as well as establish links to regulatory agencies and environmental authorities.

Undertake and manage ‘risk assessments’ – ensuring that adequate resources are secured where necessary to ensure risk minimization.

Provide a mix of policy development and implementation across all aspects of HSE. Ensure the effective implementation of GEA Group HSE Policies and Standards within the GEA country operations.

Support the development of plant specific HSE Training Needs Analysis. Facilitate the development and roll‑out of a range of HSE training & development programs. Personally, deliver elements of training programs.

Communications – establish opportunities for HSE staff throughout the GEA country Operations to link together and support each other via conferences, learning opportunities, joint projects, specialist forums, intranet information pages etc.

Implement an Integrated Management System for Health, Safety, Environment and Quality in the country.

Take ownership for sustainability, emissions projects and initiatives along with site leaders.

Organize and support audits & inspection; manage and support activities during the preparation and ongoing phase of an audit/inspection.

In cooperation with the local team and/or headquarters, perform root‑cause‑analysis for audit observations/inspection findings, manage and track the corrective and preventive actions as well as coordinate and facilitate the responses to audit/inspection reports.

Internal investigation of serious and major accidents and incidents onboard units as required.

Keep up to date with developments in the HSE field, including legislation, regulations, guidelines, and best practices

Quality

Support the development of a quality management system (valid for all countries) and implement it at site level.

Be the local expert for quality related processes & regulations.

Support purchasing activities at country level, including vendor qualification, and solving of quality issues.

Ensure compliance to ISO and other relevant regulatory, divisional and customer specific requirements.

Manage warranty program, provide support, maintain KPI and related documentation.

Utilize continual improvement tools to drive process excellence throughout the Organization.

Bachelor’s Degree – Health, Safety and Environment (Masters Preferred)

Minimum 5 years of general experience within the quality, health, safety and environment field

Broad management experience across key Health, Safety, & Environmental areas, including management of Safety team of 5+.

Work experience both in complex matrix and centralized organizations

Proven Quality, Health, Safety, and Environmental experience

Broad experience in different Quality Management System disciplines.

Work experience both in complex matrix and centralized organizations

Proven Quality, Health, Safety, and Environmental experience

Broad experience in different Quality Management System disciplines.

Broad experience in working with cross-functional teams

Preferred Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt Certified

Experience in leading change management to operational processes

An experienced people manager with the ability to lead, coach and mentor teams.

Must have analytical experience, be accurate with statistics and written reports, well organized and exercise sound judgment in decision making.

Has in‑depth understanding of international standards and procedures and makes appropriate decisions based on this knowledge.

Has experience in accident and incident investigation

The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $110,000 - $130,000 per year. GEA Group has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States. The pay range is not a guarantee of compensation or salary. The estimated range is the budgeted amount for the position. Final offers are based on various factors, including skill set, experience, location, qualifications, and other job‑related reasons. You may be eligible for additional rewards, such as discretionary bonus (based on eligibility) and/or equity awards.

Please note: This position is based in the United States and does not offer visa or work sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without current or future sponsorship.

GEA is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will therefore receive consideration for employment without regard to age, sex, race, color, religion, world view, national origin, genetics, disability, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other protected characteristic required by applicable law. Applicants with disabilities are welcome and will be given special consideration if they are equally qualified.