Director of Safety Central Services

Darling Ingredients; Cold Spring (KY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Paid Time Off

Job summary

Darling Ingredients seeks a strategic Safety Leader to design and administer comprehensive health and safety programs across plants, docks, and offices. You will direct the Safety Central Services Team and partner with regional safety leadership and stakeholders to champion a culture of safety and compliance.

The role combines strategic oversight with hands-on leadership, focusing on program development, education initiatives, and performance improvement in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience leading high functioning and action oriented teams in health and safety.
• Experience in education, adult learning principles, content design, and LMS administration.
• Experience implementing safety programs and management systems (e.g., ISO 45001).
• Strong ability to drive strategic safety initiatives across plants, docks, and offices.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Safety Central Services Team and mentor managers.
• Develop and implement safety programs, policies, and procedures.
• Interpret regulations (DOT, OSHA) and ensure compliance across operations.
• Create dashboards, analytics, and metrics to track safety performance.
• Oversee training curricula and learning paths for regulatory compliance.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Occupational Health and Safety (or related)

Tools

Learning Management System (LMS)

Safety information systems

Data dashboards & analytics

Job description

Darling Ingredients repurposes and recycles materials from the animal agriculture and food industries - transforming them into essential ingredients that do everything from feeding animals to fertilizing crops to fueling planes and nourishing people. We're the number one publicly traded company of our kind, operating a global family of brands and businesses that span more than 260 facilities in over 15 countries. Our unique scale allows us to make entire industries less wasteful and more sustainable, helping move the world toward a more circular economy.

Darling Ingredients offers full time employees a full suite of benefits including but not limited to the following: 401(k), Health, Dental and Vision Insurance, and Paid Time Off.

Job Summary

This position reports to the VP of Safety Management and will serve as strategic leader responsible for the design, development, implementation, education, and administration of a comprehensive health and safety programs. This leader proactively directs the day-to-day operations of the Safety Central Services Team and provides safety program management to ensure compliance with Federal, State, and local regulations. In addition, this role leads strategic educational initiatives to champion program implementation and success. The position is both strategic and tactical in nature; leading a group of 5+ safety managers to develop, implement, and administer safety programs, policies, systems, and specialized services. As a member of our safety leadership team, this leader will be responsible for supporting and enabling a positive safety culture within our plants, docks, offices, and other areas we operate, and will effectively support our Regional Safety Support Team, Fleet Safety Director, and other operational and corporate stakeholders.

Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

• Enable a world class safety culture, process oriented, and compliance supporting environment through the exploration, development and implementation of effective and innovative solutions, programs, systems, tools, and educational materials.
• Develop and Manage the Safety Central Services Team, including: 1) Strategic development and mentoring of the Safety Central Services Team; Review of current processes and practices, department structure and skill sets; and driving continuous improvement in performance and services provided.
• Develop and implement safety and compliance management systems, processes, programs, policies, and procedures that align with current business practices.
• Monitor & interpret Federal, State and local regulations (DOT, OSHA, etc.), determine applicability to our operations.
• Manage the company's regulatory reporting function.
• Develop employee education, training, engagement, and performance management strategies to include: Create dashboards, analytics, and metrics for success.
• Develop safety curricula, certifications, training tracks, and/or learning paths to enhance employee competencies and qualifications, including on-boarding and regulatory training.
• Effectively sell the value proposition of safety programs and processes in the field.
• Developing efficient training strategies, leveraging technology (including learning management systems), to increase field engagement and meet regulatory compliance requirements.
• Support operations with standardized material and content development.
• Create communications and engagement strategies and materials.
• Oversee, lead and manage the process leaders and resources needed for the following specialized services:Process Safety Management (PSM's) and related plans and evaluations.
• Dust Hazard Analyses (DHA's) and related plans and evaluations.
• Industrial hygiene related services and support.
• Emergency action and response planning, training & coordination.
• Maintenance Safety Data Sheets (SDS).
• Lead and oversee key services, including:Data dashboards, scorecards, trend analyses, etc.
• Safety information systems management, and centralized recordkeeping to meet regulatory requirements.
• Communication strategies.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience leading high functioning and action oriented teams, and a Bachelor's degree in Occupational Health and Safety or related discipline, OR in lieu of degree, must have a minimum of 7+ years' Occupational Health and Safety specific leadership and people management experience.
• 5+ years' experience in education, adult learning principles, content design, and organizational development. Experience administering and implementing learning management systems (LMS). Familiarity with and leveraging technology to support safety educational initiatives.
• Strong strategic thinker with the ability to drive long-term goals and objectives.
• Experience and expertise developing and implementing safety programs, safety management systems (ex. ISO 45001), safety information systems, RACI models, accountability processes, performance improvement, and standardize best practices.
• Must be self-motivated and capable of analyzing and solving complex problems through innovative thought and experience.
• Effective team member with experience in handling multiple projects/tasks and leading cross-functional teams with minimal guidance in a fast paced environment.
• Proven ability to build positive working relationships through collaboration in a heavily matrixed environment.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, simplifying complex processes and concepts to a variety of audiences.
• Able to advise on courses of action with minimal assistance using both written and verbal methods .
• Limited travel, up to 20%.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Safety experience leading in a large multinational; global safety experience preferred.
• Licenses and certifications in Safety Management, Continuous Improvement, Organizational Development.
• Experience in Lean Manufacturing; proficiency in 5s a plus.
• Strong math skills, including statistical analysis.

The information contained in this job description is intended to describe the essential job functions required of those assigned to this job. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the job. Please note that management retains the right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. The ability to competently perform all the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, demonstrated commitment to effective customer service delivery, integrity, and the ability to work productively as a member of a team or work group are basic requirements of all positions at Darling Ingredients.