Environmental Health & Safety Manager

Direct Energy Business; Aurora (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

NRG Energy seeks an Environmental, Health & Safety (EH&S) Manager to support the Aurora and Rockford simple cycle plants. The role leads environmental, health, safety, and NERC compliance programs, driving a culture of safety and operational excellence between both facilities.

The position includes day-to-day regulatory tasks, investigations, audits, and proactive risk management to minimize incidents and ensure compliance with OSHA, USEPA, IEPA, and NERC standards, with travel between sites as

Responsibilities

• Oversee plant-wide Environmental, Health & Safety and NERC compliance programs across Aurora and Rockford.
• Direct the development and execution of policies, procedures, and training to ensure OSHA, EPA, IEPA and NERC standards compliance.
• Serve as primary liaison for regulatory matters; coordinate with corporate safety and environmental teams.
• Perform data collection, monitoring, analysis, reporting, and recordkeeping to maintain performance and compliance.
• Review permits and regulations; anticipate changes and adjust management strategies accordingly.
• Escort inspectors during site visits; communicate findings and corrective actions to plant management.
• Collaborate with leadership to promote a Safety over Production culture and SMS/Environmental Management Systems.

Skills

Safety leadership

Regulatory compliance

Job description

Date: Sep 9, 2026
Location:
Aurora, IL, US, 60504
Company: NRG
As an NRG employee, we encourage you to take charge of your career and development journey. We invite you to explore exciting opportunities across our businesses. You’ll find that our dynamic work environment provides variety and challenge. Your growth is key to our ongoing success—take the lead in shaping your career development, goals and future!

Job Summary

NRG Energy has a career opportunity for an Environmental, Health & Safety (EH&S) Manager supporting the Aurora and Rockford Generating simple cycle peaking plants located outside of Chicago. Aurora Generation is a 1,000 MW facility operating four GE 7FAs and six GE LM6000 natural gas-fired combustion turbines. Rockford Generation is a 540 MW facility operating three Siemens V84.3A2 natural gas-fired combustion turbines. This position has shared responsibility across both facilities. The primary base site will be determined based on the successful candidate's residential location, and routine travel between both the Aurora and Rockford sites will be required.
As a key member of the plant management staff and a key contributor to the corporate Compliance Staff, the EH&S Manager provides technical, administrative, and strategic leadership for all environmental, industrial health, safety, and NERC compliance programs. The position ensures that plant operations strictly comply with all applicable corporate policies, permits, and federal, state, and local safety and environmental regulations (including OSHA, USEPA, IEPA, and NERC standards). The EH&S Manager performs day-to-day compliance tasks, drives employee engagement and a 'safety over production' culture, conducts investigations and audits, and administers key regulatory programs to minimize risk, eliminate accidents, and achieve an injury-free workplace. Additionally, the EH&S Manager identifies practical, cost-effective solutions to operational challenges, maintains a proactive view of regulatory changes, and optimizes plant performance, reliability, and profitability.

Essential Duties / Responsibilities

• Assume responsibility for the day-to-day administration and effective execution of plant-wide Environmental, Health, Safety, and NERC Compliance Programs across both assigned generating facilities.
• Plans, directs, and manages all health, safety, and environmental policies, procedures, and programs under senior management direction, ensuring full alignment between individual, team, station, and corporate initiatives.
• Serve as the primary station point-of-contact for environmental, safety, and health matters both internally and externally; coordinate communications and maintain single-point-of-contact alignment with Corporate Safety and Environmental personnel.
• Perform day-to-day compliance tasks including environmental and safety data collection, monitoring, analyzing, correlating, recordkeeping, and regulatory reporting to maintain and improve plant performance, reliability, and compliance status.
• Perform thorough permit, statutory, and regulatory reviews (OSHA, USEPA, IEPA, NERC) as necessary; keep fully informed on existing and proposed changes in safety and environmental legislation, protective equipment requirements, and permit conditions, positioning management strategy accordingly.
• Escort environmental and safety regulatory inspectors during all site visits and inspections; facilitate pre- and post-inspection meetings, document findings, and communicate corrective action plans and/or potential notices of violations to plant management.
• Partner with plant leadership to foster an environment that encourages superior Safety Awareness and Environmental Stewardship through the implementation and support of the Safety Management System (SMS) and Environmental Management System (