Environmental Health & Safety Specialist

King's Hawaiian Bakery Southeast, Inc; United States; On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

King's Hawaiian Bakery Southeast, Inc. is seeking an EHS Specialist to implement and maintain environmental, health, and safety programs in a high-volume food manufacturing setting.

You will ensure regulatory compliance and promote a proactive safety culture across all shifts. Responsibilities include training, risk assessments, incident investigations, environmental monitoring, SOP development, and collaboration with security and production leads to improve safety metrics.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited 4-year college or equivalent relevant experience required.
• At least 1 year of progressively responsible experience in a manufacturing environment required.
• 1 year of experience in EHS program execution or regulatory compliance support required.

Responsibilities

• Train employees on EHS topics, including OSHA-mandated programs, site-specific protocols, and GMP/SQF requirements.
• Develop and revise EHS-related policies and SOPs, ensuring alignment with current regulatory requirements.
• Perform risk assessments and JHAs across production areas with department leads.
• Conduct regular safety inspections and audits of production, warehouse, sanitation, and maintenance areas.
• Participate in incident investigations using root cause analysis and support corrective actions.
• Monitor reporting procedures for safety incidents and near misses; analyze trends and recommend improvements.
• Promote a culture of safety through communication and coaching across all shifts.
• Support environmental compliance including air, water, stormwater, and waste programs per EPA/local requirements.
• Maintain up-to-date environmental records and SDS; manage hazardous/non-hazardous waste storage.
• Collaborate with security to manage contractor safety and conduct safety reviews.
• Coordinate emergency preparedness programs, drills, and alerts.
• Assist with ergonomic assessments and workplace improvements to reduce injuries.
• Perform any other duties within scope as assigned.

Skills

OSHA 29 CFR

EPA 40 CFR

GMP compliance

SQF compliance

Hazard assessments

Safety audits

Training delivery

Ergonomics

Data tracking

Emergency response

Education

Bachelor's degree (required)

Occupational Safety or Environmental Science degree preferred

Job description

Joining King's Hawaiian makes you part of our `ohana (family). We are a family-owned business for over seventy years, respecting our roots while thinking about our future as we continue to grow and care for our customers and the communities we serve. Our `ohana members build an environment of inclusivity as they freely collaborate, pursue learning through curiosity, and explore innovation as critical thinkers. Beyond that, we are also passionate about supporting the long-term health and well-being of our employees and their families. If you're excited to rise with our team, come and join our `ohana! Working under general supervision, the EHS Specialist will support the day-to-day implementation and maintenance of environmental, health, and safety programs in a high-volume food manufacturing environment.

This role ensures operational compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations, while promoting a proactive safety culture aligned with GMP and SQF standards.

The EHS Specialist is a key contributor to safety training, hazard analysis, incident investigation, and environmental monitoring programs across all production shifts.

Employees in this position may interact with their leader several times a week to receive guidance and feedback.

Most non-routine activities may require their leader’s advance approval, but routine decisions within the general scope of the role may be made independently.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conduct and support employee training programs on all EHS topics, including OSHA-mandated programs (e.g., hazard communication, LOTO, powered industrial trucks), site-specific protocols, and GMP/SQF requirements.
• Assist with development and revision of EHS-related policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs), ensuring alignment with current regulatory requirements and best practices in food manufacturing.
• Perform risk assessments and job hazard analyses (JHAs) across production areas, collaborating with department leads to implement risk mitigation controls and promote safe behaviors.
• Conduct regular safety inspections and audits of production, warehouse, sanitation, and maintenance areas, documenting findings and tracking corrective actions to resolution.
• Participate in incident investigations using root cause analysis tools and support timely completion of required reports and corrective/preventive actions.
• Monitor and manage reporting procedures for safety incidents and near misses using internal tracking systems; analyze trends and recommend safety improvements.
• Promote a culture of safety and engagement through ongoing communication, coaching, and participation in safety team meetings across all shifts.
• Support environmental compliance by assisting with the management of air, water, stormwater, and waste programs, including required monitoring, documentation, and reporting per EPA and local agency requirements.
• Maintain up-to-date environmental records and ensure accurate inspections and logs for hazardous and non-hazardous waste, chemical storage, and material safety data sheets (SDS).
• Collaborate with the security team to maintain a safe workplace by managing contractor safety expectations, tracking security metrics, and leading routine safety and security reviews.
• Serve as the Emergency Response Coordinator during mid-shift operations, ensuring readiness for weather-related or security-related threats and facilitating employee communication.
• Assist in facilitating with security operations and third-party security vendor management, including coordination of access control systems, incident reporting protocols, and security audits.
• Coordinate emergency preparedness programs, including drills, emergency response team activities, and safety/security alerts.
• Support ergonomic assessments and workplace improvements to reduce strain injuries and promote employee wellness across all shifts.
• Perform other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of this role.

BASIC AND PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS (EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE)

Bachelor's degree from an accredited 4-year college or equivalent relevant experience required; degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Science, or related field preferred.

• At least 1 year of progressively responsible experience in a manufacturing environment required.
• 1 year of experience in EHS program execution or regulatory compliance support required.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS (Manufacturing only)

• Ability to lift up to 40 lbs.
• Ability to stand and walk on production floor up to 90% of the time during shift hours.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS (JOB SKILLS, ABILITIES, KNOWLEDGE)

• Working understanding of OSHA 29 CFR and EPA 40 CFR regulations, particularly as applied to food manufacturing environments.
• Working understanding of GMP and SQF compliance principles and how they intersect with EHS procedures and controls.
• Working ability to perform safety audits, conduct hazard assessments, and track corrective actions in real-time environments.
• Developing knowledge of environmental permit requirements and hazardous waste management practices.
• Working ability to engage employees in safety practices through effective communication and training delivery.
• Developing knowledge of ergonomic principles and how to apply them to reduce injury risk in high-volume production roles.
• Proficient administrative skills including report writing, data tracking, and electronic document management.
• Developing knowledge of emergency response coordination and basic workplace security procedures.
• Ability to work a mid-shift schedule (2:00 PM - 10:00 PM).
• Ability to travel up to 5% of the time.
• Ability to consistently demonstrate King's values of excellence, dignity, saying it like it is in a way it can be heard; and curiosity, collaboration, critical thinking and emotional intelligence.

King's Hawaiian is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for our ohana. We deliver irresistible Hawaiian food and aloha spirit, that families love everywhere, every day. After introducing Hawaiian foods to the world 70 years ago, we have grown into a company that provides irresistible foods and irresistible career opportunities to many. Our 'Ohana spans the country in our manufacturing plants, corporate locations, and restaurants. Our culture and work environments (both onsite and remote) help us to spread aloha culture as we nourish our employees' lives. We recognize that each of us has our home life and our work life, which is one life, and we strive to provide balance to our employees. We believe in excellence, dignity, and telling it like it is in a way that can be heard. We may not be excellent all the time, but we move toward excellence and embrace the change needed to continuously improve.

• Dignity and respect are always present.
• Treat everyone with kindness.
• Respect ourselves and others.
• Honor our commitments.
• Hold each other accountable.
• Practice what we preach.
• Appreciate each other's differences.
• Exhibit professionalism.