Health, Safety and Workers’ Compensation Manager

City of Raleigh North Carolina; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Raleigh is seeking a Health, Safety, and Worker's Compensation Manager to lead safety strategy across the organization and strengthen incident prevention. You will manage a team, oversee claims and compliance, and partner with safety professionals citywide to deliver safer workplaces.

This role requires strategic thinking, data-driven decision making, and strong communication to influence policy and practice.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree related field with 7–9 years of supervisory experience in safety, compliance, or HR.
• Any equivalent combination of training and/or experience may be substituted.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Safety team, setting clear expectations, providing feedback, and ensuring accountability.
• Oversee Workers' Compensation claims, manage vendor relationships, and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Advise on enterprise-wide health and safety compliance, policies, SOPs, and audits across the organization.
• Plan, organize, and administer enterprise-wide health and safety programs with leadership input.
• Research enterprise health and safety issues to develop strategies, policies, and programs.
• Lead safety initiatives; review incidents; implement corrective actions; oversee City driving permit processes.

Skills

Safety Leadership

Data Analysis

Communication

Risk Management

Project Management

Leadership

Incident Investigation

Regulatory Compliance

Vendor Management

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Supervisory Experience

Occupational Health/Safety Background

Tools

Sodales Solutions

OSHA Standards

FMCSA Regulations

Job description

The City of Raleigh Human Resources Department has an immediate opening for a Health, Safety, and Worker's Compensation Manager. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Safety Manager to make a meaningful impact across the organization by leading health, safety, and workers' compensation initiatives. You’ll shape strategy, strengthen incident prevention, enhance existing safety programs, and build new ones! You’ll lead a team of people who are committed to serving our employees and you’ll partner with safety professionals across the City to make a real difference. If you’re a safety leader who likes to roll up your sleeves, solve problems, and make a real difference,this role is for you.

ABOUT YOU

You’re passionate about safety and believe preparation and prevention are key to building a strong safety-first culture. You take a proactive, strategic approach to health, safety, and workers’ compensation, using data to spot trends, identify risks, and recommend ways to improve results. You’re a strong and respectful communicator who can turn insights into action and who can collaborate with others to create safer workplaces.

You’re also detail-oriented and committed to doing things the right way. You understand the importance of staying current with applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards, including OSHA, DOT, workers’ compensation requirements, and other federal, state, and local requirements.

ABOUT US

The Health, Safety, and Workers Compensation Division within the HR Department serves over 7,000 employees. The team’s primary goal is to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities; while also attempting to prevent the suffering and financial hardship these events can cause workers, their families, and home departments. The team monitors health and safety trends; while investigating, analyzing, evaluating, and administering our Enterprise-wide Health and Safety program.

• Lead, mentor, and develop assigned employees by setting clear expectations, providing timely feedback, removing roadblocks, and holding team members accountable. Oversee workload and quality of work while creating a supportive, high-performing team environment.
• Oversee Workers Compensation and claims administration, review injury claims, manage vendor relationship, and ensure compliance with state and federal labor regulations. Analyze claims data, identify trends, and recommend solutions to reduce risk and costs while also keeping employees safe from further injury. Provide guidance on return to work and any accommodation needed or light duty restrictions.
• Lead enterprise-wide health and safety compliance efforts by advising safety personnel, reviewing policies and SOPs, and conducting periodic audits. Identify compliance gaps, recommend improvements, and work with regulatory agencies to ensure requirements are understood and consistently applied across the organization.
• Plan, organize, and administer significant enterprise-wide health and safety programs; provide program leadership and management; advise and work with City staff on target and policy development, evaluation, and integration of programs; evaluate program results; recommend and coordinate program improvements.
• Conduct research and analysis of enterprise health and safety issues and opportunities to develop strategies, policies, and programs.
• Lead implementation of enterprise-wide health/safety initiatives; review and analyze accident and incident reports and safety violations; conduct investigation; make recommendations for corrective action and responds to vehicular crashes and severe workplace injuries as needed. Monitor GeoTab/Telematics system drivers to ensure compliance and maintain the City’s fleet participants’ driving records. Provide guidance and oversight of the City Driving Permit process, creating an efficient and consistent practice of issuing City Driving Permits.
• Lead safety education and training efforts to include maintaining safety training library, coordinating first aid/CPR/AED training, facilitating OSHA 10-hour and OSHA 30-hour training, and Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) in accordance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and other specialized health and safety training programs as needed.
• Manage required monthly and annual reporting, including OSHA 300/300A and NC BLS reporting.
• Maintain Safety Incident Management System.
• Develop and implement health and safety strategies to control and systematically reduce safety hazards.
• Coordinate, attend, facilitate, and lead safety committee meetings. Engage stakeholders, solicit feedback, and work together to champion a safety-first culture.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business, Public Administration, or related field; 7 to 9 years' supervisory level experience in project management, compensation, human resource compliance, employment regulations, or related work
• Any equivalent combination of training and/or experience that provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities may be substituted

Preferred Education & Experience

• Degree in Occupational Health with HR and Public Administration
• 2 -5 years of experience working with occupational safety
• Working knowledge of Sodales Solutions

Required Licesnes or Certifications

• Valid North Carolina Class C Driver's License with a satisfactory driving record or the ability to obtain within 60 days of hire required

Preferred Licenses or Certifications

• Certified Safety Professional (CSP) or Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) certifications
• Safety Management Specialist (SMS) certification
• Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) certification
• CPR/First Aid/AED Instructor certification
• Ergonomics Trainer
• OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 certifications
• OSHA 500/501
• CDL/ELDT Program Administration experience

Knowledge of:

• Health and Safety Regulations: Knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local health and safety laws, regulations, and industry standards.
• Workers’ Compensation: Knowledge of workers’ compensation programs, claims management, return-to-work practices, and injury prevention strategies.
• Safety Management: Knowledge of safety principles, risk assessment, incident investigation, hazard identification, and prevention methods.
• Compliance and Risk Management: Knowledge of compliance practices, safety audits, reporting requirements, and methods for identifying and reducing organizational risk.

Skill in:

• Communication: Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Data Analysis: Ability to analyze safety and workers’ compensation data, identify trends, and use findings to improve processes, programs and key performance indicators.
• Problem-Solving: Strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess risks, identify root causes, and develop practical solutions.
• Leadership: Effective leadership and coaching skills, with the ability to build relationships, build trust, hold people accountable, and lead through change.

Ability to:

• Change Management: Ability to effectively lead and adapt to change while gaining support and maintaining engagement
• Conflict Management: Ability to address and resolve conflict professionally, fairly, and effectively.
• Manage Multiple Priorities: Ability to manage multiple programs, projects, deadlines, and competing priorities while maintaining attention to detail.
• Drive Continuous Improvement: Ability to identify opportunities for improvement, develop effective strategies, and turn recommendations into measurable results.

ADA and Other Requirements:

Positions in this class typically require: stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, fingering, grasping, talking, hearing,seeingand repetitive motions.

Sedentary: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, a negligible amount of force frequently, and/or constantly having to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met.

Work Environment:

Work is typically performed in an office or similar indoor environment.Employees may occasionally work in an outdoor environment, street environment (near moving traffic), in ac confined space, using a vehicle, in a warehouse environment, and/or a shop environment.

WorkExposures:

Employees may occasionally interact with Individuals who are hostile or irate,extreme cold (below 32 degrees),extreme heat (above 100 degrees),moving mechanical parts,fumes or airborne particles,toxic or caustic chemicals or substances, and/orloud noises (85+ decibels average over 8-hour working day such as heavy trucks, jack hammers, leaf blowers, lawn mowers, construction).

City of Raleigh is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. Accommodations for individuals with disabilities are provided upon request.

Note:

This job classification description is intended to be generic in nature. It is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The essential duties, functions and responsibilities and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) designation may vary based on the specific tasks assigned to the position.