Principal Consultant, Safety

Environmental Resources Management (ERM); Houston (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Environmental Resources Management (ERM) is seeking a Principal Consultant, Capital Project Safety in Houston, TX to lead safety oversight across complex capital projects. You will partner with owners and contractors to embed safety into design, planning, and execution, ensuring regulatory compliance and robust risk controls.

Responsibilities include defining EHS requirements, conducting governance and audits, and mentoring multidisciplinary teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent experience.
• 6+ years (10+ years preferred) of capital project EHS experience.
• Experience with Safety in Design, constructability reviews, PHA/PSM-informed risk reviews, and project EHS governance processes.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA construction/General Industry standards, LOTO, permitting, emergency response, fire protection.
• Experience reviewing contractor safe work documentation (JHAs, pre-task plans, permits, lift plans, energy isolation plans, training records, toolbox talks).
• Strong field presence, communication, and ability to influence contractors and client EH&S personnel.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office; ability to manage multiple priorities and travel.
• Driver's license required due to frequent travel.
• Preferred certifications: CHST, ASP, CSP, OSHA 30, confined space, fall protection.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the owner's Safety representative across the project lifecycle.
• Embed Safety in Design through planning, constructability reviews, and risk assessments.
• Define EHS requirements for scopes, bid packages, safety plans, phase gates, onboarding, emergencies.
• Design and run project EHS governance, risk reviews, audits, inspections, actions tracking.
• Align multiple teams on safety expectations, communication, and incident-free execution.
• Review contractor safety documentation and safety plans; verify controls.
• Conduct owner-side field observations and site audits; escalate corrective actions.
• Participate in daily planning and pre-shift meetings for safety readiness.
• Track EHS observations, audit findings, and leading indicators; report trends.
• Support commissioning/start-up and turnover readiness with safety planning and permits.
• Support closeout with lessons learned and documentation transfer.

Skills

Capital project EHS leadership

Safety in Design

JHAs & safety documents review

Strong communication & influence

Office software proficiency

Travel readiness

Driver's license

Certifications favored

Education

Bachelor's degree in safety, OH&S, engineering, construction management or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Lead Safety Excellence Across Complex Capital Projects

As a Principal Consultant, Capital Project Safety based in Houston, TX, you will play a pivotal leadership role in helping clients proactively manage EHS risks across some of the most complex and high-profile capital projects in the industry. From early planning and design through construction, commissioning, start-up, and project closeout, you will serve as a trusted advisor, influencing critical decisions that protect people, strengthen safety culture, and drive successful project outcomes. This is an opportunity to lead at the intersection of technical excellence, operational performance, and strategic risk management while partnering with multidisciplinary teams and industry-leading clients. If you are passionate about shaping safer project environments and delivering lasting impact, you'll find significant growth opportunities within ERM's rapidly expanding Safety Services team.

Why This Role Matters

Safety is not just a project requirement. It is a critical driver of successful project delivery, operational readiness, and long-term business performance. In this role, you will help clients integrate safety into every decision and project phase, ensuring potential risks are identified and mitigated before work begins. Your expertise will influence project strategy, strengthen safety culture, support regulatory compliance, and help teams deliver complex capital projects safely, efficiently, and successfully.

What Your Impact Is

As a Principal Consultant, you'll help clients embed Safety throughout the full capital project lifecycle, from planning and design through construction, commissioning, start-up, and closeout. You'll support proactive identification and control of EHS risks, strengthen safety culture, and help ensure regulatory compliance at each project stage. This role offers exposure to complex technical challenges, mentorship opportunities, cross-functional collaboration, and long-term career growth within ERM's rapidly expanding Safety Services team.

What You'll Bring

• Required Bachelor's degree in safety, occupational health and safety, engineering, construction management, or related field or equivalent experience.
• 6+ years (10+ years preferred) of capital project EHS experience, including owner-side safety support, contractor oversight, construction execution, and commissioning/start-up.
• Experience with Safety in Design, constructability reviews, PHA/PSM-informed risk reviews, and project EHS governance processes.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA construction/general industry standards, LOTO, permitting, emergency response, fire protection, and high-risk construction controls.
• Experience reviewing contractor safe work documentation, including JHAs, pre-task plans, permits, lift plans, energy isolation plans, training records, and toolbox talks.
• Strong field presence, communication skills, and ability to influence contractors, project teams, and client EH&S personnel.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and ability to manage multiple priorities, travel as needed, and deliver high-quality client service.
• Driver's License Required: This position requires a valid driver's license and/or the ability to operate a company vehicle due to the nature of job duties, which include frequent travel to various client locations across a large geographical area.
• Preferred CHST, ASP, CSP, OSHA 30, confined space, fall protection/prevention, or equivalent certifications/training preferred.
• Complex capital project experience in pharmaceutical, high-tech, chemical, LNG, manufacturing, or similar sectors highly desired.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the owner's Safety representative across the capital project lifecycle, providing oversight, verification, coaching, and escalation while contractors retain responsibility for execution and control implementation.
• Embed Safety in Design through planning, engineering, constructability, PHA/PSM-informed reviews, and loss prevention assessments to identify and mitigate construction, commissioning, start-up, and operational risks.
• Define EHS requirements for scopes of work, bid packages, execution plans, safety plans, phase gates, contractor onboarding, emergency response, LOTO, and fire protection expectations.
• Design and execute project EHS governance processes, including risk reviews, assurance routines, site audits, escalation pathways, corrective action tracking, and management reporting.
• Align project, engineering, construction, commissioning, operations, contractor, and client EH&S teams on safety expectations, accountabilities, communication protocols, and incident-free execution.
• Review contractor safe work documentation, including JHAs, pre-task plans, permits, lift plans, energy isolation/LOTO plans, training records, toolbox talks, and emergency response plans.
• Conduct owner-side field observations and site audits to verify critical controls, identify hazards, assess contractor conformance, and elevate corrective actions.
• Participate in daily planning and pre-shift meetings to review work activities, site conditions, SIMOPS/interfaces, permit needs, and safety-critical controls.
• Track and communicate EHS observations, audit findings, contractor trends, corrective actions, leading indicators, and recommended actions.
• Support commissioning, start-up, and turnover readiness by verifying safety planning for new equipment, energized systems, LOTO, operational interfaces, permits, emergency preparedness, and transition to operations.
• Support closeout by confirming safety documentation, lessons learned, corrective action closure, demobilization controls, and transfer of EHS records.

Who We Are:

As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations. At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment is an essential part of making our company a great place to build a career. We also see our diversity as a strength that helps us create better solutions for our clients. Our diverse team of world-class experts supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability, underpinned by our deep technical expertise in addressing their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues. We call this capability our "boots to boardroom" approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level.

ERM is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

Thank you for your interest in ERM!

At ERM, sustainability is our business. We are the world’s largest advisory firm focused solely on sustainability, offering unparalleled expertise across business and finance. ERM partners with clients to operationalize sustainability at pace and scale, through our unique combination of strategic transformation and technical delivery capabilities. Our diverse global team of experts works with the world’s leading organizations to help them set clear sustainability targets, measure progress and operationalize strategy through deep implementation and business transformation. With more than 50 years of experience, our ability to integrate sustainability solutions and our depth and breadth of technical knowledge are why organizations choose to partner with us as their trusted advisor. Every one of us firmly believes in the potential to create value for our clients through an integrated approach to sustainability (because we have personally seen it and professionally achieved it). Our team members are passionate about client service. We work closely with our clients to help them operationalize their sustainability goals and meet their environmental, health and safety objectives while advancing ERM’s purpose through delivering tangible progress in what the United Nations coined The Decade of Action. Organizing our people across globally integrated communities of technical and strategic talent positions ERM to be a "boots to boardroom" leader in bringing that value creation to our clients, partners, and the world. We recruit exceptional professionals with a personal and professional passion for sustainability and nurture them to even greater success as specialists. We prepare our consultants to bring integrated, innovative and sustainable solutions to our clients and provide opportunities for ongoing development across a variety of subject areas related to technical, business, and personal growth. At ERM, effort pays off and becomes career defining work that leaves a positive imprint on our planet.