Principal Technical Consultant, Construction Safety

ERM; Rolling Meadows (IL); On-site; USD 137,330 - 170,592; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

ERM, a global sustainability consultancy, seeks a Principal Technical Consultant, Construction Safety, to guide safety across major capital projects from planning through turnover. You will influence senior stakeholders, shape EHS governance, and advance Safety-by-Design across diverse industries.

You will lead program development, risk reviews, and field observations, ensuring compliance with OSHA standards and project safety goals while mentoring teams and driving continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Experience developing and transforming EHS management systems for large capital projects (ownership side).
• Ability to influence executive stakeholders and deliver strategic EHS recommendations.
• Bachelor’s degree in safety, occupational health and safety, engineering, construction management, or related field or equivalent experience.
• 6–8+ years of capital project EHS experience including owner-side safety support and contractor oversight.
• Experience with Safety in Design, constructability reviews, PHA/PSM-informed risk reviews, and EHS governance processes.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA construction/general industry standards, LOTO, permits, 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 and ability to influence contractors, project teams, and client EHS personnel.

Responsibilities

• Partner with client EHS, Engineering, Project Controls, and Capital Project leadership to evaluate program effectiveness and drive improvements.
• Challenge approaches and facilitate strategic discussions on program maturity, capability, contractor management, and risk governance.
• Develop and deploy scalable EHS frameworks, standards, procedures, tools, and management systems aligned to project goals.
• Advise on Safety-by-Design, constructability risk management, contractor governance, and operational readiness.
• Lead assessments, benchmarking, and maturity evaluations to strengthen safety performance.
• Translate technical observations into executive-level recommendations and roadmaps.
• Lead Safety-by-Design integration and risk-based decision making throughout the project lifecycle.
• Design and execute EHS governance processes including risk reviews, site audits, escalation, and action tracking.
• Align multidisciplinary teams on safety expectations and incident-free execution strategies.
• Review contractor safe work docs and conduct field audits to verify critical controls.

Skills

EHS program development

Governance frameworks

Construction safety programs

Influence executive stakeholders

Microsoft Office proficiency

Contractor oversight

Safety in Design

Risk reviews (PHA/PSM)

Field presence & communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in safety/related field

CHST

ASP

CSP

OSHA 30

Job description

Help shape the future of safe, high-impact capital projects through expert leadership in construction safety

As a Principal Technical Consultant in Construction Safety based in Indianapolis, Indiana (or other locations), you will play a pivotal role in guiding clients through the full capital project lifecycle—from early planning and design to construction, commissioning, start-up, and closeout.

Why This Role Matters?

You will help organizations proactively identify and manage EHS risks, strengthen safety culture, and ensure compliance while driving continuous improvement across complex, high-value projects. This is a high-impact opportunity to lead technical excellence, mentor teams, and contribute to ERM’s rapidly growing Safety Services practice.

What Your Impact Is:

Large-scale capital projects present dynamic and evolving risks. Your expertise will directly influence how organizations design and execute safer, more efficient projects, ensuring that safety is integrated from concept through operation. You will enable clients to achieve both regulatory compliance and operational excellence while fostering a strong, sustainable safety culture.

What You'll Bring:

Required

• Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and transforming EHS management systems, governance frameworks, and construction safety programs for large capital projects.
• Ability to influence executive stakeholders and deliver strategic recommendations that improve project risk management and EHS performance.
• Bachelor’s degree in safety, occupational health and safety, engineering, construction management, or related field or equivalent experience.
• 6–8+ years 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 EHS personnel.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and ability to manage multiple priorities, travel as needed, and deliver high-quality client service.

Preferred

• CHST, ASP, CSP, OSHA 30, confined space, fall protection/prevention, or equivalent certifications/training.
• Experience supporting complex capital projects in pharmaceutical, high-tech, chemical, LNG, manufacturing, or similar industries.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with client EHS, Engineering, Project Controls, and Capital Project leadership to evaluate program effectiveness, identify gaps and emerging risks, and drive improvement opportunities across all project phases.
• Challenge existing approaches and facilitate strategic discussions with stakeholders regarding program maturity, organizational capability, contractor management practices, and risk governance.
• Develop and deploy scalable EHS frameworks, standards, procedures, tools, and management systems aligned with project objectives and enterprise risk management goals.
• Advise clients on Safety-by-Design integration, constructability risk management, contractor safety governance, operational readiness, and long-term sustainability of EHS programs.
• Lead assessments, benchmarking activities, maturity evaluations, and strategic improvement initiatives that strengthen safety performance and organizational capability.
• Translate technical observations and project execution challenges into executive-level recommendations and actionable roadmaps.
• Lead Safety-by-Design integration and risk-based decision making throughout the project lifecycle.
• Design and execute project EHS governance processes including risk reviews, assurance routines, site audits, escalation pathways, and corrective action tracking.
• Align multidisciplinary teams on safety expectations, communication protocols, and incident-free execution strategies.
• Review contractor safe work documentation including JHAs, pre-task plans, permits, lift plans, energy isolation/LOTO plans, training records, and emergency response plans.
• Conduct field observations and audits to verify critical controls, assess contractor conformance, and elevate corrective actions.
• Support commissioning, startup, and turnover readiness by verifying safety planning for equipment, systems, and operational transitions.
• Support project closeout by confirming safety documentation, lessons learned, corrective action closure, and proper handover of EHS records.

For the Principal Technical Consultant, Construction Safety position, the anticipated annual base pay is $137,330 – $170,592 (USD). Actual pay will depend on factors such as education, experience, skills, location, performance, and business needs. In some cases, pay may fall outside this range. This role may be eligible for bonus pay (casual and fixed term/flex force employees are not bonus eligible).

• We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, parental leave, medical, dental, vision, life, disability, AD&D insurance, 401(k) or RRSP/DPSP, and other applicable benefits to eligible employees.

Note

Bonuses, commissions, and other forms of additional compensation are not guaranteed and subject to the sole discretion of ERM and its policies and procedures.

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 does not accept recruiting agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, ERM employees or any other company location. ERM is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

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!