Project Construction Health and Safety Lead

Weston Solutions, Inc.; Charlottesville (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

401K with stock contributions

Paid time off

Life and disability plans

Critical illness and accident plans

Work/Life flexibility

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Weston Solutions, Inc. seeks a Project Construction Health and Safety Lead to provide leadership for a major capital project from design through handover.

You will implement the client’s safety framework, protect personnel and business continuity, and ensure regulatory and corporate compliance. The role requires driving safety strategy, developing governance, and coordinating with design, procurement, and construction teams to mitigate risks and strengthen field execution across the project

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent professional education in health and safety.
• Advanced credentials such as CSP/ASP/CHST/MSP/NEBOSH or equivalent.
• 10+ years in construction health and safety on major projects.
• Experience in regulated environments (pharma, life sciences, manufacturing).
• Strong knowledge of OSHA 29 CFR 1926 and ANSI standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead project construction health and safety strategy aligned with objectives.
• Develop and maintain safety plan, governance and controls for high-risk work.
• Provide safety leadership across design, procurement, construction and handover.
• Establish contractor safety prequalification, onboarding and monitoring.
• Ensure controls for high-risk activities and permit-to-work systems.
• Lead audits, inspections, governance reviews and action follow-ups.
• Analyze safety performance and lessons learned for improvement.
• Investigate incidents and drive root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Advise leadership on risk and timely intervention when controls are inadequate.
• Coach project leaders and teams to strengthen field execution.
• Coordinate with client global safety function to apply standards and escalate risks.
• Represent safety in governance meetings and design reviews.
• Support emergency preparedness and smooth transition to operations.

Skills

HSE leadership

OSHA standards

Contractor safety mgmt

Audits & inspections

Root cause analysis

Emergency preparedness

Risk assessment

Safety governance

Education

Bachelor's degree in OH&S or related field

CSP/ASP/CHST or equivalent

Job description

At Weston Solutions, Inc. you will do meaningful work and make valuable contributions. Employee ownership at Weston is a path to professional growth and access to diverse opportunities in a highly connected community that works together across key service areas to make a difference in the environment. Weston has continued to evolve and adapt to our changing world as a premier provider of environmental and infrastructure services for over sixty years. In both the public and private sectors our teams help identify, solve, mitigate, and manage critical environmental issues to help clients achieve a more sustainable future.

Weston is seeking a Project Construction Health and Safety Lead to provide health and safety leadership for a major capital project from design and mobilization through construction, commissioning, qualification, and handover. This role implements the client’s construction health and safety framework, protects people and business continuity, and ensures compliance with applicable legal, corporate, and ethical requirements.

Location: Charlottesville, VA, with regular travel to project offices, contractor facilities, supplier locations, and company meetings.

Expected Outcomes:

• Lead the project construction health and safety strategy and align it with project objectives, client standards, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Develop and maintain the project construction health and safety plan, including governance, emergency preparedness, assurance activities, and controls for high-risk work.
• Provide health and safety leadership across design, procurement, contractor mobilization, construction, commissioning, qualification, and handover.
• Establish contractor safety requirements for prequalification, selection, onboarding, performance monitoring, corrective action, and intervention.
• Ensure effective controls for high-risk activities, including work at height, lifting, excavation, temporary work, electrical work, confined spaces, hot work, traffic management, and permit-to-work systems.
• Partner with project, engineering, and design teams to eliminate or reduce risk during design, construction planning, and change management.
• Lead audits, inspections, management reviews, contractor reviews, critical control verification, and follow-up of findings.
• Monitor and analyze safety performance, trends, observations, incidents, high-potential events, and lessons learned.
• Lead or support incident investigations, root cause analysis, corrective actions, escalation, and communication of lessons learned.
• Advise project leadership on risk-based decisions, accountability, and timely intervention when controls are inadequate.
• Coach project leaders, construction managers, supervisors, site teams, contractors, and safety professionals to strengthen field execution and safety performance.
• Coordinate with project stakeholders and the client’s global construction health and safety function to apply standards consistently, obtain technical support, and **escalate** significant risks.
• Represent construction health and safety in governance meetings, design reviews, contractor meetings, planning sessions, and risk reviews.
• Support construction-related emergency preparedness and the safe transition to operations, including commissioning, qualification, and handover activities.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional education in occupational health and safety, construction management, environmental health and safety, engineering, or a related field.
• Advanced health and safety credentials such as CSP, ASP, CHST, MSP, CSM, SMS, NEBOSH certification, or an equivalent qualification.
• At least 10 years of construction health and safety experience, including work on major or complex capital projects.
• Experience leading health and safety projects in pharmaceuticals, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, industrial, process, or similarly regulated environments preferred.
• Working knowledge of OSHA 29 CFR 1926 and applicable ANSI standards.
• Strong knowledge of contractor safety management, high-risk construction activities, critical controls, audits, inspections, incident investigation, root cause analysis, and corrective action management.
• Experience developing and implementing project safety plans, procedures, governance, and assurance programs.
• Ability to influence project directors, construction managers, engineering and site leaders, procurement, quality, commissioning teams, and external contractors within a matrixed environment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop safety professionals and multidisciplinary project teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication, judgment, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to travel regularly is based on project needs.

Benefits:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K with base and matching employer stock contributions.
• Paid time off includes personal, holiday and parental.
• Life and disability plans.
• Critical illness and accident plans.
• Work/Life flexibility.
• Professional development opportunities.

Compensation will vary based upon experience, education, skill level, and other compensable factors.