Safety Director

The Fordy Group; North Carolina; On-site; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

The Fordy Group is expanding its safety leadership to guide a growing portfolio of complex HVAC, piping, sheet metal and mechanical systems across North Carolina. The Safety Director will shape strategy, build robust policies, and drive performance in safety across projects with data-driven reporting to executive leadership.

Leading incident prevention, risk controls, and process improvements, you will partner with contractors and clients to exceed safety expectations on data centers, life

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive, company-wide safety strategy aligned with the organization's growth objectives.
• Establish clear safety goals, metrics and accountability across operations.
• Develop and continuously improve safety policies, procedures, programs and standards.
• Provide regular safety performance reporting, analysis and recommendations to executive leadership.
• Identify emerging risks and develop proactive strategies to address them.
• Ensure safety remains integrated into operational and project decision-making.

Job description

The Fordy Group has been mandated by a $100MM mechanical contractor in North Carolina to hire a Safety Director. Our client is a well-established mechanical contractor operating across the Carolinas, delivering complex HVAC, piping, sheet metal and mechanical systems across some of the region's most demanding industrial environments.

Their project portfolio includes data centers, life science facilities, advanced manufacturing and general industrial projects, with approximately 50% of the business delivered as a subcontractor to major General Contractors and 50% directly for end clients.

The company has built an excellent reputation for quality, execution and safety. They have a strong safety record, averaging fewer than one recordable incident per year, alongside an exceptional level of employee retention, having lost only five employees over the past five years.

They are now looking for a Safety Director who can take that strong foundation and build the next generation of their safety organization.

Key Responsibilities

Safety Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement a comprehensive, company-wide safety strategy aligned with the organization's growth objectives.
• Establish clear safety goals, metrics and accountability across operations.
• Develop and continuously improve safety policies, procedures, programs and standards.
• Provide regular safety performance reporting, analysis and recommendations to executive leadership.
• Identify emerging risks and develop proactive strategies to address them.
• Ensure safety remains integrated into operational and project decision-making rather than functioning as a standalone compliance activity.

Client & Executive Engagement

• Represent the company professionally with major General Contractors, clients and other external stakeholders.
• Participate in project and executive meetings where safety leadership is required.
• Present safety performance, strategy and initiatives to senior and C-level leadership.
• Build credibility with sophisticated clients and GC partners operating in highly regulated and safety-critical environments.

Project & Operational Safety

• Provide safety leadership across HVAC, mechanical, piping and sheet metal operations.
• Support project teams working across complex industrial environments, including data centers, life science and manufacturing facilities.
• Partner with General Contractors and clients to ensure safety expectations are understood and consistently exceeded.
• Review project-specific safety requirements and ensure appropriate planning is completed before work begins.
• Support preconstruction and project planning by identifying safety risks and developing appropriate controls.
• Oversee incident investigations, root-cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Monitor leading and lagging safety indicators and use data to drive continuous improvement.

Team Growth

• Assess the current safety function and develop the organizational structure required to support continued growth.
• Recruit, develop and retain a high-performing safety team.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities and expectations for safety personnel.
• Develop career paths and professional development opportunities within the safety organization.
• Build a team that is viewed by operations as a valuable partner rather than a policing function.

This is a leadership role, not a policing role. The successful candidate will create accountability through relationships, credibility and consistency, while preserving the collaborative culture that already exists within the business.