Safety Manager

Smurfit Westrock; Covington (VA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 217,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401k with match

Tuition reimbursement

Employee discounts

Employee referral bonus

Job summary

Smurfit Westrock is seeking a Health and Safety Manager at our Covington, VA mill to lead the site's safety strategy and culture. You will report to the General Manager and partner with frontline teams to drive world-class safety and continuous improvement across operations.

You will manage a professional safety team, collaborate with operations, maintenance, engineering and environmental groups, and champion proactive risk identification and learning to protect employees and sustain performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in safety, engineering, industrial hygiene, or a related technical field.
• Minimum 8+ years of progressive safety leadership experience in heavy manufacturing, pulp and paper, chemical, energy, or similar industrial environments.
• Demonstrated success leading safety teams and influencing organizational culture.
• Strong working knowledge of OSHA regulations, safety management systems, industrial hygiene principles, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Experience driving measurable improvements in safety performance and organizational culture.
• Proven ability to influence leaders and employees at all levels of the organization.
• A self-starter with a proactive mindset and the ability to work independently.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and web-based data management systems.
• Committed to the values of Safety, Loyalty, Integrity and Respect.

Responsibilities

• Lead Safety Strategy & Culture: Develop and execute the mill's health and safety strategy, goals, metrics and improvement initiatives.
• Partner with Operations: Spend time in the field coaching leaders, observing, and assessing risk.
• Develop People & Build Capability: Lead, coach and develop a team of safety professionals and coordinate training.
• Drive Compliance & Organizational Learning: Ensure OSHA, NFPA, ANSI standards and lead investigations and corrective actions.
• Lead contractor safety programs, outages, and emergency response planning.

Skills

Safety Leadership

OSHA Regulations

Incident Investigations

Stakeholder Influence

Team Development

MS Office

Education

Bachelor’s degree in safety, engineering, industrial hygiene, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Description & Requirements

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) is the go-to leader and partner of choice in sustainable packaging. We are dedicated to creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions to help solve complex packaging challenges. Guided by our values of safety, loyalty, integrity and respect, we are committed to delivering meaningful value for shareholders, customers, employees and the communities where we operate.

Position: Health and Safety Manager

Job Code: OPHSM5 + Sr. Mgr, Safety

Location: Covington, VA

The Opportunity

This is more than a traditional safety management role. As the Health and Safety Manager, you will serve as a key member of the mill leadership team, reporting directly to the General Manager and influencing one of our largest manufacturing operations. You will lead the site's safety strategy, champion a world-class safety culture, and drive continuous improvement programs that protect our people while supporting operational performance.

If you thrive in a visible leadership role, enjoy partnering with frontline teams, lead a professional safety team, and are passionate about creating safer, more reliable and engaged workplaces, we want to hear from you.

How You Will Impact Smurfit Westrock

Lead Safety Strategy & Culture

• Develop and execute the mill's health and safety strategy, goals, metrics, and improvement initiatives.
• Champion a culture of safety excellence, accountability, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Lead implementation and sustainability of Smurfit Westrock's Safety Excellence System.
• Serve as the site leader for Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) and Learning Culture initiatives.
• Foster an environment where employees actively identify risks, learn from events and near misses, and continuously improve work systems.

Partner with Operations

• Maintain a strong presence in the field, spending approximately 60% of your time engaging employees, coaching leaders, conducting observations, and assessing risk.
• Collaborate with operations, maintenance, engineering, reliability, and environmental teams to integrate safety into business decisions and daily operations.
• Support Process Safety Management (PSM) compliance and performance.
• Lead contractor safety programs, outage safety planning, and shutdown activities.

Develop People & Build Capability

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of safety professionals.
• Partner with Occupational Health resources to support injury prevention, workers' compensation, return-to-work programs, and wellness initiatives.
• Coordinate site safety training and compliance programs.

Drive Compliance & Organizational Learning

• Ensure compliance with OSHA, NFPA, ANSI, and company standards.
• Lead incident investigations, corrective action development, and organizational learning activities.
• Serve as the primary liaison with regulatory agencies, insurance carriers, and safety-related external partners.
• Manage site safety budgets, emergency preparedness programs, and crisis response processes.

What Makes This Role Exciting

• Opportunity to shape the safety culture of a large, complex manufacturing operation
• Lead emerging Human & Organizational Performance (HOP) and Learning Team initiatives
• Direct impact on employee well-being, operational reliability, and business performance

Required Qualifications

What you need to succeed:

• Bachelor’s degree in safety, engineering, industrial hygiene, or a related technical field; equivalent safety leadership experience will be considered.
• Minimum 8+ years of progressive safety leadership experience in heavy manufacturing, pulp and paper, chemical, energy, or similar industrial environments.
• Demonstrated success leading safety teams and influencing organizational culture.
• Strong working knowledge of OSHA regulations, safety management systems, industrial hygiene principles, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Must be an effective speaker and be able to clearly articulate complex technical and regulatory requirements in simple and understandable terms.
• Experience driving measurable improvements in safety performance and organizational culture.
• Proven ability to influence leaders and employees at all levels of the organization.
• A self-starter with a proactive mindset and the ability to work independently.
• Proficient in use of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and web-based data management systems.
• Committed to the values of Safety, Loyalty, Integrity and Respect.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Safety Professional (CSP) or equivalent professional certification.
• Experience with Process Safety Management (PSM).
• Experience implementing Human & Organizational Performance (HOP), Learning Teams, or operational learning programs.

Work Environment & Schedule

• Primarily Monday–Friday schedule supporting a 24/7 manufacturing operation.
• Flexibility required for emergencies, maintenance outages, investigations, and critical business needs.
• Participation in emergency response and leadership coverage teams.
• Limited travel (approximately 1–5 trips per year).
• Ability to work throughout a large industrial manufacturing facility, including production, maintenance, warehouse, utility, and outdoor environments.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work in a heavy industrial manufacturing environment, including production, maintenance, warehouse, utility, and outdoor areas.
• Ability to walk extensively throughout the facility; climb stairs, ladders, and elevated platforms; and access industrial work areas.
• Ability to stand, bend, kneel, crouch, and perform field observations, inspections, and investigations for extended periods.
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to wear required PPE, including hard hats, safety glasses, hearing protection, steel-toed footwear, respirators, and fall protection equipment.
• Ability to work in varying environmental conditions, including heat, cold, humidity, dust, noise, and outdoor weather exposure.
• Visual, auditory, and communication abilities are necessary to identify hazards, conduct investigations, and effectively interact with employees and contractors.

What We Offer

• Corporate culture based on integrity, respect, accountability, and excellence.
• Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities.
• An attractive salary reflecting skills, competencies, and potential.
• Benefits package to include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401k with match, tuition reimbursement, employee discounts, employee referral bonus, and much more!
• A career with a global packaging company where Sustainability, Safety and Inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law.

The salary range for this position is $130,125.00 - $216,875.00, depending on your role, level, and location. The range listed is also the expected pay for roles in Illinois and Colorado. The benefits for this role include short-term bonus incentive, health, dental and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts or health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance programs, and paid sick leave as required by applicable state/local law, 15 days of paid vacation, and 11 days of paid holidays, subject to annual change. Your pay will be based on factors such as your skills, experience, and education.