Safety Manager

Smurfit Westrock; Covington (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision benefits

401(k) with match

Tuition reimbursement

Employee discounts

Referral bonus

Job summary

Smurfit Westrock seeks a Health and Safety Manager to lead the mill's safety strategy and culture within a large manufacturing operation. You will report to the General Manager, drive continuous improvement programs, and partner with frontline teams to protect employees and support operational performance.

The role emphasizes leading a safety team, driving HOP and learning initiatives, and ensuring robust risk management across production, maintenance and utilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in safety, engineering, industrial hygiene, or related field; equivalent safety leadership experience considered.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the site safety strategy, goals and improvement initiatives.
• Lead, coach and develop a team of safety professionals.
• Lead incident investigations and corrective action development.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, NFPA, ANSI and company standards.
• Partner with operations to integrate safety into daily work and risk decisions.

Skills

Leadership

Safety management

OSHA regulations

Regulatory compliance

Influence culture

Observation & risk assessment

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in safety/engineering/industrial hygiene

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

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

What you need to succeed:

Required Qualifications

• 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.
• 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.