Workforce Safety Director

City of Portland, Maine; Portland (ME); On-site; USD 99,000 - 118,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free employee health insurance with wh

Thirteen paid holidays

Sick, vacation, and personal leave

Life, dental, vision, and income prote

Job summary

The City of Portland, Maine is seeking a strategic Workforce Safety Director to lead a team of safety professionals and partner with the HR team to ensure employee safety across the city.

You will oversee the self-insured workers’ compensation program, collaborate with a TPA, and drive best practices while building consensus and accountability within a municipal setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree; Master’s preferred; OSHA 30 within six months.
• Experience managing a workers’ compensation program, self-insured/governmental preferred.
• Experience managing municipal and/or unionized workplace safety programs.
• Excellent technology, communication, interpersonal and leadership abilities.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic direction for the Safety Team with focus on compliance, collaboration, innovation, and partnership.
• Builds a City-wide safety culture engaging employees at all levels.
• Manages the City’s fully self-insured workers’ compensation program (approx. $1.5 million) and injury management.
• Partners with the City’s TPA to manage workers’ compensation claims and return-to-work processes.
• Ensures fiscal health of the workers’ compensation program and annual planning.

Skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Leadership

Technology skills

Presentation skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree preferred

OSHA 30 certification

Job description

About the City of Portland's Human Resources Department:

The Human Resources Department is responsible for supporting the City’s workforce of over 2,000 employees. As part of that, a small but mighty team of safety professionals works to equip our employees with the tools and training that they need to work safely. The Safety Team also manages workplace injuries, oversees our CDL training and drug testing program, supports equipment training, and manages the motor vehicle accident response process. Staff at the City bring a service heart to their work, and we are looking for someone who wants to help take care of the people who take care of our community.

Job Summary:

We are looking for a strategic, thoughtful, and collaborative Workforce Safety Director to lead our team of highly skilled safety professionals and partner with the rest of the HR team and departments to ensure the safety of our employees. This person will need to balance accountability in implementing best practices with the need to build buy in and consensus.

In addition to managing our safety program, the Workforce Safety Director oversees the City’s self-insured worker’s compensation program. This includes partnering with our TPA, departments, employees, and outside counsel on the strategic administration of claims, as well as overseeing the process from injury reporting to return to work plans, as well as after action evaluations to improve workplace safety.

The Director has a big job with significant financial and operational impact with the support of a close-knit and encouraging team.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Leads and provides strategic direction for the Safety Team, with a focus on compliance, collaboration, innovation, and partnership.
• Builds and supports a City-wide safety culture that actively engages employees at all levels.
• Manages the City’s workers’ compensation and injury management program, which includes primary responsibility for the City’s fully self-insured workers’ $1.5 million workers’ compensation program.
• Partners with the City’s TPA to manage workers’ compensation claims, ensuring compliance with relevant laws and rules; mitigating financial cost and exposure to the City; and facilitating safe and effective return to work for employees.
• Ensures the fiscal health of the City’s workers’ compensation program, including setting and managing the annual ...

Required Skills & Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree, with Master’s Degree preferred; comparable experience will be considered. OSHA 30 strongly preferred or must be obtained within six months of employment.
• Significant experience managing a workers’ compensation program, with experience in a self-insured and/or governmental program preferred.
• Significant experience managing a workplace safety program, with experience in a municipal and/or unionized workplace preferred.
• Excellent technology skills, with a commitment to innovation and improvement.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build consensus and buy-in while not sacrificing accountability and forward progress.
• Strong leadership skills and the ability to manage a high performing team.
• The ability to make complex processes and requirements accessible.

Expected Hours/Schedule

This position is primarily an in-person role with the ability for some flexibility, as appropriate. The Director generally works a regular 37.5 hour schedule, Monday through Friday, although some after-hours availability is required for incident response and resources.

Applications accepted until filled.

The hiring team will conduct the first review of application materials on October 26, 2026.

Offers of employment are contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory criminal background check.

Salary & Benefits:

This is a non-union position, Grade D62, with a starting pay range of $99,111 - $118,342 per year, based on relevant years of experience.

For more information about compensation with the City of Portland, please refer to the City’s policies and non-union pay plan.

The City of Portland prides itself on its outstanding benefits and a collegial and mission-driven work environment. City benefits include:

• Free employee health insurance with the completion of wellness incentives
• Thirteen paid holidays
• Sick, vacation, and personal leave
• Life, dental, vision, and income protection insurances
• Choice of retirement plans, including a pension plan
• Use of City recreation facilities
• Fitness Reimbursement
• Discount on professional development programs through USM and Thomas College

If you have any questions or need assistance with the application, please email Human Resources at [e-mail] or call 207-874-8624.

The City of Portland believes that to do our best work, our employees need to reflect the diverse, vibrant community we serve. We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to celebrating all dimensions of diversity in the workplace. Applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other applicable legally protected characteristics. If you need to request a reasonable accommodation, please call 207-874-8624 or email [e-mail].