HSE Lead

About the role

The HSE Lead advances Health, Safety & Environment performance at the Richmond Bakery by providing technical expertise, leadership, coaching, and support across a complex manufacturing environment. This role partners with site leadership and cross‑functional teams to strengthen HSE culture, manage risk, improve the HSE Management System, and ensure compliance with company standards and applicable regulatory requirements. The HSE Lead maintains a strong presence on the manufacturing floor while integrating HSE into daily operations and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the HSE Manager and site leadership to execute HSE strategy, priorities, and continuous improvement plans.
• Drive a proactive HSE culture by strengthening risk awareness, leadership accountability, employee engagement, and ownership.
• Provide day‑to‑day HSE leadership, technical guidance, and coaching across manufacturing operations.
• Maintain strong floor presence to understand work processes, identify risk, verify controls, and coach employees and leaders.
• Support implementation and continuous improvement of the site’s HSE Management System and assigned HSE standards.
• Serve as HSE Champion for assigned standards, providing technical expertise, coaching, verification, and support.
• Lead and support incident investigations and Root Cause Analyses, ensuring effective corrective and preventive actions are implemented and sustained.
• Facilitate risk assessments and promote effective application of the hierarchy of controls.
• Provide technical guidance on manufacturing HSE risks including machine safety, Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), contractor safety, ergonomics, hazardous materials, and powered industrial vehicles.
• Offer HSE expertise for equipment modifications, projects, and Management of Change (MOC) activities.
• Use HSE data, incidents, observations, and audit findings to identify trends, recurring risks, and continuous‑improvement opportunities.
• Participate in audits, assessments, inspections, training, and emergency preparedness activities.
• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Sanitation, Human Resources, and other functions to integrate HSE into operational decision‑making.
• Support the site’s Integrated Lean Six Sigma (IL6S) journey by integrating HSE into daily management, problem solving, and continuous improvement.
• Coach and support HSE team members and provide HSE leadership continuity when the HSE Manager is unavailable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in occupational safety, Environmental Health & Safety, Engineering, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Science, or a related field preferred, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 5 + years of HSE experience within manufacturing or another complex operational environment.
• Working knowledge of OSHA and applicable HSE regulatory requirements.
• Experience with HSE management systems, incident investigation, root‑cause analysis, risk assessment, and corrective‑action management.
• Knowledge of manufacturing safety programs including LOTO, machine safety, contractor safety, hazardous materials, ergonomics, and powered industrial vehicles.
• Experience collaborating with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and other cross‑functional teams.
• Familiarity with IL6S, Lean, Six Sigma, or another structured continuous‑improvement system (preferred).
• Strong communication, coaching, analytical, and problem‑solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and challenge individuals at all levels of an organization.
• Ability to prioritize and operate effectively in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment.

Education & Certifications

Bachelor’s degree in occupational safety, Environmental Health & Safety, Engineering, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Science, or a related field is preferred; equivalent relevant experience is acceptable.

Location & Travel

• Onsite – Richmond, VA
• Travel requirement: 10 % or less
• Relocation not offered (potential sign‑on bonus may be considered on a case‑by‑case basis)

Schedule

Monday – Friday (Core Office Hours)

Compensation

Base salary range: $97,300 – $133,815, dependent on experience, skills, education, and location. Eligible for a competitive bonus program with potential over‑achievement based on performance and company results.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Wellness and family support programs
• Life and disability insurance
• Retirement savings plans
• Paid leave programs
• Education‑related programs
• Paid holidays and vacation time