Sr. WHS Regulatory Response Manager, Governance and External Affairs

Amazon’s Worldwide Workplace Health and Safety Governance team is seeking a Senior Risk Manager to own end-to-end regulatory interactions across North America. This role requires deep multi-jurisdictional expertise in federal and state plan enforcement, citation interpretation, penalty assessment strategy, abatement compliance, and agency correspondence—including inspections, subpoenas, and complaint investigations.

About the role

The Senior Risk Manager will assess and prioritize regulatory exposure, litigation risk, and financial impact across a high-volume case portfolio while driving cross-functional alignment with Legal, Operations, WHS field teams, and Standards & Procedures. The role demands the ability to leverage serious injury data and regulatory interaction trends to inform proactive risk mitigation strategies, brief VP+ leaders on emerging risks, translate complex enforcement actions into actionable guidance for site-level teams, and coach risk managers in building regulatory response capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary liaison between WW WHS Governance and business units (CF WHS, GSF WHS, ATS WHS) to ensure continual alignment.
• Ensure quality and timely responses to regulatory agencies, including OSHA and state plan interactions.
• Support the development of WHS competencies and awareness across business units regarding regulatory requirements.
• Use data and case management tools to identify trends in regulatory interactions and monitor performance against compliance standards.
• Assess and prioritize regulatory exposure, litigation risk, and financial impact across a high-volume case portfolio.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration with Legal, Operations, and WHS field teams to ensure responses meet regulatory obligations and operational feasibility.
• Coach risk managers on interpreting complex cases, compiling documentation, and drafting responses to regulatory investigations.
• Brief senior leadership on emerging regulatory risks and translate enforcement actions into clear operational guidance.
• Maintain rigorous documentation and sound judgment to ensure long-term regulatory defensibility.

A day in the life

A typical day begins with reviewing overnight regulatory case management notifications, including serious injury reports requiring 8-hour or 24-hour agency notification, new inspection activity, and incoming correspondence from OSHA or state plan agencies. By mid-morning, the focus shifts to triaging the team’s active case portfolio, prioritizing time-sensitive matters such as response deadlines, abatement verification, or preparing site teams for informal conferences with OSHA area directors.

The role involves coaching risk managers through complex cases, advising on regulatory interpretation, documentation, and reviewing draft responses. Cross-functional collaboration fills the afternoon, partnering with Legal on escalated events, aligning with WHS Operations on corrective actions, or working with the WHS Standards & Procedures team to ensure site execution reflects current regulatory obligations.

Between meetings, the Senior Risk Manager analyzes regulatory interaction trends to identify regions with increased inspection activity, recurring categories, and opportunities for proactive intervention. The day often closes with a final review of incoming agency correspondence, ensuring no time-sensitive matters are overlooked, and updating case tracking systems for full visibility.

About the team

The Senior WHS Regulatory Response and Activity Manager will lead a case management team responsible for timely and accurate responses to environmental, safety, and health regulatory interactions. Success in this role requires managing teams handling repetitive case management tasks with strong judgment, effectively communicating with senior stakeholders (including VPs), and identifying process improvement opportunities. The position demands self-motivation to learn operations and data analytics, with a mix of independent and team-based work in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in risk management, audit, legal, compliance, or a related field, including engagement with external stakeholders.
• 7+ years of team management experience with 5+ direct reports.
• Experience implementing lean principles and process improvement in an operational environment.
• Experience working within a global company with multi-country responsibilities.
• Experience using data and metrics to drive improvements.
• Experience presenting to and influencing senior executives up to VP level.
• 5+ years of program or project management experience.
• Experience defining and executing program requirements using data and metrics to determine improvements.
• Experience working cross-functionally across technical and non-technical teams.
• Bachelor’s degree.

Qualifications

• MBA, MPH, or graduate degree in safety, compliance, engineering, or a related field.
• NEBOSH, CSP, or relevant safety/compliance certifications.
• J.D. degree or legal background with a focus on regulatory compliance.
• Demonstrated leadership working across senior levels of organizations with multiple businesses.
• Proven ability to influence senior business leaders through logical reasoning, data, and alternative solutions.
• Experience with complex problem-solving and analysis using statistical methods and data modeling.
• Excellent analytical, writing, and presentation skills.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to transition between strategic and tactical execution.
• Experience building effective coalitions and external networks (regulators, trade associations, legal counsel).

Pay

• USA, TN, Nashville: $142,700.00 - $193,100.00 USD annually
• USA, VA, Arlington: $158,600.00 - $214,500.00 USD annually
• USA, WA, Bellevue: $158,600.00 - $214,500.00 USD annually

Benefits

• Comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D, with optional supplemental life plans).
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and mental health support.
• Medical advice line.
• Flexible Spending Accounts.
• Adoption and surrogacy reimbursement coverage.
• 401(k) matching.
• Paid time off and parental leave.
• Sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs).