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 the end-to-end management of regulatory interactions across North America.

About the role

This leader 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 to ensure responses satisfy both regulatory obligations and operational feasibility. The role requires deep multi-jurisdictional fluency in federal and state plan enforcement, citation interpretation, penalty assessment strategy, abatement compliance, and agency correspondence—including inspections, subpoenas, and complaint investigations.

The successful candidate will 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. The role demands urgency on time-sensitive matters while maintaining documentation rigor and sound judgment to ensure long-term regulatory defensibility.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary liaison between WW WHS Governance and business units (CF WHS, GSF WHS, ATS WHS) to ensure continual alignment on regulatory response.
• Ensure quality and timely responses to regulatory agencies, including OSHA and state-plan jurisdictions.
• 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 business unit 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 Standards & Procedures teams to align responses with regulatory obligations and operational feasibility.
• Coach risk managers on interpreting regulatory cases, compiling documentation, and drafting responses to agency investigations.
• Brief senior leadership on emerging regulatory risks and translate enforcement actions into clear operational guidance for field teams.
• Maintain rigorous documentation and sound judgment to ensure long-term defensibility of regulatory matters.

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 Sr. Risk Manager triages 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 day includes coaching risk managers on complex cases, advising on regulatory interpretation, documentation, and reviewing draft responses to agency investigations. Cross-functional collaboration fills the afternoon, partnering with Legal on escalated events, aligning with WHS Operations on corrective actions, or working with the Standards & Procedures team to ensure site execution reflects current regulatory obligations.

Between meetings, the Sr. Risk Manager analyzes regulatory interaction trends to identify regions with increased inspection activity, recurring categories, and opportunities for proactive intervention. They brief senior leadership on emerging risks, translate enforcement actions into operational guidance, and ensure no time-sensitive correspondence is overlooked. The day closes with updating case tracking systems to maintain full visibility across all active regulatory matters.

About the team

The Sr. 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. The ideal candidate will drive operational excellence by executing the compliance lifecycle and ensuring high-quality inputs. Success requires comfort managing teams handling repetitive tasks that demand strong judgment, as well as the ability to communicate effectively with senior stakeholders, including Sr. Directors and VPs.

This role involves identifying and documenting process improvements, working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, and balancing independent work with team collaboration. Prior experience in a professional setting, a cooperative attitude, and strong organizational skills are essential.

Qualifications

• 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 or more 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 and define program requirements.
• Experience presenting to and influencing senior executives up to the VP level.
• 5+ years of program or project management experience.
• Bachelor’s degree.

Preferred 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 extensive 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

• Health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D, with options for supplemental life plans).
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and mental health support.
• Medical Advice Line and 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).