Safety-HSE EPC FIELD OPERATIONS LEADER

HSE EPC FIELD OPERATIONS LEADER

Travel: Regular travel to project sites
 

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced HSE Field Operations Leader to strengthen and lead our Health, Safety & Environmental function in support of our growing field operations organization.

This is a field-oriented leadership position responsible for making HSE an integral part of how we plan, mobilize, and execute capital projects. The successful candidate will work closely with our VP EPC Project Delivery, Project Executives, Construction Managers, General Superintendents, and field leadership to create a consistent, high-performing HSE culture across our project portfolio.

Our projects are frequently delivered in collaboration with EPCM organizations, requiring strong coordination across engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, clients, subcontractors, and other project stakeholders.

This role is not simply about compliance. We are looking for a leader who understands that safe execution is fundamental to predictable project performance and who can translate HSE expectations into practical field execution.

What You’ll Do

Field Operations Leadership

• Partner with the VP EPC Project Delivery to establish and continuously improve the company’s field HSE operating system.
• Provide visible HSE leadership and support across active construction projects.
• Coach Construction Managers, General Superintendents, supervisors, and project leaders in effective safety leadership.
• Help create a culture where supervisors and field leaders own safe production and HSE is integrated into daily construction management.
• Provide additional HSE leadership and resources to projects based on risk, complexity, workforce, and performance.

HSE Strategy, Processes & Standards

• Develop and maintain company HSE standards, procedures, tools, and field expectations.
• Establish consistent processes for critical-risk management, pre-task planning, inspections, observations, audits, and corrective actions.
• Continuously improve the HSE operating system based on project experience, data, lessons learned, and industry practices.
• Ensure project-specific HSE requirements are aligned with company standards, client requirements, EPCM requirements, and applicable regulations.

Project Mobilization & Readiness

• Participate in project pursuits, preconstruction, project handoffs, and mobilization planning.
• Identify HSE risks and resource requirements early in the project lifecycle.
• Lead HSE readiness reviews before mobilization and major construction phases.
• Verify that emergency response, training, orientation, permits, site logistics, and critical-risk controls are established before work begins.

Construction Risk Management

• Identify and manage critical construction risks and verify that effective controls are implemented in the field.
• Provide leadership around high-risk activities such as lifting, excavation, electrical/energized work, work at height, confined space, hot work, and simultaneous operations.
• Conduct field observations, audits, and risk reviews to identify exposures before incidents occur.
• Maintain and reinforce appropriate stop-work authority when imminent danger or uncontrolled risk exists.

Incident Management & Continuous Learning

• Lead or support incident response and investigations based on incident severity.
• Facilitate root-cause analysis and development of effective corrective actions.
• Track corrective actions through closure and verify their effectiveness.
• Identify recurring trends and convert lessons learned into improvements across the organization.

 Subcontractor HSE

• Establish HSE qualification and onboarding expectations for subcontractors.
• Support project teams in evaluating subcontractor HSE plans, experience, staffing, training, and critical-risk controls.
• Monitor subcontractor performance and establish appropriate escalation and corrective-action processes.
• Promote consistent accountability while maintaining clear ownership between HSE and construction management.

 EPCM & Client Interface

• Coordinate HSE requirements with EPCM and client representatives.
• Participate in integrated project reviews, readiness reviews, and major milestone planning.
• Help resolve HSE interfaces between engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and client operations.
• Ensure HSE commitments are clearly understood and consistently executed across project organizations.

 HSE Performance & Assurance

• Establish and manage meaningful leading and lagging HSE performance indicators.
• Conduct project HSE health assessments and targeted field audits.
• Identify systemic risks and trends across the project portfolio.
• Provide actionable HSE performance information to Field Operations and executive leadership.

 Leadership Development

• Develop and mentor HSE professionals throughout the organization.
• Help establish competency expectations and development plans for field HSE personnel.
• Coach construction leaders in visible safety leadership and risk management.
• Participate in HSE talent selection, onboarding, performance management, and succession planning.

 What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means:

• Critical risks are identified and effectively controlled before work begins.
• HSE is integrated into construction planning and daily field execution.
• Field leaders demonstrate clear ownership of safe production.
• Projects consistently meet or exceed company, client, EPCM, and regulatory HSE expectations.
• Subcontractors understand and consistently meet project HSE requirements.
• Leading indicators are used to identify and reduce exposure—not simply measure activity.
• Corrective actions are closed promptly and effectively.
• Lessons learned are transferred from one project to the next.
• HSE becomes a competitive advantage in delivering projects safely, predictably, and successfully.

 What We’re Looking For

• 20 years of progressive HSE experience, preferably in industrial construction, EPC, EPCM, energy, manufacturing, heavy civil, or major capital projects.
• Significant field construction experience with demonstrated credibility among superintendents, supervisors, subcontractors, and craft personnel.
• Experience supporting multiple projects and working with construction leadership.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA and construction HSE requirements.
• Experience managing high-risk construction activities and subcontractor HSE performance.
• Demonstrated experience with incident investigation, root-cause analysis, audits, risk management, and corrective actions.
• Strong communication, coaching, influencing, and leadership skills.
• Ability to establish standards while remaining practical and execution-focused.
• Ability to challenge unsafe conditions while maintaining strong relationships with project and field leadership.
• Experience working within EPC/EPCM project delivery environments is strongly preferred.
• CSP, CHST, CIH, or comparable professional certification is preferred.
• Willingness to travel regularly to project sites.