What are the responsibilities and job description for the Global Director, EHS position at The Gowan Co.?
Position Summary:
The Global EHS Manager is accountable for setting, governing, and enforcing the Environmental, Health & Safety strategy across Gowan globally. This role exists to fundamentally elevate safety culture, leadership accountability, and governance, ensuring that EHS is treated as a core business value and leadership responsibility.
The position is Board‑visible, transformation‑oriented, and authority‑driven. Its primary mandate is to define clear global expectations, assess performance through audits and KPIs, drive corrective action, and ensure consistent application of Life Critical Standards and regulatory compliance across all sites.
Job Status:
- Full-Time /Yuma, AZ or Adria/Aprilia/Milan, Italy
- Salaried
- Exempt
- Reports to: Global Head of Operations
- Regular interaction with: Executive Leadership Team (GLT), Board of Directors, Regional Manufacturing Directors, and Plant Managers.
- Acts as executive lead and key contributor to the EHS Governance Committee, providing transparent reporting on risks, incidents, trends, and actions.
Role Responsibilities:
1. Global EHS Governance & Authority
- Define and maintain a formal global EHS governance model, including clear escalation paths, decision rights, and accountability expectations.
- Establish global EHS policies, standards, and Life Critical Standards across all sites.
- Ensure EHS risks are explicitly reflected in enterprise risk management and Board reporting.
- Serve as the final authority on EHS matters where site, regional, or functional alignment is lacking.
2. Safety Culture & Leadership Accountability
- Drive a behavior‑based safety culture where safe performance is owned by leadership at all levels.
- Assess and influence leadership behaviors, decision‑making, and operational discipline related to safety.
- Ensure leaders are held accountable for EHS outcomes.
- Promote an environment where employees are comfortable escalating safety concerns.
3. Audits, Assessments & Performance Measurement
- Design and lead a global EHS audit and assessment program covering culture, management systems, compliance, and Life Critical Standards.
- Define and own global EHS KPIs, balancing leading and lagging indicators (e.g., TRIR, Near Miss, Severe Potential Incidents, audit findings, corrective action closure).
- Ensure consistent interpretation of results and decisive follow‑up actions.
- Validate the quality and depth of incident investigations, with particular focus on root causes related to systems, culture, and leadership.
4. Systems & Frameworks
- Own the design, deployment, and governance of the global EHS management system and digital tools (e.g., ProSapien software), ensuring they drive behavior and action.
- Ensure standardization of key processes such as:
- Incident reporting and classification
- Risk assessment & hazard controls
- Permit‑to‑work systems
- Corrective and preventive action tracking
- Observations
5. Regulatory & Compliance Leadership
- Ensure global compliance with applicable environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations.
- Monitor regulatory changes and assess implications for the business.
- Lead responses to regulatory issues, enforcement actions, or high‑risk gaps.
- Ensure compliance expectations do not vary by site or region based on local pressure or historical practices.
6. Organization, Capability & Resourcing
- Define the required EHS organizational model, competencies, and resourcing to support global expectations.
- Influence hiring, development, and succession planning for EHS roles globally.
- Act as coach and mentor to regional and site EHS leaders, while maintaining clear performance expectations.
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Safety, or related technical field.
Experience / Skills / Abilities:
Required:
- 15 years of progressive EHS experience in complex, regulated industrial environments (chemical, manufacturing, process industries preferred).
- Demonstrated success leading EHS transformation.
- Deep knowledge of Life Critical Safety, high‑hazard operations, and operational risk management.
Preferred:
- Background in global manufacturing environments with diverse regulatory regimes.
- Exposure to ISO‑based management systems (e.g., ISO 45001, 14001) as governance tools.
Job Expectations / Working Conditions:
What Success Looks Like
- Consistent application of Life Critical Standards across all sites.
- Measurable improvement in safety culture indicators and leadership engagement.
- High‑quality incident investigations with systemic root causes addressed.
- Transparent, credible EHS reporting to Executive Leadership and the Board.
- Reduced reliance on informal practices and local work‑arounds.
- EHS recognized internally as a leadership system, not a compliance function.
Key Interfaces
- Global Head of Operations
- Regional Manufacturing Leadership
- Plant Managers
- HR (for leadership accountability, culture, and capability)
- Legal / Compliance
- Internal Audit & Risk Management
- Global Leadership Team
- Board / Advisory Board (as required)
Leadership Profile:
The successful candidate will be:
- Independent in judgment.
- Comfortable challenging leadership when safety is compromised.
- Pragmatic, people‑centric, and highly credible with operators and executives.
- Focused on depth and effectiveness.
Travel
- Significant global travel expected to support assessments, leadership engagement, and site presence.