EHS Manager

Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Manager

Location: Oakbrook Terrace, IL (hybrid; onsite Tues-Thurs)

Reports to: SVP, Operations

Position Overview:

Trillium Foods is seeking an Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Manager to establish and lead all aspects of EHS across the organization. This role will be responsible for building out a new EHS function at Trillium, serving as a one-person department tasked with developing policies, processes, and systems from the ground up.

The EHS Manager will ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local safety and environmental regulations, drive a proactive safety culture, and build sustainability practices across the company. This individual will be the primary point of contact with JJ Keller, our EHS managed services partner, and will also work closely with plant leadership to identify and develop EHS coordinators at each facility to support site-level execution.

The role is based in Chicago, IL (HQ) and requires periodic travel to Trillium Foods facilities in Brundidge, AL; Lancaster, PA; and Cincinnati, OH.

Key Responsibilities:

EHS Leadership & Department Build-Out

• Establish and lead Trillium’s EHS function.
• Build out EHS processes, training, and standards to ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, DOT, and other applicable regulations.
• Partner with plant leadership to designate an EHS coordinator at each facility and support their training and development.
• Serve as the primary liaison with JJ Keller for compliance tracking, training programs, audits, and reporting.
• Conduct audits, inspections, and risk assessments across all Trillium Foods locations.

Training & Culture Building

• Develop and deliver required training with JJ Keller support, ensuring onboarding and ongoing EHS education for all employees.
• Foster a strong, proactive safety culture across all plants and corporate offices.
• Promote employee engagement and reporting to identify hazards and improve workplace safety.

Incident Management & Reporting

• Lead investigations of accidents, incidents, and near misses, implementing corrective and preventive actions.
• Maintain accurate reporting, metrics, and documentation for injuries, illnesses, and environmental compliance.
• Provide EHS performance updates and recommendations to executive leadership.

Continuous Improvement & Sustainability

• Monitor EHS trends and implement initiatives to reduce risk and enhance safety.
• Drive environmental sustainability efforts, including waste reduction, energy efficiency, and regulatory compliance.
• Benchmark industry best practices and position Trillium as a leader in food manufacturing EHS standards.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Occupational Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Engineering, or a related field.
• 5 years of progressive EHS experience, ideally in food manufacturing or consumer packaged goods (CPG).
• Strong working knowledge of OSHA, EPA, DOT, and other applicable regulations.
• Experience building or significantly expanding an EHS program or department.
• Prior experience with third-party managed EHS services.
• Strong leadership, communication, and influencing skills with the ability to partner across sites and corporate functions.
• Analytical, problem-solving, and reporting skills with demonstrated use of EHS metrics.
• Ability to travel up to 30–40% to plant sites.

Trillium Foods provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.