Construction Safety Director

Work Location: Wilmington, NCSupervisor’s Job Title: COO/ PresidentDirect Reports:SSHOs on federal projects; future safety department staff as the program builds outPosition Summary:Our client, a growing infrastructure and construction services firm in the Southeast, is seeking a Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE) Director to build and lead an enterprise-wide safety program. This is a key leadership role reporting into executive leadership.The HSE Director will be responsible for developing and owning all safety policies, training programs, and incident management processes across a diverse portfolio of infrastructure projects. This leader will maintain a strong presence in both the office and the field, partnering closely with operations and field safety personnel.This is a true build-and-scale opportunity for someone who can establish a structured, proactive, and metrics-driven safety function aligned with company growth.Absolute Minimum Must-Have’s / Experience / Requirements:Minimum of 5 years in a safety management role in the civil construction industryProven track record running a full safety program and setting safety cultureExperience with companies of 100+ employees and $50M+ in annual revenueDemonstrated ability to lead field safety staff (SSHOs or equivalent) and experience with direct reportsStrong knowledge of OSHA standards and regulatory complianceComfortable working both in the office and on active job sites equallyNice-to-Haves:Federal project experience (EM 385-1-1 / DOD / NAVFAC / Army Corps of Engineers)Rail safety experienceCSP, CHST, ASP, or OSHA 500/510 certificationExperience building out a safety department from early stagesKey Responsibilities:Develop and standardize company-wide safety policies, procedures, and SOPs across all business units; ensure alignment across civil, federal, and rail projects; own OSHA compliance and regulatory reportingDrive behavioral-based safety culture; build and deliver scalable training programs for field and office staff; partner closely with operations leadership to embed safety into daily project workflowsLead all incident investigations, root cause analyses, and corrective action plans; manage risk mitigation strategies and ensure timely, accurate regulatory documentation across active projects; identify systemic gaps contributing to incidents and implement preventative measures across all business unitsPerformance monitoring; establish and track KPIs (TRIR, DART, EMR); implement safety reporting dashboards; identify trends and drive continuous program improvementEstablish clear structure, accountability, and ownership within the safety function, including defined reporting lines and communication cadenceManage SSHOs on federal projects; build safety department structure over time; serve as a visible, field-present safety leader across all active project sitesEnsure consistent safety oversight and coverage across all active civil and rail projects, addressing any gaps in current field supportEmbed safety into day-to-day operations by partnering closely with business unit leaders and project teamsWorking Relationships:President, Owner & CEO, CFO, civil and federal business unit leads, SSHOs and field project teamsKey Desired Business OutcomesDesired Business Outcomes / Key AccomplishmentsHow success will be measured within the first 180 daysBuild strong working relationships with the President, other leadership team members, and field SSHOsConduct a thorough audit of all existing safety policies, programs, and compliance documentation across civil and federal projectsGain full understanding of active project portfolios, field safety exposure, and current SSHO structure and capabilitiesIdentify any immediate compliance gaps, incident trends, or cultural issues requiring urgent attentionAssess field safety team capabilities; establish clear expectations, workflows, and reporting cadence with SSHOsDesired Business Outcomes / Key AccomplishmentsHow success will be measured within the first 365 daysCompany-wide safety policies and SOPs documented, standardized, and rolled out across all business unitsTRIR, DART, and EMR baselines established with a clear improvement trajectoryTraining programs built and actively running for both field and office staffField safety culture visibly improving — SSHOs engaged, near-miss reporting active, incidents trending downRecognized by the President and operations leadership as the go-to safety authority — a trusted member of the leadership team who elevated safety from reactive to strategicFully transition the safety program from reactive to proactive, with leading indicators actively driving performanceBuild and scale the safety team to support company growth, including hiring and onboarding additional personnelStandardize safety practices across civil, federal, and rail business units to ensure consistency in executionDeliver measurable improvement in safety performance through defined scorecard metrics and continuous monitoring