Senior EHS Manager in Fargo, North Dakota at Red River Commodities

Red River Commodities is a leading processor of sunflower seeds and specialty grains, specializing in high-quality, nutritious food products. We pride ourselves on our sustainable practices, innovation, and commitment to delivering superior products to our customers. Our team shares core values focused on quality, innovation, responsibility, and community. We work hard, play harder, embrace authenticity, and always support one another to achieve our goals.

Location: 501 42nd St, N, Fargo, ND 58102

Position Summary

The Senior EHS Manager is responsible for leading and executing the company’s environmental, health, and safety (EHS) strategy across multiple food manufacturing facilities. This role drives a proactive safety culture focused on regulatory compliance, injury prevention, continuous improvement, operational excellence, and employee engagement. The Senior EHS Manager partners closely with plant leadership, operations, maintenance, HR, quality, and corporate leadership to ensure consistent implementation of safety programs and best practices across all locations.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader with strong food manufacturing experience, expertise in OSHA compliance, and a proven ability to influence safety performance in fast-paced, KPI-driven environments.

Key Responsibilities

Safety Leadership & Culture

• Lead the development and implementation of company-wide EHS strategies, initiatives, and standards across multiple manufacturing sites.
• Promote a behavior-based safety culture emphasizing accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership regarding safety performance, risk mitigation, and compliance initiatives.
• Coach and mentor plant-level safety professionals and operational leaders.
• Drive employee involvement through safety committees, recognition programs, and training initiatives.

Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations including OSHA, EPA, DOT, and food manufacturing safety standards.
• Maintain current knowledge of evolving regulatory requirements and industry best practices.
• Lead internal audits, inspections, and compliance assessments across all facilities.
• Coordinate and manage regulatory inspections and responses to citations or corrective actions.

Risk Management & Incident Prevention

• Develop and implement programs focused on hazard identification, risk assessment, and injury prevention.
• Lead incident investigations, root cause analyses, and corrective action implementation.
• Monitor and analyze safety metrics, trends, and leading indicators to identify improvement opportunities.
• Oversee management of workers’ compensation, return-to-work programs, and injury reduction strategies.
• Ensure effective contractor safety management programs are in place.

Training & Development

• Develop and deliver safety training programs for employees, supervisors, and leadership teams.
• Ensure compliance with required safety certifications and training documentation.
• Standardize safety onboarding processes across all facilities.
• Support leadership development related to safety accountability and safe work practices.

Operational Excellence

• Partner with operations and engineering teams on capital projects, equipment installations, and process improvements to ensure safe design and implementation.
• Experience with IQ-OQ-PQ process preferred
• Support continuous improvement initiatives using Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies.
• Establish and monitor KPIs related to safety performance, compliance, and operational effectiveness.
• Develop and manage departmental budgets and safety-related expenditures.

Environmental & Sustainability Support

• Oversee environmental compliance programs including waste management, air permits, wastewater, hazardous materials, and chemical management.
• Support sustainability initiatives and environmental stewardship programs.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Health, Industrial Hygiene, Engineering, or related field required
• Relevant experience will be considered.

Experience

• 5–10+ years of progressive EHS leadership experience in manufacturing environments.
• Minimum 3 years of multi-site safety management experience preferred.
• Strong experience within food manufacturing, dairy, grain processing, or consumer packaged goods manufacturing required.
• Proven success leading safety culture transformation initiatives in KPI-driven operations.

Knowledge & Skills

• Extensive knowledge of OSHA regulations and EHS compliance standards.
• Strong understanding of food manufacturing operations, equipment, and production environments.
• Experience with behavior-based safety programs and risk management systems.
• Excellent leadership, communication, coaching, and influencing skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Experience managing audits, inspections, and corrective action programs.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in fast-paced environments.

Certifications Preferred

• CSP (Certified Safety Professional)
• CHMM or other relevant certifications preferred

Work Environment & Travel

• Occasional travel to one out of state manufacturing facility is required (approximately 10-15%) with regular travel to local facilities.
• Ability to work in food production environments including exposure to temperature variations, noise, and manufacturing equipment.
• Occasional off-shift or weekend work may be required to support operations.

Company Benefits:

At Red River Commodities, we value our employees and are committed to providing a supportive and rewarding work environment. As a member of our team, you will enjoy a competitive salary, comprehensive health benefits, and opportunities for career growth and development. Below are some additional benefits that we offer.

• On-demand pay available through Tapcheck
• Paid time off
• Paid Holidays
• 401k & company match
• Profit Sharing
• Employee Assistance Program

Red River Commodities and its subsidiaries are an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This applies to all employment practices within our organization. Red River Commodities makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

We are committed to maintaining a legal and compliant workplace. As part of our hiring process, Red River Commodities participates in the E-Verify program.