Environmental Health and Safety Director at Russell Landscape – Sugar Hill, Georgia

The Director of Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) is the owner of all safety strategy, compliance, and execution across the organization. This role is responsible for architecting and operationalizing a best-in-class safety culture that minimizes risk, ensures regulatory compliance, and drives measurable performance outcomes. The EHS Director will operate as a strategic business partner to operations, field leadership, and Branch Safety Leaders—ensuring safety is embedded into every layer of the organization. This role requires a hands-on, field-oriented leader with a strong bias for action, continuous improvement, and accountability.

Key Responsibilities:

Safety Strategy & Execution

· Own and lead the company-wide EHS strategy, aligning safety initiatives with organizational growth objectives.

· Build and scale a proactive safety culture that shifts the organization from reactive compliance to predictive risk management.

· Establish and track KPIs (TRIR, DART, incident frequency/severity, near-miss reporting) with clear accountability frameworks.

· Drive standardization of safety policies, procedures, and best practices across all regions and branches.

Compliance & Risk Management

· Ensure full compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local safety regulations (OSHA and multi-state requirements).

· Lead all incident investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective action planning.

· Oversee audits, inspections, and regulatory interactions; serve as the primary point of contact for safety-related inquiries.

· Mitigate organizational risk through data-driven safety programs and continuous monitoring.

Field Partnership & Leadership

· Partner directly with Branch Safety Leaders to drive consistent execution of safety programs in the field.

· Conduct routine site visits, safety audits, and field observations to ensure standards are being met.

· Hold field leadership accountable for safety performance, coaching where needed and escalating when necessary.

· Build scalable safety training programs tailored to field operations and workforce dynamics.

Training & Development

· Develop and deploy enterprise-wide safety training programs, including leadership development for safety accountability.

· Lead safety communications, campaigns, and engagement initiatives to reinforce a culture of ownership.

· Ensure all employees understand expectations, risks, and their role in maintaining a safe work environment.

Travel Requirements

This role requires significant travel (50–70%) to branch locations and job sites to ensure consistent field execution and leadership presence.

Qualifications & Competencies:

• 8–12+ years of progressive EHS leadership experience, preferably in multi-site or field-based environments.
• Proven track record of building and scaling safety programs across geographically dispersed teams.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA regulations and multi-state compliance requirements.
• Experience partnering with HR and operations leadership in a matrixed organization.
• Professional certifications preferred (e.g., CSP, ASP, CHST).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel; experience with dashboards/analytics tools preferred)
• Valid state driver’s license; ability to pass DOT requirements.

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