How to hire an environmental health and safety director

How to hire an environmental health and safety director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step environmental health and safety director hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an environmental health and safety director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new environmental health and safety director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an environmental health and safety director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the environmental health and safety director you need to hire. Certain environmental health and safety director roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An environmental health and safety director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, environmental health and safety directors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of environmental health and safety directors.

   Type of Environmental Health And Safety Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Environmental Health And Safety Director	Health and safety engineers develop procedures and design systems to prevent people from getting sick or injured and to keep property from being damaged. They combine knowledge of systems engineering and of health and safety to make sure that chemicals, machinery, software, furniture, and other consumer products will not cause harm to people or damage to buildings.	$32-60
   EHS Manager	An environmental health safety (EHS) manager is in charge of developing and implementing safety programs for a company's workforce and work environment. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting regular inspections to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations, devising preventive measures, spearheading training and seminars, and investigating workplace accidents and identify causes to ensure that it would not happen again... Show more	$33-61
   EHS Coordinator	An EHS coordinator develops and organizes environmental health and safety (EHS) programs and protocols in a company. They typically perform research and analysis to determine the ideal practices, gather and analyze data to identify problem areas and their corresponding solutions, spearheading information drives within the company, and coordinating with different departments... Show more	$20-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Environmental Health
   • EHS
   • OSHA
   • Continuous Improvement
   • EPA
   • Ehs Management
   • Risk Management
   • Corrective Action
   • Environmental Compliance
   • Regulatory Agencies
   • Management System
   • Oversight
   • Safety Program
   • Regulatory Compliance

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Achieve world-class incident rate of less than .9 and recognize as an industry leader by MSHA.
   • Achieve OHSAS 18,001 team certification (British standard as there are no ISO standards as yet for safety).
   • Lead successful turn-around of EHS and laboratory functions by restructuring operations and employing more cost-effective programs and treatment technologies.
   • Focuse on achieving the highest levels of HSE performance through behavior-base initiatives, auditing, mentoring and expeditiously implementing change.
   • Establish company-wide OSHA compliant safety training programs.
   • Model include program management, oversight, staffing, metrics, communication and a sustainability strategy.

   More environmental health and safety director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the environmental health and safety director job description is a good way to get more applicants. An environmental health and safety director salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an environmental health and safety director in Missouri may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level environmental health and safety director. Additionally, an environmental health and safety director with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average environmental health and safety director salary

   $92,063yearly

   $44.26 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level environmental health and safety director salary

   $67,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average environmental health and safety director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$120,282	$58
   2	Louisiana	$115,981	$56
   3	Pennsylvania	$100,713	$48
   4	Massachusetts	$100,371	$48
   5	Ohio	$99,240	$48
   6	Texas	$98,767	$47
   7	New York	$98,232	$47
   8	Maryland	$97,782	$47
   9	Colorado	$90,635	$44
   10	Michigan	$90,447	$43
   11	Minnesota	$88,868	$43
   12	Virginia	$86,433	$42
   13	New Jersey	$83,720	$40
   14	Illinois	$79,593	$38
   15	Kentucky	$77,348	$37
   16	Indiana	$76,927	$37
   17	Florida	$76,513	$37
   18	North Carolina	$74,123	$36
   19	Alaska	$70,948	$34
   20	Georgia	$69,102	$33

   Average environmental health and safety director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	School of Visual Concepts	$140,053	$67.33
   2	Entegris	$105,056	$50.51
   3	Savi Technology	$100,689	$48.41	4
   4	Cargill	$96,924	$46.60	11
   5	Bosch USA	$96,376	$46.33
   6	Wabtec Corporation	$96,255	$46.28	3
   7	Firefly Aerospace	$95,536	$45.93
   8	Catalent Pharma Solutions	$94,526	$45.45
   9	Direct Energy	$93,474	$44.94
   10	PCB Piezotronics	$93,307	$44.86
   11	Church & Dwight Co.	$93,229	$44.82
   12	L3Harris	$92,229	$44.34	10
   13	NuVasive	$91,055	$43.78
   14	Randstad North America, Inc.	$88,953	$42.77
   15	Orora	$88,768	$42.68
   16	Solid Power	$88,750	$42.67
   17	Delta Faucet Of Oklahoma Inc	$88,684	$42.64	1
   18	BioLabs	$88,684	$42.64
   19	Crusoe Energy Systems	$88,683	$42.64	2
   20	Nexamp	$88,682	$42.64

4. Writing an environmental health and safety director job description

   An environmental health and safety director job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an environmental health and safety director job description:

   Environmental health and safety director job description example

   
   The Role and Responsibilities
   The client site located in Marlborough, MA is a manufacturing and research site which is part of the Semiconductor Technologies business with the Electronics and Industrial division. We are seeking a motivated professional Environmental Specialist to lead site environmental compliance, environmental improvement programs, and be a key member of the Site Environmental, Health, and Safety (EH&S) Team. The site employs approximately 450 employees and a large number of support contractors. The Site is a world class manufacturing facility providing chemistries that enable the semiconductor and electronics industries to develop next generation devices.

   Key Responsibilities

   Serve as the technical expert on matters relating to the site’s air pollution control, water and waste infrastructure, associated regulatory compliance programs, and emissions.

   Prepare permit applications including renewals and modifications.

   Interpret local, state and federal environmental regulations then develop and implement environmental compliance programs, inspections, and guidance documents to ensure site compliance.

   Verify accuracy of emission calculations and estimates for routine emissions as well as maintenance, startup and shutdown emissions.

   Maintain and submit accurate compliance reports and records.

   Develop and provide technical guidance and best practices to various departments regarding their responsibilities to the environmental program.

   Monitor and report environmental compliance metrics on program effectiveness to site leadership team and associated teams

   Collaborate with Engineering and Operations during the design and installation phase of facilities to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.

   Build effective relationships with regulatory bodies, laboratories, and service providers for regulatory compliance program.

   Host regulatory site visits and inspections.

   Drive incident investigations to identify root cause and corrective/preventive actions

   Conduct internal 1st Party Audits and Field Environmental Assessments to ensure compliance with DuPont Standards and Federal, State and Local regulations.

   Develop and deliver professional meeting presentations to stakeholders including regulators and other officials.

   Be a visual presence on the production floor and provide counsel, advice and support to other functions on all safety, health and environmental and security related matters.

   Ensure compliance with company and site policies.

   Supports the management of change (MOC) process as a change owner, subject matter specialist (safety) and change action owner.

   Conduct facility training sessions as it relates to Air, Water and Waste regulations to ensure compliance and enhanced awareness.

   Qualifications

   Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science, Engineering, Chemistry or a related technical degree from an accredited program.

   Minimum 5 years applicable experience showing proficiency in permitting and compliance along with multimedia environmental compliance audits, and environmental management systems, (preferred experience working in the state of Massachusetts).

   Superior technical writing abilities.

   Expert knowledge of federal, state, and local air regulations

   Ability to establish effective working relationships with contractors, co-workers, and other professionals.

   Ability to clearly and effectively present complex information to all levels of employees, management, and regulators.

   Proficiency in the use of computer software (i.e., Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

   Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science, Engineering, Chemistry or a related technical degree from an accredited program.

   • Minimum 5 years of experience showing proficiency in permitting and compliance along with multimedia environmental compliance audits, and environmental management systems.

   Proficiency in the use of computer software (i.e., Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

   Experience in Technical Writing.

   NICE TO HAVE:

   Preferred experience working in the state of Massachusetts

   Expert knowledge of federal, state, and local air regulations

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right environmental health and safety director for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with environmental health and safety directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit environmental health and safety directors who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your environmental health and safety director job on Zippia to find and recruit environmental health and safety director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit environmental health and safety directors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new environmental health and safety director

   Once you have selected a candidate for the environmental health and safety director position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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