How to hire an environmental health safety manager

How to hire an environmental health safety manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step environmental health safety manager 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 safety manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new environmental health safety manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an environmental health safety manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an environmental health safety manager, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect environmental health safety manager also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents environmental health safety manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of Environmental Health Safety Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Environmental Health Safety Manager	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.	$29-56
   Industrial Hygienist	An Industrial Hygienist plans and conducts health programs to educate employees about cleanliness, safety, and sanitation in the workplace. They investigate adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, and other conditions that can affect employees' health, comfort, or efficiency.	$21-49
   Safety Supervisor	A safety supervisor is responsible for monitoring the overall operations of a production, ensuring the safety and security of everyone, and enforcing strict regulations and protocols. Safety supervisors organize safety orientations and training for the workers, as well as reiterating disciplinary measures and policies and procedures during meetings... Show more	$20-47

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Environmental Health
   • EHS
   • OSHA
   • EPA
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Corrective Action
   • Ehs Management
   • Safety Program
   • Regulatory Agencies
   • Management System
   • ISO
   • Safety Regulations
   • Environmental Compliance
   • Training Programs

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Implement PSM including management of change as to better manage new equipment installations and processes.
   • Lead new chemical reviews for potential customers for storage requirements in bulk tanks (including API and NFPA requirements).
   • Implement and manage a comprehensive safety training program base on OSHA and industry specific requirements.
   • Manage the workplace ergonomics program, active response and adjustments result in negating any mandatory program requirements.
   • Focuse on achieving the highest levels of HSE performance through behavior-base initiatives, auditing, mentoring and expeditiously implementing change.
   • Develop procedures for ISO maintenance, safety and environmental programs.

   More environmental health safety manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your environmental health safety manager job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An environmental health safety manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an environmental health safety manager in South Dakota may be lower than in California, and an entry-level environmental health safety manager usually earns less than a senior-level environmental health safety manager. Additionally, an environmental health safety manager with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average environmental health safety manager salary

   $85,594yearly

   $41.15 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level environmental health safety manager salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average environmental health safety manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$127,082	$61
   2	Massachusetts	$100,694	$48
   3	Oregon	$95,034	$46
   4	South Carolina	$90,969	$44
   5	Texas	$90,160	$43
   6	West Virginia	$89,577	$43
   7	Tennessee	$87,495	$42
   8	Indiana	$81,367	$39
   9	Colorado	$78,820	$38
   10	Illinois	$77,405	$37
   11	New York	$76,477	$37
   12	Ohio	$71,270	$34
   13	Georgia	$70,770	$34
   14	Arizona	$69,941	$34
   15	Pennsylvania	$69,227	$33
   16	North Carolina	$68,899	$33
   17	Kansas	$68,591	$33
   18	Missouri	$68,473	$33
   19	Wisconsin	$61,964	$30
   20	Iowa	$59,303	$29

   Average environmental health safety manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Blue Apron	$116,755	$56.13
   2	Bunge	$116,442	$55.98	2
   3	Genentech	$112,781	$54.22
   4	OraSure Technologies	$106,117	$51.02
   5	Autodesk	$105,557	$50.75
   6	Walmart	$104,237	$50.11	6
   7	The TJX Companies	$103,378	$49.70	3
   8	OMNOVA Solutions	$100,249	$48.20
   9	Koch Industries	$99,036	$47.61
   10	Cargill	$96,467	$46.38	11
   11	Constellation Brands	$95,639	$45.98
   12	Ericsson	$95,292	$45.81
   13	Sempra Energy	$95,209	$45.77
   14	Savi Technology	$93,576	$44.99	6
   15	Micron Technology	$92,903	$44.66	4
   16	The Wonderful Company	$92,680	$44.56	5
   17	Harsco	$91,911	$44.19
   18	NuVasive	$91,668	$44.07
   19	Plug Power	$91,543	$44.01	1
   20	Corning Incorporated	$90,553	$43.54	8

4. Writing an environmental health safety manager job description

   A job description for an environmental health safety manager role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an environmental health safety manager job description:

   Environmental health safety manager job description example

   At Materion, everyone is included, respected and offered opportunity to grow. Join us!
   
   Reporting to the Director of Quality , the Environmental, Health, and Safety Manager will plan, administer, and supervise ongoing environmental, safety, and health programs in accordance with the OSHA, EPA requirements and applicable federal, state and local regulations as well as Materion's EHS systems, processes and programs.
   You will have the Opportunity to:Ensure compliance of EHS policies to comply with local, state, and federal regulations. Formulate, document and maintain general safety, health and environmental policies.Overall environmental management responsibility for compliance with state and federal governing agencies including wastewater management.Lead investigations of all serious accidents and injuries making recommendations for corrective action to management.Maintain an on-going accident prevention program. Inspect and tour facility to detect existing or potential accident and health hazards and recommend corrective or preventative action.Support the ISO 14001 certification program.Develop budgets and manage activities to accomplish financial objectives. This will include continuous improvement measures that will increase overall productivity within the organization, while reducing costs.Oversee the management, handling, storage, and shipment of hazardous waste generated. Assure that all aspects of this management are in total compliance with all Federal, State and Local Laws.Coordinates and manages training for first responders, emergency situations, and waste handling per Department of Environmental Protection and Environmental Protection Agency. Deliver in person training to various staff members for effective learning and application Monitors air and groundwater emissions per Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. REQUIREMENTSBachelor's degree in a relevant field Minimum of 6 years experience in designing/managing programs aimed at ensuring compliance with federal and state regulatory EHS agencies Previous experience leading the EHS function at a site level Proven success partnering with management and various stakeholders when leading an EHS function Minimum of 6 years of experience working as a hands on EHS Manager in a manufacturing setting Ability and willingness to be hands on, spending time in manufacturing settings, working with various employees at all levels of the organization Knowledge of ISO 14001 programs in similar environment preferred Experience leading EHS change management, included developing process, training and sustaining continuous improvement efforts
   
   The selection of the person to be hired for this position is contingent on the candidate having export compliance eligibility for access to U.S. controlled technology which comes under the licensing jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of State, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
   
   The candidate selected will have to qualify as either a U.S. citizen, a U.S. National, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., a Person Admitted into the U.S. as an Asylee or Refugee., a National of a country that is not prohibited from having access to U.S. controlled technology (via a letter of assurance), or a Person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on Materion's determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with Materion's business requirements.
   
   Materion Corporation and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) is an equal employment opportunity employer. It is the Company's policy to not unlawfully discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances. The Company also prohibits harassment of applicants and employees based on any of these protected categories. It is also the Company's policy to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws respecting consideration of unemployment status in making hiring decisions. The information collected by this application is solely to determine suitability for employment, verify identity and maintain employment statistics on applicants.
   
   Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on the Company. Please inform the Company's personnel representative if you need assistance completing any forms or to otherwise participate in the application process.
   
   Please provide complete information. An incomplete application may affect your consideration for employment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find environmental health safety managers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any environmental health safety managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level environmental health safety managers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting environmental health safety managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 safety manager

   Once you've found the environmental health safety manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new environmental health safety manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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