How to hire an hse manager

How to hire an hse manager, step by step

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

What does an hse manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The hse manager hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 hse 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 hse manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of HSE Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   HSE Manager	Construction managers plan, coordinate, budget, and supervise construction projects from start to finish.	$28-58
   Development Vice President	A development vice president is in charge of overseeing the operations in a company, ensuring a smooth workflow and efficient workforce. Their responsibilities revolve around creating strategies to develop optimal procedures and services, setting goals and sales targets, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of operations to spearhead improvements, coordinating with analysts and marketing experts to assess the market and consumer needs, and monitoring the progress of different projects... Show more	$49-112
   Director Of Staff Development	Directors of Staff Development schedule and publicize staff development activities as per the established guidelines to promote professional development. They perform personnel functions to achieve budget objectives, enhance personnel productivity, and maintain adequate staffing... Show more	$24-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Regulatory Agencies
   • OSHA
   • Environmental Regulations
   • Safety Program
   • Environmental Programs
   • Regulatory Compliance
   • Safety Procedures
   • ISO
   • Corrective Action
   • EPA
   • Management System
   • Safety Culture
   • Continuous Improvement
   • NFPA

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Maintain and manage SPCC requirements as required.
   • Manage ISO 14001 and OSHAS 18001 re certification.
   • Manage the development and implementation of PSM site wide.
   • Focuse on achieving the highest levels of HSE performance through behavior-base initiatives, auditing, mentoring and expeditiously implementing change.
   • Provide oversight expertise for incident investigations, development of corrective plans and follow-up actions to prevent recurrence.
   • Conduct NFPA 70E training and other job specific training.

   More hse manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the hse manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. An hse manager 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 hse manager in Alabama may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level hse manager. Additionally, an hse manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average hse manager salary

   $85,844yearly

   $41.27 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level hse manager salary

   $60,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average hse manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$131,338	$63
   2	New York	$101,990	$49
   3	Oregon	$99,480	$48
   4	Texas	$97,013	$47
   5	Maryland	$90,785	$44
   6	North Carolina	$90,039	$43
   7	Colorado	$89,805	$43
   8	Connecticut	$86,711	$42
   9	Massachusetts	$85,731	$41
   10	New Hampshire	$85,150	$41
   11	Illinois	$82,027	$39
   12	South Carolina	$81,568	$39
   13	Virginia	$80,809	$39
   14	Ohio	$80,114	$39
   15	New Jersey	$79,852	$38
   16	Arizona	$79,181	$38
   17	Tennessee	$77,416	$37
   18	Minnesota	$75,643	$36
   19	Missouri	$74,300	$36
   20	Florida	$73,008	$35

   Average hse manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	PBF Energy	$119,951	$57.67
   2	Fluor Corporation	$111,092	$53.41	22
   3	Baker Hughes	$108,427	$52.13	1
   4	Bosch USA	$101,838	$48.96
   5	Thales	$99,350	$47.76	2
   6	Mondelēz International	$98,948	$47.57	4
   7	Elementis	$98,507	$47.36
   8	Mars	$96,129	$46.22	1
   9	Prysmian Group	$94,973	$45.66	1
   10	John Crane	$94,591	$45.48
   11	Flowserve	$94,184	$45.28
   12	Terex	$94,056	$45.22	3
   13	Dover	$92,979	$44.70	4
   14	Jacobs Engineering Group	$92,422	$44.43
   15	The Walsh Group	$89,521	$43.04	32
   16	Voith GmbH	$87,920	$42.27	2
   17	Oxford Solutions	$87,777	$42.20
   18	Knauf Insulation North America	$87,557	$42.09	2
   19	Rotork	$87,173	$41.91	7
   20	Sundt Construction	$86,877	$41.77	30

4. Writing an hse manager job description

   A good hse manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an hse manager job description:

   Hse manager job description example

   The site Safety, Security, Health & Environmental (EHS) Manager has overall responsibility for managing Safety, Security, Health & Environment improvement activities to achieve excellence at the site level. S/he works as a core member of the site Leadership Team and with site Supply Chain teams to develop the local EHS Strategy and improvement plans in order to achieve sustainable EHS excellence by reducing injuries, illnesses and environmental impact as measured in the core Key Performance Indicators.
   
   As an engaging and knowledgeable leader of your team of EHS professionals and the site security team, you provide support and commitment to and from the site leaders, our hourly associates, and our 3rd Party contract partners to foster the right culture to achieve goals.
   Additionally, you will…
   Deploy the global/cluster EHS strategy, policy and standards in the site to achieve sustainable results. Manage the EHS teams responsible to deliver Occupational Health, Safety and Environment results.
   Drive safety and environment risk assessment and develop/implement appropriate controls.
   Reduce the site's environmental impact.
   Lead the EHS Pillar in accordance with Manufacturing Excellence.
   Develop a thorough understanding of the Unilever PSM Program where applicable to assess the site PS risks and support deployment in the site and support the application of Unilever guidelines and procedures for Process Safety assessment. Influence senior management and drive safety and environmental leadership through line management.
   Monitor site legal compliance and ensure the site meets all local/national regulatory requirements and Unilever standards, provide advice on national EHS legislation requirements & implement relevant procedures and policies.
   Work closely with Occupational Health personnel to identify and mitigate risks which may lead to occupational ill health. Assist the site leader to develop and lead the internal crisis committees and safety committee; support the site leader in leading serious incident investigation and analysis. Advise line management in all accident/incident investigations. Conduct trend analysis from incidents, near misses, safe behavior observations and deep compliance audits. Develop and deploy internal EHS auditing and inspection systems, participate in audits of other Unilever organizations as required.
   Determine training needs and assist in delivery of training programs What You'll Need To Succeed
   University degree in Science or Engineering or equivalent industrial experience required Advanced degree in Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Sustainability or factory manufacturing leadership experience. At least 5 years' experience in Health, Safety and/or Environmental in a manufacturing setting. Prior Leadership with hourly or salary direct reports experience. Project Management exposure. Good knowledge of Manufacturing and Process Safety. Physical Requirement
   Must be able to work in a 24/7 factory environment, donning all necessary Personal Protective Equipment. Essential functions include, but not limited to walking , sitting, standing, climbing stairs, and exposure to varying weather conditions. What We Can Offer You Culture for Growth | Top Notch Employee Health & Well Being Benefits | Every Voice Matters | Global Reach | Life at Unilever | Careers with Purpose | World Class Career Development Programs | Check Out Our Space | Focus On Sustainability

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find hse managers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting hse 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 hse manager

   Once you've selected the best hse manager candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   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 hse 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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