How to hire an occupational health and safety environment director

How to hire an occupational health and safety environment director, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The occupational health and safety environment director 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

   An occupational health and safety environment director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, occupational health and safety environment 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.

   Here's a comparison of occupational health and safety environment director salaries for various roles:

   Type of Occupational Health And Safety Environment Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Occupational Health And Safety Environment Director	Occupational health and safety specialists analyze many types of work environments and work procedures. Specialists inspect workplaces for adherence to regulations on safety, health, and the environment... Show more	$33-64
   Director	Directors work in show business, whether in a film, a television show, or a theatre production. They are responsible for bringing the material to life... Show more	$31-92
   Safety Officer	A safety officer specializes in maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for employees in a building or establishment. Aside from adhering to the safety standards and regulations within a company, a safety officer also has to craft and improve policies that prioritize the physical and mental health of workers... Show more	$13-35

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • EHS
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Environmental Health
   • OSHA
   • Training Programs
   • Audit Programs
   • DOT
   • Environmental Safety
   • Regulatory Agencies
   • Safety Program
   • Safety Culture
   • Hazardous Materials
   • Management System
   • Occupational Safety

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Supervise on site nurses and physicians, develop and manage disability management program to include EAP referrals.
   • Implement safety standards/expectations and site-specific EHS management systems design to significantly reduce employee injuries/illnesses and risk exposure.
   • Integrate HSE into business processes, auditing and leading due diligence reviews.
   • Present HSE annual plan of operation and administer quarterly reviews for progress in the effectuated programs.
   • Assist business areas with OSHA regulations and standards, including guidance on handling OSHA compliance, inspections and citations.
   • Incorporate health, safety and environmental standards originate by OSHA and EPA in those countries where legislative initiatives are absent.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your occupational health and safety environment director job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An occupational health and safety environment director can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, occupational health and safety environment directors' average salary in kansas is 41% less than in nevada.
   • Seniority. Entry-level occupational health and safety environment directors 49% less than senior-level occupational health and safety environment directors.
   • Certifications. An occupational health and safety environment director with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an occupational health and safety environment director's salary.

   Average occupational health and safety environment director salary

   $96,556yearly

   $46.42 hourly rate

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   Entry-level occupational health and safety environment director salary

   $69,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing an occupational health and safety environment director job description

   An occupational health and safety environment 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 occupational health and safety environment director job description:

   Occupational health and safety environment director job description example

   As part of the Global HSE leadership team, the Director, Health and Safety will work with site Safety and/or HS&E coordinators/managers, as well as Resident Managers, Plant Managers, Directors/VP/SVP of Operations to ensure appropriate safety processes are in place to comply with applicable regulations, effectively protect worker health and safety, and prevent injuries. Works closely with operations and Human Resource leaders, as well as corporate Continuous Improvement, Human Resource, Legal and Risk Management leaders to develop and implement strategies to achieve sustainable improvements in safety processes at all locations and reduce the frequency and severity of recordable and lost time injuries. Leads efforts to collect, analyze, and report safety incident and compliance/performance data and responsible for continually improving this process in order to support our objective of achieving sustainable reductions in the frequency and severity of all injuries. Works closely with the Vice President, HS&E to transfer learnings and best practices throughout the Company. Provides technical guidance and management oversight direction to corporate Regional HSE managers and assists Vice President, HS&E as requested in other Company health, safety and environmental matters.
   JOB FUNCTIONS: Job functions include, but are not limited to the following.
   
   * Develop/update/communicate health and safety vision for GPI. Ensure site leadership teams understand vision and are actively pursuing activities which support the vision and GPI's safety value;
   * Lead/coach/mentor key site leaders and corporate HSE managers to drive improvements in each site's safety process. Assist senior management in ensuring an active safety process exists at each operating location, including holding key site leaders accountable for safety performance.
   * Develop/update/improve/streamline health and safety policies, programs, systems and processes and lead effort to implement throughout the company. Ensure effective processes exist to track progress, identify and address shortcomings, and provide reporting updates for senior management;
   * Establish and maintain close working relationships with operations leaders, as well as other corporate functions and senior management to ensure alignment on safety efforts throughout the Company;
   * Maintain thorough understanding of health and safety regulations/requirements and recognized as the Company's leading technical expert in this area. Stay abreast of changes to, or potential new, health and safety regulations/requirements. Provide updates to senior management as appropriate and provide clear, concise advice/direction when significant new regulations are promulgated;
   * Strive to eliminate duplicative efforts in managing the health and safety function and seek solutions which increase the efficiency and effectiveness of site health and safety managers;
   * Ensure processes are in place to appropriately transfer knowledge/successes across the Company;
   * Seek and act on opportunities to expand the use of electronic tools (such as ESDMS) to manage, track and ensure key health and safety activities are completed in a timely manner;
   * Review plans for new facilities or equipment, and modifications to existing ones, as requested, to ensure compliance with regulations;
   * Assist Vice President of HS&E in managing/overseeing safety-related work activities for corporate HS&E Managers;
   * Assist in completing special information requests from regulatory agencies and representing the Company in meeting with regulatory agencies;
   * Respond to requests by operations personnel for information or other assistance on specific health and safety matters. Review compliance procedures, regulatory reports, training programs, etc. and assist in improving/revising documentation as well as provide training; and
   * Conduct and or manage periodic safety compliance, safety process, and other on-site safety evaluations/reviews/audits. Assist/lead in developing and tracking corrective actions. Ensure progress is communicated and activities are completed in a timely manner.
   
   The above job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.
   
   BACKGROUND / EXPERIENCE:
   
   * Bachelor's degree in engineering, public health, safety or another related field. Certified Safety Professional (CSP) certification preferred.
   * Experience: Min. of 15 years operations management.
   * Experience: Min. of 3 years or leadership experience. Responsibility for multiple locations preferred.
   * Excellent communications skills (both verbal and written);
   
   EDUCATION / KNOWLEDGE:
   
   * Bachelor's Degree in related field required
   * Computer literacy in Microsoft tools (Word, Excel, Power Point, etc)
   
   SKILLS:
   
   * Operating Skills
   
   Priority Setting: Spends his/her time and the time of others on what's important; quickly zeros in on the critical few and puts the trivial many aside; can quickly sense what will help or hinder accomplishing a goals; eliminates roadblocks; creates focus
   
   Organizing: Can marshal resources (people, funding, material, support) to get things done; can orchestrate multiple activities at once to accomplish a goal; uses resources effectively and efficiently; arranges information and files in a useful manner.
   
   * Courage
   
   Conflict Management: Steps up to conflicts; seeing them as opportunities; reads situations quickly; good at focused listening; can hammer out tough agreements and settle disputes equitably; can find common ground and get corporation within minimum noise.
   
   * Energy and Drive
   
   Action Oriented: Enjoys working hard; is action oriented and full of energy for the things he/she sees as challenging; not fearful of acting with a minimum of planning; seizes more opportunities than others.
   
   Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
   
   * Organizational Positioning
   
   Organizational Agility: Knowledgeable about how organizations work; knows how to get things done both through formal channels and the informal network; understands the origin and reasoning behind key policies, practices, and procedures; understands the cultures of organizations.
   
   * Personal and Interpersonal Skills
   
   Composure: Is cool under pressure; does not become defensive or irritated when times are tough; is considered mature; can be counted on to hold things together during tough times; can handle stress; is not knocked off balance by the unexpected; doesn't show frustration when resisted or blocked; is a settling influence in a crisis.
   
   Building Effective Teams: Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in his/her team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.
   
   Managing Vision and Purpose: Communicates a compelling and inspired vision or sense of core purpose; talks beyond today; talks about possibilities; is optimistic; creates mileposts and symbols to really support behind the vision; makes the vision sharable by everyone; can inspire and motivate entire units or organizations.
   
   * Excellent communications skills (both verbal and written)
   
   SCHEDULE DEMANDS:
   
   * General schedule is an 8-hour M-F assignment, however, employee must be willing to work alternate schedules occasionally; that may include early mornings, nights, and/or weekends and be punctual while doing so.
   * Availability to travel 50 - 75%;
   * Virtual role; Location preference: Atlanta, Texas, or East Coast, U.S.
   
   PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
   
   * Sitting or standing for extended periods of time up to 8-hours.
   * Occasional Lifting up to 20 lbs.
   * Reading computer screen or other electronic devices.
   * Use of various office hand and electrical tools or equipment.
   * Ability to work safely in the manufacturing environment, including working with industrial chemicals and manufacturing machines.
   
   Required Experience
   
   At Graphic Packaging International (NYSE: GPK), we produce the box you may have poured your child's cereal from this morning, the microwaveable tray that heated your lunch, the paper cup that held your coffee throughout the day, and the carrier of those bottles of craft beer you may enjoy tonight! We're one of the largest manufacturers of paperboard and paper-based packaging for some of the world's most recognized brands of food, beverage, foodservice, household, personal care and pet care products. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, we are a team of collaborative, innovative, passionate individuals who are committed to providing consumer packaging that makes a world of difference.
   
   With almost 18,000 employees working in more than 70 locations in North and South America, Europe and the Pacific Rim, we strive to be an environmentally responsible leader in our industry and in the communities where we operate. We are committed to workplace diversity and offer compensation and benefits programs that are among the industry's best to reward the talented people who make our company successful.
   
   If this sounds like something you would like to be a part of, we'd love to hear from you. Learn more about us at www.graphicpkg.com.
   
   Inspired Packaging. A World of Difference.
   
   Graphic Packaging is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All candidates will be evaluated on the basis of their qualifications for the job in question. We do not base our employment decision on an employee's or applicant's race, color, religion, age, gender or sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic identity, genetic information, disability, veteran/military status or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal law. Click here to view the EEO is the Law Poster
   
   Nearest Major Market: Atlanta
   
   Job Segment: Compliance, Law, Safety, Electrical, Manager, Legal, Service, Engineering, Management

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5. Post your job

   To find occupational health and safety environment directors 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 occupational health and safety environment directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level occupational health and safety environment directors 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 occupational health and safety environment director job on Zippia to find and recruit occupational health and safety environment director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit occupational health and safety environment 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 occupational health and safety environment director

   Once you've found the occupational health and safety environment director 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.

   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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