Director of Environmental Health & Safety

GridStor • Full-time • Portland, Oregon • 4w ago

Company Overview:

GridStor develops, constructs, and operates battery energy storage projects that improve grid reliability and power economic growth across North America. Backed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, GridStor today manages a pipeline of over 3 GW of battery storage projects in later-stage development, active construction, and commercial operations. We work as one team, share learnings across functions, and outperform in how we deliver, optimize, and operate. Our reliability earns trust with customers, partners, and investors—and sets us apart.

GridStor is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with regional offices in Denver, Colorado and Los Angeles, California. We offer competitive compensation and a wide selection of benefits, including unlimited paid time off. Read more about life at GridStor at: https://gridstor.com/careers/

Role Summary:
GridStor is seeking a Director of Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) to serve as the National Safety Director, providing enterprise-wide leadership and oversight of safety programs across:

Construction (EPC and contractor-led construction activities)
Operations (owned and operated assets and third-party O&M providers)
Corporate (office and offsite work environments)

This role is responsible for maintaining and continuously improving GridStor’s EHS governance framework, including the EHS Policy, Health and Safety Management System (HSMS) / Injury and Illness Prevention Plan (IIPP), and supporting programs. The Director will lead the Safety Leadership Working Group and drive consistent performance assurance through training, audits, incident management, and KPI reporting. The ideal candidate approaches safety as a core business function, integrating EHS performance into project execution, operational readiness, and asset management to enable the safe, reliable, and cost-effective delivery of GridStor’s portfolio. This individual will be a pragmatic, execution-oriented leader who can translate policy and regulatory requirements into scalable, field-ready programs; drive accountability across internal teams and external partners; and proactively identify risks to schedule, cost, and reputation before they materialize. The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong bias toward continuous improvement, data-driven decision-making, and cross-functional alignment, ensuring that safety outcomes directly support GridStor’s growth, capital efficiency, and long-term asset performance.

Key Responsibilities:

1) Enterprise EHS Governance & Leadership (National Safety Director)

Maintain overall responsibility and authority for effective implementation of GridStor’s HSMS/IIPP and associated procedures/programs; ensure current documents are maintained and accessible on GridStor’s network.

Define, document, and communicate EHS roles and responsibilities across Corporate, Construction, and Operations organizations.

Provide health & safety technical advice to senior leaders on applicable regulations and requirements (interpretation, recordkeeping applicability, etc.).

Lead routine safety communications to the organization (incidents, lessons learned, new/revised procedures, performance status) and reinforce Stop Work Authority expectations.

Facilitate safety initiatives with the Senior Management Team / Executive Safety Council and maintain associated records, decisions, and follow-ups.

2) Safety Leadership Working Group Coordination

Chair and coordinate the Safety Leadership Working Group to develop recommendations for improvements to safety programs and provide business-specific safety information (Corporate, Construction, Operations).

Drive cross-functional alignment on program effectiveness, corrective actions, and continuous improvement priorities across the three safety categories.

3) Performance Assurance, KPI Reporting & Systems

Own and continuously improve GridStor’s leading/lagging safety metrics framework (e.g., audits/inspections, observations, training compliance, incident reporting, and related KPI rollups used for management and board-level reporting).

Ensure consistent incident classification and OSHA recordkeeping determinations; review incident reports to confirm recordability criteria are applied correctly.

Lead implementation and ongoing use of GridStor’s safety reporting platform approach, including workflows for inspections/audits, incidents, and observations across Corporate Office, construction sites, and operations environments.

4) Construction Safety Program Oversight

Provide owner-level oversight of construction safety requirements for EPC projects, including monitoring contractor compliance, audit programs, and corrective action follow-through.

Partner with Construction leadership and project teams to ensure safety expectations are embedded into execution planning, field routines, and performance reporting.

Leverage qualified third-party safety resources/consultants as needed to augment audits, program verification, and field oversight.

5) Operations Safety Program Oversight (Owner/Operator & Third-Party O&M)

Establish consistent safety oversight expectations for operating assets and O&M partners, including audit cadence, training compliance expectations, and incident/near-miss reporting.

Ensure core “control of work” expectations are reinforced through training, documented procedures, and verification mechanisms.

6) Corporate (Office/Remote) Safety Program Oversight

Conduct or delegate periodic workplace safety inspections; track findings to closure and verify effectiveness.

Periodically review and maintain office emergency action plans and related preparedness materials.

Oversee corporate safety onboarding and recurring training assignments; maintain training documentation and compliance status reporting.

7) Incident Management, Investigations & Corrective Actions

Ensure effective incident notification, investigation quality, corrective action tracking, and lessons-learned communication across Corporate, Construction, and Operations.

Identify systemic trends and drive program changes to prevent recurrence, aligned with performance assurance and continuous improvement expectations.

Qualifications & Competencies:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in safety, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Engineering, Engineering, Construction Management, or related field (Master’s preferred).
Experience: 10+ years of progressive EHS leadership experience supporting complex field operations (construction and/or operations) and corporate environments.
Demonstrated experience building and operating EHS management systems and safety governance programs across multi-site or multi-region organizations.
Demonstrated performance as a pragmatic, execution-oriented leader who can translate policy and regulatory requirements into scalable, field-ready programs.
Deep working knowledge of OSHA requirements and incident recordkeeping; strong capability in audits, investigations, and corrective actions.
Prefer experience in power, renewables, energy storage, industrial services, or other high-hazard infrastructure environments.
Prefer experience implementing or operating safety reporting systems and dashboards (including field/mobile workflows).
Location & Availability: Must be based in Portland and available to work hybrid schedule, with ability to travel to project and partner sites regularly (~25%). Will consider remote for preferred candidate.
Organizational Skills: Exceptional organizational abilities with keen attention to detail. Capable of managing multiple tasks simultaneously in a fast-paced environment and seeing delegated projects through to completion.
Adaptability: Ability to be agile and flexible, readily taking on tasks outside the typical scope of the role as needed.
Confidentiality: Proven ability to handle highly confidential information with utmost discretion.
Integrity & Judgment: Strong track record of excellent judgment and integrity in previous roles.
Technical Proficiency: Demonstrated proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite and TEAMS.
Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Problem-Solving: Adaptable, with the ability to prioritize tasks effectively and approach challenges with a creative, proactive mindset.
Team Orientation: Highly motivated to support and collaborate with team members, contributing to collective success.

Compensation and Benefits:

GridStor offers an attractive Total Rewards package, including:
- Competitive base salaries commensurate with experience with an annual cash bonus (based on Company and individual performance)
- Generous paid leave
- Employee participation in Long Term Incentive Plan
- Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, including coverage for domestic partners and eligible domestic partner children
- HSA/FSA for participating employees
- 401(k) plan with company match and immediate vesting
- Continuing education and professional development
- Cellphone reimbursement, hybrid work environment, healthy snacks, volunteer opportunities, company outings, and more.

Company Operating Principles:
GridStor’s Operating Principles represent who we are, how we work, and what we believe.

We Collaborate. We believe trust is given, not earned. We honor each other’s zone of genius and seek to challenge ideas, not each other. We listen to each other’s points of view and work hard to find the better solution. We are one team.

We Are Humble. We like hard work, but don’t make work hard. We know we have a lot to learn and never grandstand or take up all the space in the room. We are kind. We are welcoming. We are inspired by our mission to decarbonize the grid.

We Create the Future. We are curious. We go deep, search for the best idea, and then move fast. We always focus on the few things that matter most. We know there will be setbacks, so we show up every day ready to learn and be better, together.

We Show Up for Each Other. We keep each other fully informed. We seek to understand. We coach, we don’t blame. We share our points of view and seek to make each other better every day. We believe everyone creates culture in every moment, every day.

We Do Hard Things. We view challenges as opportunities. We are resilient. We are all owners, and we act like it. We understand change requires taking risks and we push ourselves and our partners. We do what is right as opposed to what might be best for any one of us.

Apply online at www.gridstor.com/careers