Environmental Health & Safety Director

AIR Control Concepts • Full-time • Richmond, Virginia • 6d ago

Job Title: Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Director
Job Location: Richmond VA or Norfolk VA
Travel: Approximately 40-50%
FLSA Status: Exempt
Salary Range: $125-150k Bonus Eligible

Director, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS)

About AIR:
AIR Control Concepts is a leading commercial HVAC platform comprised of more than 55 operating companies across North America and Europe. Through our family of best-in-class businesses, we provide engineered solutions, HVAC equipment, controls, service, building automation, and lifecycle support to customers across commercial, healthcare, industrial, education, data center, and institutional markets.
Backed by Blackstone, AIR is one of the fastest-growing HVAC platforms in North America, driven by both organic growth and strategic acquisitions. As we continue to expand, safety remains one of our core values and a critical component of our operational excellence.

Position Summary:
The Director of Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) is responsible for developing, leading, and continuously improving AIR's enterprise-wide safety strategy across more than 55 operating companies throughout the United States and Canada.
This executive leadership role partners closely with Operating Company Presidents, Regional Vice Presidents, Operations leaders, Human Resources, Risk Management, Fleet, Facilities, and Executive Leadership to establish a world-class safety culture while ensuring compliance with OSHA, provincial, state, local, and environmental regulations.
The Director will provide both strategic leadership and operational support, driving consistency across operating companies while respecting the entrepreneurial culture that makes AIR successful. The position will focus on reducing injuries, improving employee engagement, strengthening regulatory compliance, lowering workers' compensation costs, improving EMR performance, and creating scalable safety programs that support AIR's continued growth through acquisition.

Essential Responsibilities:
Enterprise Safety Leadership
Partner with operating company leadership to:

Establish annual safety objectives and performance metrics.
Develop and execute AIR's enterprise-wide Environmental Health & Safety strategy.
Establish standardized safety policies, procedures, and best practices across all operating companies.
Build a proactive, employee-driven safety culture focused on prevention and accountability.
Lead the enterprise Safety Committee and regional safety councils.

Regulatory Compliance & Governance

Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, DOT, provincial, state, and local regulations.
Develop enterprise standards for regulatory compliance across all operating companies.
Monitor changing regulatory requirements and implement necessary updates.
Oversee OSHA recordkeeping, reporting, and compliance processes.
Serve as the corporate subject matter expert for safety and environmental compliance.

Risk Management & Operational Excellence

Analyze injury trends and identify enterprise-wide opportunities for risk reduction.
Develop programs that reduce TRIR, DART, workers' compensation claims, vehicle accidents, and property losses.
Lead significant incident investigations, root cause analyses, and corrective action initiatives.
Partner with Insurance, Legal, HR, and Operations on claims management and loss prevention strategies.

Field Operations & Fleet Safety

Establish safety standards for field technicians, construction sites, warehouses, fabrication facilities, and offices.
Lead fleet safety initiatives, driver qualification programs, MVR reviews, and vehicle accident reduction efforts.
Standardize contractor safety qualification processes.
Develop jobsite inspection and field audit programs.

Training & Leadership Development

Develop enterprise safety leadership training for supervisors, managers, and executives.
Standardize onboarding and recurring safety training across all operating companies.
Ensure compliance with required certifications and continuing education.
Coach operating company leadership on safety accountability and performance improvement.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Lead EHS due diligence for acquisitions.
Evaluate safety programs, compliance risks, OSHA history, workers' compensation performance, and environmental liabilities.
Develop post-acquisition safety integration plans.
Standardize newly acquired companies into AIR's safety management system.

Data Analytics & Reporting

Develop executive dashboards and KPIs including:
- Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR)
- DART Rate
- EMR
- Workers' Compensation Costs
- Lost Time Claims
- Near Miss Reporting
- Vehicle Incidents
- Safety Training Completion
- Corrective Action Closure Rates
Present monthly and quarterly safety performance to Executive Leadership and the Board.

Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in - Occupational Safety, Environmental Health, Engineering, Operations, Industrial Hygiene, or related field.
7-10+ years of progressive EHS leadership experience.
Experience leading multi-site safety programs across geographically dispersed operations.
Strong knowledge of OSHA, DOT, EPA, and applicable Canadian safety regulations.
Experience supporting construction, mechanical service, manufacturing, industrial, or commercial contracting organizations.
Demonstrated success reducing injury rates and improving safety culture.
Experience supporting acquisition integration preferred.
Experience in a private equity-backed organization strongly preferred.
Excellent executive communication and leadership skills.

Preferred Certifications:

Certified Safety Professional (CSP)
Associate Safety Professional (ASP)
Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH)
CHST
OSHA 500
OSHA 510

Travel:
Approximately 40–50% travel throughout the United States and Canada.

Success Measures:
Within the first 24 months, this leader will be expected to:

Standardized safety programs across all operating companies.
Improve enterprise safety culture and accountability.
Reduce recordable injuries and lost-time incidents.
Improve EMR performance.
Reduce workers' compensation costs.
Develop enterprise safety dashboards and executive reporting.
Successfully integrate acquired companies into AIR's safety management framework.
Build a scalable EHS function capable of supporting AIR's continued acquisition strategy and IPO readiness.

Benefits:
We offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package, including:

Health & Wellness – Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage to support your well-being.
Financial Security – 401(k) retirement plan with company match and short/long-term disability coverage.
Work-Life Balance – Paid time off (PTO), paid holidays, and an employee assistance program (EAP).
Professional Development – Ongoing training opportunities and support for continuing education.

The Company provides equal employment opportunity in accordance with applicable laws and prohibits discrimination and harassment. Employment decisions are based on business needs and qualifications.  
The Company complies with disability laws and provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals. 