Safety Manager

Position: Health and Safety Manager

Job Code: OPHSM5 + Sr. Mgr, Safety

Location: Covington, VA

The Opportunity:

This is more than a traditional safety management role. As the Health and Safety Manager, you will serve as a key member of the mill leadership team, reporting directly to the General Manager and influencing one of our largest manufacturing operations. You will lead the site's safety strategy, champion a world-class safety culture, and drive continuous improvement programs that protect our people while supporting operational performance.

If you thrive in a visible leadership role, enjoy partnering with frontline teams, lead a professional safety team, and are passionate about creating safer, more reliable and engaged workplaces, we want to hear from you.

How you will impact Smurfit Westrock:

Lead Safety Strategy & Culture

* Develop and execute the mill's health and safety strategy, goals, metrics, and improvement initiatives.

* Champion a culture of safety excellence, accountability, learning, and continuous improvement.

* Lead implementation and sustainability of Smurfit Westrock's Safety Excellence System.

* Serve as the site leader for Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) and Learning Culture initiatives.

* Foster an environment where employees actively identify risks, learn from events and near misses, and continuously improve work systems.

Partner with Operations

* Maintain a strong presence in the field, spending approximately 60% of your time engaging employees, coaching leaders, conducting observations, and assessing risk.

* Collaborate with operations, maintenance, engineering, reliability, and environmental teams to integrate safety into business decisions and daily operations.

* Support Process Safety Management (PSM) compliance and performance.

* Lead contractor safety programs, outage safety planning, and shutdown activities.

Develop People & Build Capability

* Lead, coach, and develop a team of safety professionals.

* Partner with Occupational Health resources to support injury prevention, workers' compensation, return-to-work programs, and wellness initiatives.

* Coordinate site safety training and compliance programs.

Drive Compliance & Organizational Learning

* Ensure compliance with OSHA, NFPA, ANSI, and company standards.

* Lead incident investigations, corrective action development, and organizational learning activities.

* Serve as the primary liaison with regulatory agencies, insurance carriers, and safety-related external partners.

* Manage site safety budgets, emergency preparedness programs, and crisis response processes.

What Makes This Role Exciting

* Opportunity to shape the safety culture of a large, complex manufacturing operation

* Lead emerging Human & Organizational Performance (HOP) and Learning Team initiatives

* Direct impact on employee well-being, operational reliability, and business performance

What you need to succeed:

Required Qualifications

* Bachelor’s degree in safety, engineering, industrial hygiene, or a related technical field; equivalent safety leadership experience will be considered.

* Minimum 8+ years of progressive safety leadership experience in heavy manufacturing, pulp and paper, chemical, energy, or similar industrial environments.

* Demonstrated success leading safety teams and influencing organizational culture.

* Strong working knowledge of OSHA regulations, safety management systems, industrial hygiene principles, and regulatory compliance requirements.

* Must be an effective speaker and be able to clearly articulate complex technical and regulatory requirements in simple and understandable terms.

* Experience driving measurable improvements in safety performance and organizational culture.

* Proven ability to influence leaders and employees at all levels of the organization.

* A self-starter with a proactive mindset and the ability to work independently.

* Proficient in use of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and web-based data management systems.

* Committed to the values of Safety, Loyalty, Integrity and Respect.

Preferred Qualifications

* Certified Safety Professional (CSP) or equivalent professional certification.

* Experience with Process Safety Management (PSM).

* Experience implementing Human & Organizational Performance (HOP), Learning Teams, or operational learning programs.

Work Environment & Schedule

* Primarily Monday-Friday schedule supporting a 24/7 manufacturing operation.

* Flexibility required for emergencies, maintenance outages, investigations, and critical business needs.

* Participation in emergency response and leadership coverage teams.

* Limited travel (approximately 1-5 trips per year).

* Ability to work throughout a large industrial manufacturing facility, including production, maintenance, warehouse, utility, and outdoor environments.

Physical Requirements

* Ability to work in a heavy industrial manufacturing environment, including production, maintenance, warehouse, utility, and outdoor areas.

* Ability to walk extensively throughout the facility; climb stairs, ladders, and elevated platforms; and access industrial work areas.

* Ability to stand, bend, kneel, crouch, and perform field observations, inspections, and investigations for extended periods.

* Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 25 pounds.

* Ability to wear required PPE, including hard hats, safety glasses, hearing protection, steel-toed footwear, respirators, and fall protection equipment.

* Ability to work in varying environmental conditions, including heat, cold, humidity, dust, noise, and outdoor weather exposure.

* Visual, auditory, and communication abilities are necessary to identify hazards, conduct investigations, and effectively interact with employees and contractors.

What we offer:

* Corporate culture based on integrity, respect, accountability, and excellence.

* Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities.

* An attractive salary reflecting skills, competencies, and potential.

* Benefits package to include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401k with match, tuition reimbursement, employee discounts, employee referral bonus, and much more!

* A career with a global packaging company where Sustainability, Safety and Inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work.