EHS Director Recruiters
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EHS directors accountable for risk across a manufacturing group. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Manufacturing only
- We reach people who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
The hiring decision
What makes this hire work on your plant floor?
An EHS director carries risk that reaches beyond one plant: serious injury potential, environmental liability, insurance relationships and the company's reputation with regulators and customers. The hard part is finding someone who has led a system across several plants and has actually reduced severe injury exposure, rather than someone who maintained a set of policies.
EHS directors accountable for risk across a manufacturing group.
An EHS director carries risk that reaches beyond one plant: serious injury potential, environmental liability, insurance relationships and the company's reputation with regulators and customers. The hard part is finding someone who has led a system across several plants and has actually reduced severe injury exposure, rather than someone who maintained a set of policies. Owners also need a leader who can speak to a board or an investor about risk plainly.
Title and scope vary. A director at a three-plant company may still do audits personally. A director at a larger group manages regional managers and rarely visits floors. We look at whether the candidate has integrated acquired sites and set a baseline quickly, and whether their style fits a family-owned or private equity backed company.
Before an introduction
What do we check before you interview?
Qualified means evidence at group scale. We ask for the number of sites led, the structure of the team, how the program was audited and how serious injury and fatality exposure was managed. We ask about regulatory strategy, such as how the candidate handled citations, inspection campaigns or a consent agreement.
Qualification in practice
Qualified means evidence at group scale. We ask for the number of sites led, the structure of the team, how the program was audited and how serious injury and fatality exposure was managed. We ask about regulatory strategy, such as how the candidate handled citations, inspection campaigns or a consent agreement. We ask about their work with operations leaders and how they handled a plant manager who resisted. Professional credentials such as a certified safety professional are common, and we confirm them. Board or investor reporting experience is a useful signal.
Serious injury focus
Mature EHS directors look beyond recordable rates and ask where a person could die or be permanently harmed. They classify events by potential severity, identify critical controls such as lockout, machine guarding and fall protection, and verify those controls in the field. We ask candidates how they built that focus, what tools they used, and how plant managers responded. A strong answer includes a decision that cost production and a plant manager who eventually agreed. A weak answer relies on rate trends that can be influenced by reporting behavior and tells us little about real exposure.
Authority and independence
The reporting line matters for a role that may need to say no. A director reporting to the chief operating officer can be pulled into production priorities, while one with a line to the CEO or owner has a firmer footing. We ask owners how they would respond when the director shuts down a line, and ask candidates what they did in a similar moment. In union groups, the director also coordinates with labor relations on safety committees and discipline, and learns to separate local plant practice from group standards without weakening either.
How the search is run
These searches are almost always confidential. We begin with your structure, plants, hazards, incident history and the sponsor's expectations. We approach candidates directly and screen through case discussion, such as how they would assess an acquired plant in the first weeks. References include operations leaders and, where appropriate, outside parties who saw the program. Owners receive a short brief per candidate with scope, hazard fit, style and concerns. We also advise on how to position the role internally, since an EHS director who arrives without visible sponsorship has limited influence.
Environmental controls and product controls
For an EHS director, quality-system familiarity matters at the boundary between environmental controls and production. We examine changes involving cleaning chemicals, waste segregation or containment, asking how they coordinated with quality owners rather than treating environmental compliance and product integrity as unrelated subjects.
Need a EHS Director? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Direct search
Where are qualified people working now?
EHS directors come from multi-plant manufacturers, corporate EHS functions, and sometimes from consultancies or insurers. Many progressed from plant EHS manager to regional leader to director. A few moved from operations into EHS leadership. Each path has a tradeoff. The career EHS professional brings technical depth. The operations convert brings credibility with plant managers.
The consultant brings breadth but may lack accountability for sustained results. We map candidates to your group, the number of sites and the maturity of your existing program.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
Why fit is difficult. The role requires a program that works across sites with different hazards and different managers, and an executive voice that can say stop. Responsibilities behind the title. Process mix matters, as a director from metals may not be ready for process safety management in chemicals, and a food background does not cover foundry hazards.
- Why fit is difficult. The role requires a program that works across sites with different hazards and different managers, and an executive voice that can say stop.
- Responsibilities behind the title. Process mix matters, as a director from metals may not be ready for process safety management in chemicals, and a food background does not cover foundry hazards.
- Responsibilities behind the title. Acquisitions bring a further issue: new plants arrive with different cultures and unknown exposure.
The search
How the search runs?
Agree the briefTitle and scope vary. A director at a three-plant company may still do audits personally. Approach relevant peopleEHS directors come from multi-plant manufacturers, corporate EHS functions, and sometimes from consultancies or insurers. Many progressed from plant EHS manager to regional leader to director.
Agree the brief
Title and scope vary. A director at a three-plant company may still do audits personally.
Approach relevant people
EHS directors come from multi-plant manufacturers, corporate EHS functions, and sometimes from consultancies or insurers. Many progressed from plant EHS manager to regional leader to director.
Qualify the work and support the hire
Qualified means evidence at group scale. We ask for the number of sites led, the structure of the team, how the program was audited and how serious injury and fatality exposure was managed.
Need a EHS Director? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Which manufacturing settings need this role?
- Food Manufacturing
- Beverage
- Meat, Poultry & Protein
- Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
- Packaging
- Plastics & Rubber
- Metals & Fabrication
- Automotive (OEM, Tier 1, Tier 2)
- EV & Battery Manufacturing
- Aerospace & Defense
- Medical Devices
- Pharmaceutical & Biotech Manufacturing
- Chemicals & Specialty Materials
- Electronics & Electrical Manufacturing
- Semiconductors
- Building Products & Construction Materials
- Industrial Machinery & Equipment
- Energy & Power Equipment
- Paper, Pulp & Forest Products
- Textiles & Nonwovens
What should you know about questions about EHS Director searches?
Need a EHS Director? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about start your EHS Director search?
Which other roles should you consider?
Need a EHS Director? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about hiring guidance for this work?
What should you know about pay snapshot?
$141,900 annual national median for SOC 11-9199 Managers, All Other.
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
May 2025 OEWS, released 2026-05-15. BLS release · Official occupation data
Open the full salary guideNeed a EHS Director? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Get a talent snapshot for this roleHave your job description reviewed
What should you know about open jobs?
What else affects this EHS Director hire?
Is the role travel heavy?
Often, because plants need visits. We confirm the expectation before approaching candidates.
Who does the director report to?
Often the COO, though some companies use the CEO or owner. We discuss what gives the role enough independence.
Can a plant EHS manager step up?
Sometimes: We test for multi-site scope, regulatory strategy and executive communication, which plant roles may not develop. We ask about their work with operations leaders and how they handled a plant manager who resisted.
Are these searches confidential?
Yes: We keep your company name private until a candidate is serious and approved. An EHS director carries risk that reaches beyond one plant: serious injury potential, environmental liability, insurance relationships and the company's reputation with regulators and customers.
How is the search fee agreed?
The fee is a percentage of first-year base salary, agreed in writing before we start. There is no upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need a EHS Director? Tell us the plant and the seat.
The Six-Step Search
What do you get before interviewing?
1. Search CalibrationYou get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone. 2. Market MappingYou get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy.
1. Search Calibration
You get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone.
2. Market Mapping
You get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy. We identify the kinds of plants and teams where people already handle comparable equipment, processes and operating demands.
3. Professional Contact Intelligence
You get a way to reach working people directly. We check professional contact routes and approach candidates discreetly, without making your plant or vacancy public unless you approve.
4. Persistent Personalized Outreach
You get individual conversations about the actual opening. We explain the work, shift and location, ask whether a move makes sense, and follow up without pretending every person is interested.
5. Live Candidate Qualification
You get evidence of fit before spending interview time. We talk through decisions, equipment, results and reasons for moving, then distinguish direct experience from skills that would need support.
6. Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a focused short list with the information behind it. We explain motivation, practical constraints and concerns, support interviews, and keep offer decisions with your hiring team.
What should we discuss first?
Do you recruit corporate EHS leaders?
Yes: We screen for group-scale program experience and the ability to work with plant managers and executives. We ask about their work with operations leaders and how they handled a plant manager who resisted.
What should you know before sending ehs director?
When do you pay a recruiting fee?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The signed recruiting agreement sets the fee basis and payment terms. Sending an opening does not itself commit you to a fee or an exclusive arrangement.
How long does it take to see a short list?
We discuss the search conditions before describing a realistic next step. Shift, location, equipment match and the candidate's reasons for moving all matter. We do not promise a shortlist date before understanding the opening.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We ask what is driving the move before introducing a candidate. We discuss what might change if the current employer offers more money or a different job. Your team still decides whether that person's motivation fits the opening.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not bill hourly for a standard permanent search, repost a job-board ad as a search, or supply high-volume general labor. Retainers are not the default. Any different arrangement must be agreed in writing.