Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada Corporation (AKBSCA) is seeking an Environmental Health and Safety Manager to be a part of a new greenfield start-up based in Port Colborne, Ontario. The Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Manager provides strategic and hands-on leadership for all EHS programs for AKBSCA's Port Colborne facility. This role ensures compliance with regulatory requirements (MECP, OHSA/MLITSD, ECCC, CCOHS), drives a proactive safety culture, leads environmental compliance programs, and oversees the implementation and continual improvement of an EHS Management System consistent with Responsible Care and corporate expectations. The EHS Manager partners with site leadership, employees, and contractors to build a "Zero Harm" safety culture and ensure operational readiness for a new manufacturing facility.
Reporting Relationships
This position reports to the Sr. Environmental Health & Safety Director in our corporate North America office, working directly with local plant leadership as we continue the startup phase.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Serve as representative for AKBSCA for Asahi Kasei America's EHS council.
- Implement EHS procedures, standards, and training programs to reduce risk and ensure compliance with regulatory and corporate requirements.
- Monitor, measure, and communicate EHS performance, trends, and key metrics; implement corrective actions as needed.
- Maintain strong visibility on the manufacturing floor and construction areas through routine walkthroughs, inspections, and employee engagement.
- Provide EHS expertise, coaching, and leadership to support a positive safety culture and Zero Harm mindset.
- Lead all environmental compliance activities including ECAs, emissions, wastewater, waste management, hazardous materials, and associated monitoring and reporting.
- Conduct and lead incident investigations, ensure corrective actions are implemented, tracked, and verified for effectiveness.
- Support and oversee safety performance for construction contractors, including inspections, incident reporting, and training requirements.
- Perform or facilitate hazard and risk assessments, job hazard analyses, and recommend solutions for identified concerns.
- Conduct pre-startup safety reviews (PSSRs) for new or modified equipment.
- Develop, coordinate, and deliver EHS training programs for employees, supervisors, and contractors.
- Provide leadership to the Joint Health & Safety Committee and lead EHS-related committees and project teams.
- Serve as a key member of the site leadership team, providing strategic and technical EHS guidance.
- Establish and manage annual EHS operating and capital budgets.
- Support facility design, layout, and process development through EHS risk evaluation and recommendations.
- Develop, maintain, and improve an EHS Management System to assign, track, and verify responsibilities across the organization.
- Develop annual EHS goals, objectives, and improvement plans aligned with corporate and regulatory requirements.
- Maintain change-management processes to evaluate new products, materials, and work processes for EHS impacts.
- Lead and participate in EHS audits, inspections, and self-assessments to ensure compliance and drive continuous improvement.
- Ensure emergency preparedness programs are maintained, including hazard assessments, training, equipment readiness, and communication systems.
- Manage EHS risks associated with contracted services and critical suppliers.
- Build and maintain positive relationships with federal, provincial, and local regulatory agencies.
- Communicate and collaborate across functions to implement joint EHS initiatives where appropriate.
Key Skills and Abilities:
- Must be proactive, self-motivated, customer-focused, and solution-oriented.
- Ability to foster and maintain relationships with employees at all levels within the organization.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills with the ability to influence and support leaders.
- Comfortable developing and executing plans, promoting ideas, and implementing initiatives.
- Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
- Comfortable working in a manufacturing environment.
Qualifications
Education Background:
- Minimum bachelor's degree in health, safety, environment or related field.
Knowledge & Experience:
- Plus 7+ years of experience Health, Safety and Environment in a manufacturing environment.
- Plus 3+ years of experience leading a team and Health, Safety and Environment.
- Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) or Canadian Registered Safety Technician (CRST) Certification is required.
- Prior experience with EHS Management Systems such as ISO 14001 or 45001 certification and Responsible Care is a plus.
Expected Compensation:
- Salary based position with a range of $105,000.00 to $135,000.00 based on education and experience.
Travel:
- Must hold a valid Passport and be willing to travel up to 10% internationally for training and visiting other company locations, predominately the United States of America and Japan.
Schedule:
- Full-time 100% in-person position.
- Typical work hours are Monday to Friday, with flexibility to address urgent issues as needed 24/7. Attendance at meetings and trainings on off shifts may also be required periodically.
Working Environment
This position will be based in a temporary office at on the site location in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada, until the permanent office is built in 2027. The final work environment will be at a 24/7 manufacturing operation. This position is in support of manufacturing and requires working in a production environment around chemicals. The manufacturing facility will be a state of the art in terms of automation and being temperature and humidity controlled. This will be a clean and comfortable environment due to the nature of the products being produced.
