Quality & EHS Director 1109
Location: Green River, WY
Role PurposeThe Quality & EHS Director provides strategic leadership and governance for Health & Safety (HS), Quality, and Environmental performance across WE Soda's U.S. operations. Safety is the first priority - the Director is a visible, hands-on safety leader who also ensures compliant, high-quality execution across Westvaco Surface Plants, the Westvaco Mine, and Granger Plant.
Key AccountabilitiesHealth & Safety Leadership & Culture- Act as a visible, felt safety leader across all sites, working through the Safety Manager and Safety Representatives to maintain regular presence in the field and direct engagement with the workforce.
- Sustain and strengthen the site reporting culture for hazards, near misses, and unsafe conditions using leading indicators and trend analysis to drive prevention and champion safety programs, including reinforcing safety rules and stopping unsafe work where necessary.
- Partner with the Safety Manager to advance the maturity of the established safety culture benchmarking against industry leaders, coaching site leaders to own performance, and sustaining employee-driven initiatives while embedding safety into real-time operational decisions and change management.
Health & Safety Risk Management & Critical Controls- Hold overall accountability for site-wide identification, assessment, and verification of critical risks and controls, with the Safety Manager responsible for and carrying out the work; maintain personal focus on the highest-consequence hazards and provide technical leadership to departments in hazard identification, risk assessment, and control development.
- Hold overall accountability for the investigation of all significant incidents, accidents, and near misses using structured Root Cause Analysis (RCA), with the Safety Manager responsible for conducting the investigations and ensuring corrective actions are implemented and sustained.
Health & Safety Management Systems & Compliance- Own and continuously improve the Health & Safety Management System and build the roadmap for ISO 45001 certification, ensuring accreditation processes remain current.
- Coordinate with Procurement to oversee contractor safety management systems and work-permit training in operational areas.
- Develop, implement, and monitor HS-related KPIs in partnership with other departments.
- Ensure full MSHA/OSHA compliance across Westvaco, Granger, and the Mine - including training plans, Part 50 recordkeeping, and inspection readiness - and serve as senior company liaison for inspections, citations, and enforcement matters.
Quality Management Systems & Compliance- Own and continuously improve the integrated Quality Management System - ISO 9001 together with the FDA cGMP requirements applicable to the regulated product streams (21 CFR Part 117 human food, 21 CFR Part 507 animal food, and ICH Q7 for pharmaceutical- and hemodialysis-grade product) - jointly with the Quality Manager, covering QC (site-level and lab) and QA across all products to ensure consistent conformance to customer specifications.
- Hold accountability for the facility's certification portfolio across all seven schemes - ISO 9001, FSSC 22000, Kosher, Halal, NSF, OMRI, and Safe Feed/Safe Food - with the Quality Manager responsible for maintaining continuous audit readiness and running the surveillance, recertification, and finding-closure cycle for each.
- Hold accountability for a current, hazard-based Food Safety Plan for each regulated product stream (21 CFR Part 117 / Part 507 Subpart C) - hazard analysis, preventive controls, monitoring, corrective actions, verification, and reanalysis at least every three years or upon significant change - with the Quality Manager responsible for developing and maintaining the plans.
- Lead and develop the Quality Manager, who owns day-to-day QC/QA performance and customer-facing quality matters, including QC processes (incoming, in-process, and outgoing inspection) and QA system design (non-conformance, RCA, and CAPA) to prevent recurrence of quality incidents.
- Support the Quality Manager, who leads FDA inspections and customer, certification-body, and third-party audits, with the Director and VP of Manufacturing representing the company when needed; support product traceability, Reportable Food Registry determinations, and market withdrawals; and support the drive toward specialty products and long-term contracts by upgrading QA/QC discipline, testing capability, and documentation.
Environmental Management Systems & Compliance- Own and continuously improve the Environmental Management System and build the roadmap for ISO 14001 certification aligned with IRMA requirements where applicable.
- Ensure full compliance with environmental permits and federal, state, and local regulatory requirements (EPA, Wyoming DEQ, BLM); direct environmental permitting strategy for capital projects and serve as senior regulatory liaison on escalated submittals and non-compliance matters.
- Support the US Sustainability Director in delivering environmental performance initiatives - emissions, waste, water, land, wildlife, and resource management - and in ESG reporting and GHG emissions data governance, ensuring effective site-level execution.
- Support the US Sustainability Director's beyond-compliance agenda, including nature protection, tailings safety, and closure planning, at the operational level.
- Support water rights strategy, agency engagement, easement negotiations with landowners, and crossing agreements with third parties, as driven by the US Sustainability Director.
- Support the Environmental Managers in partnering with operations, engineering, HR, tech, and sustainability teams on environmental priorities, while maintaining strong relationships with external regulatory agencies.
Management of Change (MOC)- Own the design, implementation, and governance of a Management of Change system covering any change with potential Quality, Environmental, or Safety impact - specification changes, material substitution, process/equipment modifications, and relevant organizational changes - requiring formal risk assessment and cross-functional sign-off before implementation.
- Ensure temporary changes are time-bound and closed out or standardized, and audit MOC compliance across sites to close gaps in how changes are proposed, reviewed, approved, and communicated.
Governance, Reporting & External Engagement- Control and review monthly and weekly HS, Quality, and Environmental statistical reports for accuracy and timeliness.
- Engage external consulting organizations to source expertise and evaluate system revisions and enhancements.
- Stay informed on U.S. federal and Wyoming state regulations and global best practices, ensuring ongoing compliance and adoption of industry developments.
Strategic Leadership & Team Development- Develop and deliver an integrated HS, Quality, and Environment strategy aligned to business objectives, with safety as the non-negotiable first priority, and lead organizational change to embed accountability at all levels.
- Build and develop high-performing HS, Quality, and Environmental teams, and lead the periodic review of related policies, procedures, and training materials aligned with industry best practice.
Performance & Success Measures (KPIs)Performance in this role is measured through a balanced set of outcome, compliance, and leading indicators, including:
- Zero fatalities and high-consequence injuries, with sustained reduction in high-potential incidents
- Demonstrable, frequent visible safety leadership (site walks, engagements) across sites
- 60;97% closure of audit, inspection, and incident actions within defined timelines
- 100% regulatory compliance across HS, Quality, and Environment, with no significant enforcement actions or repeat violations
- Zero off-specification, below-weight, or mis-graded product shipments to customers
- 60;95% first-pass quality yield, with sustained reduction in non-conformance rate
- 100% on-time HS, Quality, and Environmental reporting across sites
- Environmental permits and approvals secured on schedule, with no material project delays attributable to environmental compliance or permitting
- Audit and assurance scores above corporate thresholds (customer, ISO, regulatory)
- 100% maintenance of all seven certifications (ISO 9001, FSSC 22000, Kosher, Halal, NSF, OMRI, Safe Feed/Safe Food), with no lapse, suspension, or major non-conformance carried past its closure deadline
- Zero product recalls, market withdrawals, or reportable food safety events
- Measurable improvement in safety, quality, and environmental culture maturity
Education & Experience- Bachelor's degree in engineering, Environmental Science, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Health, or Occupational Safety and Health, OR a master's degree in safety, Quality, or Environmental Management (or related field), required.
- 10+ years of senior HS, Quality, or Environmental leadership experience in Chemical, Mining, Oil & Gas, or Manufacturing, required.
- Demonstrated, hands-on track record of personally driving safety culture and behavioral change on the ground, required.
- Experience building and sustaining integrated management systems (ISO 9001) required; experience with ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and ISO 22000 strongly preferred.
- Direct experience leading safety, health, and environmental performance in MSHA-regulated mining operations strongly preferred.
- Professional certifications (CSP, CMSP, CIH, ASQ CQE, or equivalent) preferred.
- Demonstrated experience with multi-agency environmental permitting, land and water rights, and large capital project environmental strategy strongly preferred.
General Qualifications- Strong proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
- In-depth understanding of U.S. federal, Wyoming state, and international HS, Quality, and Environmental regulations (MSHA, OSHA, EPA, Wyoming DEQ, ISO 9001/14001/45001, and FDA cGMP under 21 CFR Part 117, 21 CFR Part 507, and ICH Q7).
- Proven ability to organize, plan, and lead complex, cross-functional projects while managing competing priorities.
- Strong leadership, decision-making, and communication skills, with a proactive approach to problem-solving and risk management, and the ability to perform effectively under pressure.
