EHS Manager

Job description

WHAT TO EXPECT Heron Power is a startup company building cutting-edge power electronics for the 21st-century grid. We aim to debottleneck the growth of electricity generation and consumption with scalable, innovative, and less costly hardware solutions, accelerating the electrification of everything. Our first focus goal is to build better converters (inverters & rectifiers) to connect large-scale renewables, storage, and loads to the grid. Heron’s leadership team is made up of seasoned veterans who have designed and shipped gigawatts of power conversion products over the past decade. We understand that no one individual knows everything. We will all learn a lot together and from each other. We strive to build a collaborative, enriching environment conducive to personal, technical, and career growth. You can expect to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment, driven by first principles engineering, solving difficult problems. JOB OVERVIEW As EHS Manager, you will lead and own Heron Power’s Environment, Health & Safety function across R&D, new product introduction (NPI), manufacturing, and field service operations. Reporting to the Head of Global Compliance, Safety & Technical Policy, you will build and manage a team of EHS professionals, set program strategy, and serve as the organizational authority on safety culture, regulatory compliance, and risk management across all Heron Power sites. This is a people-manager role with direct responsibility for the growth, performance, and day-to-day direction of the EHS team. HOW YOU WILL CONTRIBUTE - Own and direct the development of site-specific hazard mitigation analyses (SS-HMA), job hazard analyses (JHA), and safe work procedures for high-voltage R&D labs, NPI areas, manufacturing floors, and field service activities at customer sites; delegate, review, and approve deliverables across the EHS team. - Lead the field service safety program for technicians commissioning, servicing, and decommissioning Heron Power equipment at customer and third-party sites; establish standards for pre-deployment safety briefings, site-specific hazard assessments, PPE provisioning, and off-site incident reporting, and ensure consistent execution by the team. - Direct the evaluation of production process controls and safety-related machine control systems against ISO 13849-1 performance level requirements; partner with manufacturing engineering leadership to establish documentation standards and approval workflows for safety function integrity across automated and semi-automated assembly equipment. - Oversee EHS inspection programs, arc flash boundary compliance audits per NFPA 70E, and corrective action management; establish audit cadences, review findings, and hold the team accountable for closure of action items. - Direct hazardous waste program management including characterization, manifest tracking, and disposal under RCRA and California Title 22; own facility waste inventory, annual reporting obligations, and agency relationships. - Set strategy and standards for Heron Power’s chemical inventory management, SDS library, and regulatory screening for substances including epoxy potting systems, conformal coatings, thermal interface materials, and dielectric coolants; ensure team execution and program currency. - Own BAAQMD permit compliance, TRI reporting, and Cal/OSHA chemical-specific obligations across all Heron Power facilities; serve as signatory and primary point of contact for regulatory submissions. - Serve as the senior organizational liaison with Cal/OSHA, local fire authorities, and environmental agencies; represent Heron Power in inspections, hearings, and negotiations; maintain compliance calendars, permit registers, and agency correspondence. - Establish and govern the manufacturing equipment safety review program; direct compliance audits against applicable 29 CFR 1910 machine guarding, lockout/tagout (LOTO), and electrical safety subparts; hold manufacturing leadership accountable for corrective action closure. - Lead the ergonomics program across lab and manufacturing operations; direct ergonomic assessments and studies, set improvement priorities, and guide the team in implementing solutions consistent with Cal/OSHA Title 8 §5110 and 29 CFR 1910 General Duty Clause obligations. - Own emergency response planning and readiness across all Heron Power sites, including BESS pilot installations and high-voltage test environments; direct drills, first-responder coordination, and NFPA 855 compliance; ensure the team maintains current emergency action plans at all facilities. - Own and oversee EHS training programs across engineering, lab, manufacturing, and field personnel; set curriculum standards covering NFPA 70E arc flash safety, hazard communication (GHS/HazCom), PPE selection, powered industrial truck (forklift) operation, aerial work platform and scissor lift safety, fall protection (29 CFR 1910.23/1926 Subpart M), CPR, and AED use; ensure training records and completion rates are maintained for all site personnel. - Chair safety committee meetings; lead incident investigations, near-miss reviews, and root cause analyses; drive corrective and preventive action closure and report findings to senior leadership. - Define, track, and report leading and lagging EHS metrics to the Head of Global Compliance, Safety & Technical Policy and executive leadership; use data to drive resource allocation decisions and continuous improvement across Heron Power’s 3-tier lab safety plan (R&D, NPI, Manufacturing). WHAT YOU WILL BRING We have a focused list of requirements. We prioritize candidates who combine deep EHS technical expertise with demonstrated people leadership, the ability to influence cross-functional teams, and the drive to build a world-class safety organization in a fast-scaling hardware company. MUST-HAVE REQUIREMENTS - Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health & Safety, Occupational Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, or a related field. - 7+ years of EHS experience in a manufacturing, R&D, or energy technology environment, including at least 2 years in a people-management or team-lead role. - Working knowledge of Cal/OSHA Title 8, 29 CFR 1910 (OSHA General Industry standards), NFPA 70E, RCRA, and California hazardous waste regulations (Title 22). - Experience conducting job hazard analyses, arc flash studies, and site EHS audits. - Proficiency with SDS management systems, waste manifest tracking, and compliance calendars. - Experience with hazardous waste classification, characterization, and manifest preparation under federal and California requirements. - Demonstrated ability to build, manage, and develop EHS teams; experience setting team goals, conducting performance reviews, and hiring EHS professionals. - Ability to operate at strategic and tactical levels simultaneously; comfortable setting program direction in ambiguity while also rolling up sleeves to execute in a lean, resource-constrained startup environment. - Highly effective communicator and cross-functional influencer; able to represent EHS priorities credibly to executives, engineers, manufacturing operators, and external regulators. NICE-TO-HAVES - Experience supporting energy storage systems (BESS), high-voltage power electronics, or utility-scale electrical equipment. - Experience with medium-voltage (up to 34.5 kV) electrical safety, including familiarity with NFPA 70E arc flash and shock hazard boundaries, PPE selection, and safe work practices applicable to medium-voltage equipment in R&D and field environments. - Familiarity with NFPA 855, IEC 62368-1, UL 9540, or related energy storage and power electronics standards. - CSP, CHMM, or equivalent professional certification (active preferred at manager level). - Knowledge of BAAQMD permitting and TRI reporting obligations. - Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Teams, SharePoint) and EHS management software. - Familiarity with Cal/OSHA PSM requirements and chemical process safety at R&D scale. If you are passionate about building safety organizations that protect people and enable technology to scale, we would love to hear from you. Join us in accelerating the electrification of everything at Heron Power. Heron Power provides competitive compensation (salary and equity) and benefits.