About this EHS Manager role at Ecolab
Join Ecolab as the Safety, Health & Environmental (SHE) Manager at our Nalco Water, Bedford Park, IL Plant. This role is a key member of the Plant Leadership Team and is responsible for building, leading, and sustaining a strong safety culture and world‑class SH&E systems across a 24/7, high‑complexity manufacturing operation.
The SHE Manager leads all SHE processes and initiatives for our two facilities by engaging with our employees and teams to identify losses, develop & implement creative solutions, and celebrate successes. They will do this by fostering positive relationships and team development to promote a collaborative, engaged safety culture. This leader will also partner with SHE teams across the network to share best practices and implement and upgrade SHE policies and practices. As the key representative to outside agencies they will also drive compliance with all applicable safety and environmental requirements, including both internal and external audits and assessments. With safety as the conduit, they will leverage a strong foundation of TPM and operational excellence methodologies to continuously improve our performance across all key metrics.
What You Will Do:
- Lead, own, and continuously improve the site’s Safety, Health & Environmental (SHE) Management Systems, ensuring compliance with OSHA, EPA, DOT, and applicable state and local regulations.
- Partner with Operations and Maintenance to integrate SHE requirements into equipment design, operation, maintenance, and continuous improvement activities, using TPM methodologies to prevent injuries and equipment‑related safety risks.
- Drive the use of leading and lagging SHE performance metrics, analyze trends, and lead action plans with clear accountability.
- Lead effective investigations of serious incidents, near misses, and support process safety events using robust root‑cause analysis and sustainable corrective actions.
- Lead industrial hygiene, chemical exposure control, and support process safety programs to reduce risk to employees, equipment, and the environment.
- Drive site programs including 5S, TPM continuous improvement activities, safety observations, and safety committees.
- Coordinate ECAP and other SHE audits; partner with site leadership to close findings effectively and prevent recurrence.
- Provide technical SHE guidance and coaching to plant leaders, engineers, and frontline teams.
- Maintain environmental permits and compliance records, including air, water, and waste requirements.
- Develop, mentor, and coach the SHE team, strengthening site capability and succession readiness.
- Actively contribute to plant strategy, capital project reviews, and operational decision‑making to ensure safety is embedded upstream rather than retrofitted.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental, Health, or a related field
- 5-8 years of SHE experience in a manufacturing environment
- Strong working knowledge of OSHA, EPA, and state regulatory requirements
- Experience with Safety / EHS Management Systems
- Supervisory or people‑leadership experience
- Ability to influence and partner effectively across all levels of the organization
- Highly motivated; able to perform effectively in a fast‑paced, 24/7 manufacturing environment
- No immigration sponsorship available for this position
Preferred Qualifications:
- Advanced degree
- Demonstrated experience leading SHE within a Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) operating system
- Experience driving change and influencing without formal authority
- Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and MS Project
Annual or Hourly Compensation Range
Benefits
Ecolab strives to provide comprehensive and market-competitive benefits to meet the needs of our associates and their families. Click here to see our benefits.
If you are viewing this posting on a site other than our Ecolab Career website, view our benefits at jobs.ecolab.com/working-here.
Potential Customer Requirements Notice
To meet customer requirements and comply with local or state regulations, applicants for certain customer-facing roles may need to:
- Undergo additional background screens and/or drug/alcohol testing for customer credentialing.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Ecolab will provide reasonable accommodation (such as a qualified sign language interpreter or other personal assistance) with our application process upon request as required to comply with applicable laws. If you have a disability and require accommodation assistance in this application process, please visit the Recruiting Support link in the footer of each page of our career website.
