Job Description

Overview

The Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Director is a strategic leadership role responsible for driving excellence in HSE across major new build projects both in Canada and internationally, ensuring robust systems management, and contributing to a strong culture of safety and environmental stewardship at all levels . This individual will play a pivotal role in assuring compliance with regulatory standards, particularly OSHA, and leading continuous improvement initiatives to support organizational goals.

As our HSE Director at Candu, you will have the opportunity to lead transformative safety initiatives in a dynamic, growth-oriented environment. Your expertise will shape the future of our major projects and ensure that health, safety, and environmental excellence remain at the heart of our operations.

The project team are predominantly located to the west of Toronto. Though, this site will be home office based, it will require travel to sites and to meet with clients.

Your role

• Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement the HSE strategy for major nuclear projects, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives, regulatory frameworks, and industry best practices.
• Systems Management: Oversee the design, implementation, and continual improvement of HSE management systems, ensuring robust processes for hazard identification, risk assessment, mitigation, and performance reporting.
• Assurance and Compliance: Lead assurance activities including audits, inspections, and incident investigations. Ensure compliance with OSHA, CNSC, and other applicable standards and regulations.
• Culture Promotion and Maintenance: Champion a proactive safety culture across all levels of the organization through engagement, training, and accountability initiatives.
• Major Projects Oversight: Provide HSE leadership for planning and execution of large-scale nuclear construction projects, collaborating with project managers and EPCm partners.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain strong relationships with regulatory authorities, contractors, and internal stakeholders to ensure transparent communication and alignment on HSE objectives.
• Continuous Improvement: Utilize data-driven insights to identify trends, benchmark against industry best practices, and implement innovative solutions for performance enhancement.
• Emergency Preparedness & Response: Develop and maintain comprehensive emergency response plans for nuclear construction activities, including drills and radiological event readiness.
• Regulatory Interface & Licensing Support: Support licensing activities by providing HSE input into regulatory submissions and hearings; act as primary liaison for safety-related inquiries.
• Contractor & Supply Chain Safety Management: Establish HSE requirements for contractors and suppliers; monitor compliance and performance through audits and joint programs.
• Environmental Stewardship: Ensure environmental protection measures are integrated into project execution and oversee compliance with environmental permits and sustainability objectives.
• Budget & Resource Management: Develop and manage the HSE budget for major projects; allocate resources effectively to meet safety objectives and regulatory commitments.
• Technology & Innovation: Drive adoption of advanced safety technologies (e.g., digital monitoring, predictive analytics) and evaluate innovative solutions to enhance safety performance.
• Reporting & Governance: Provide regular HSE performance reports to executive leadership and the board; ensure governance frameworks for decision-making and accountability.
• Interface with Nuclear Safety: Collaborate with nuclear safety and quality assurance teams to align HSE programs with nuclear safety requirements and integrate conventional and radiological safety measures.
• Ethics: Ensure all project activities comply with corporate standards of ethical conduct, cyber-security, import-export regulations, intellectual property protections, and security clearance protocols.
• Nuclear Safety: Accountable for all aspects of nuclear and industrial safety including adherence with corporate and customer safety programs, development and enforcement of necessary training and requirements, adherence to corrective action programs and enforcement of performance standards for all of the above.

Required interfaces:

• Customers, suppliers, Candu Partners.
• Senior executives, department functional managers.
• Trades personnel.

About you

• Minimum 10 years of progressive HSE senior leadership, including roles in major projects.
• Professional certifications such as CSP, CIH, or NEBOSH are highly desirable.
• Experience in Nuclear, Oil and Gas, Mining sectors and with CDM regs.
• Experience in Nuclear Reactor new design and construction projects preferred.
• Experience managing direct reports within a project delivery functional support model.
• Extensive knowledge of OSHA regulations and best practices.
• Working knowledge of industrial safety and nuclear safety culture.
• Understanding of nuclear supply chain and materials management principles.
• Proven ability to manage HSE systems and assurance processes.
• Ability to build and inspire a team to work towards common goals.
• Appreciation of the importance of Quality Assurance Programs and their significance to the nuclear industry.
• Demonstrated success in building and sustaining a strong safety culture.
• Lead by example, setting high standards for Health & Safety and Nuclear Safety Culture.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and customer relationship skills. Demonstrated oral and written communication abilities.

Necessary competencies:

• Demonstrates initiative, decisiveness, and perseverance.
• Plans and communicates effectively, with good instincts when to engage with stakeholders.
• Seeks and accepts responsibility and accountability.
• Possesses excellent judgment and can correctly apply skills and knowledge.
• Perform well under stress.
• Delegates effectively.
• Integrity and Trust, with a commitment to both safety and quality.
• Customer Focus.
• Team Player, Shares Knowledge.

Rewards & benefits

Explore the rewards and benefits that help you thrive – at every stage of your life and your career at AtkinsRéalis in Canada.

Enjoy competitive compensation, employee recognition, and a brilliant range of flexible benefits you can tailor to your health, wellbeing, financial and lifestyle needs.

Make the most of diverse opportunities for training and professional development to grow your skills and expertise.

And take advantage of our hybrid working culture and generous time-off policies to balance a fulfilling career with your personal life.

Be rewarded. Find out more.

About AtkinsRéalis

We're AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world. We're committed to leading our clients across our various end markets to engineer a better future for our planet and its people.

Find out more.

Additional information

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Appropriate accommodation will be provided upon request throughout the recruitment and hiring process as required by Company policy and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

Successful applicants will be notified about AtkinsRéalis’ accommodation policies at the time the employment offer is extended, and the information will be shared with new personnel during the onboarding process.

Worker Type

Job Type

At AtkinsRéalis, we seek to hire individuals with diverse characteristics, backgrounds and perspectives. We strongly believe that world-class talent makes no distinctions based on gender, ethnic or national origin, sexual identity and orientation, age, religion or disability, but enriches itself through these differences.