Health & Safety Manager

Company Overview

Our client is restoring U.S. industrial strength for a new age defined by autonomy, robotics, and electrification.

Our client is the only company in the United States operating a fully integrated rare earth supply chain, spanning mining and refining through advanced metal production and magnet manufacturing. Our client offers both the essential inputs required to produce permanent magnets and the finished magnets themselves-supporting emerging and next-generation applications across robotics, automation, aerospace, transportation, defense, and energy infrastructure. These materials underpin physical AI, where computation, motion, and control intersect.

Our client seeks driven, mission-oriented professionals who are eager to solve difficult problems and help shape the future of strategically important industries. Our culture emphasizes collaboration, resilience, and integrity, paired with a strong focus on operational excellence and national purpose. Our client is quickly progressing from being primarily a materials producer to becoming a premier U.S. manufacturer-and employees are central to that evolution.

Position Overview

The Health & Safety Manager will lead the site toward a target of "zero" injuries by deploying the safety behavior program, strengthening employee involvement, and driving continuous improvement. The Health & Safety Manager will ensure all site safety programs are properly established, executed, and sustained. This role will implement incident prevention initiatives, perform field safety audits, and propose actions designed to reduce and control workplace hazards.

Position Responsibilities

• Create, execute, and continually enhance the site's health and safety strategy, programs, and standards across mining, processing, laboratory, maintenance, warehouse, and contractor operations.
• Drive and maintain compliance with applicable MSHA, Cal/OSHA, and internal health and safety requirements, including policies, procedures, inspections, documentation/recordkeeping, incident reporting, and mandated performance indicators.
• Oversee industrial hygiene functions, including the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of occupational exposures such as dusts, metals, silica, noise, heat/cold stress, acids, fumes, gases, vapors, ergonomic risk factors, and other chemical and physical hazards.
• Design and manage exposure assessment approaches, including sampling strategies, personal and area monitoring, data trending, reporting, and follow-up corrective measures.
• Direct radiation health and safety responsibilities as applicable, including radiological risk evaluations, worker protection methods, exposure tracking, area monitoring/surveys, contamination prevention and control, signage/postings, training, and coordination for instrument use and calibration.
• Collaborate with operations, maintenance, engineering, project teams, laboratory staff, and contractors to identify hazards and apply workable risk-reduction actions using the hierarchy of controls.
• Evaluate new equipment, operational/process modifications, construction activities, and work procedures to confirm health and safety requirements are built into design, commissioning/startup, and standard operating routines.
• Lead or assist with job hazard analyses, risk evaluations, pre-startup safety reviews, critical control verification activities, and the development of safe work practices.
• Administer investigations involving incidents, injuries/illnesses, occupational exposures, and near misses, including causal determination, corrective action planning, lessons learned, and tracking to closure.
• Supervise field safety observations, workplace exams, inspections, audits, and confirmation that corrective actions are implemented and effective.
• Manage site emergency readiness for health and safety events, including medical response, chemical release response, rescue coordination interfaces, evacuation planning, and alignment with internal teams and external emergency responders.
• Provide support for respiratory protection, hearing conservation, hazard communication, confined space, lockout/tagout, fall protection, contractor safety, and other foundational health and safety programs.
• Plan, organize, and advise on monthly Safety Committee meetings and additional employee involvement/engagement initiatives.
• Create and deliver-or ensure delivery of-required training covering health and safety, industrial hygiene, radiation safety, emergency response, and related subject areas.
• Maintain dashboards and performance metrics for health and safety, evaluate trends, and communicate performance, exposures/risks, and priority actions to site leadership.
• Confirm adherence to corporate audit requirements and work with internal and external auditors/inspectors to address findings promptly and professionally.
• Act as a technical health and safety subject-matter resource for leaders and frontline personnel.
• Perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in occupational safety, industrial hygiene, health physics, engineering, environmental health, chemistry, or a comparable technical field.
• Professional credentials such as CSP, CIH, CHP, or similar certifications are preferred.
• Minimum 8+ years of increasing responsibility in health and safety roles within mining, metals, chemical processing, heavy industry, or manufacturing settings; 10+ years is preferred.
• Strong practical knowledge of MSHA, Cal/OSHA, occupational health standards, and health and safety management systems.
• Proven experience building and executing occupational health and safety programs for operating sites and/or for new processes and equipment installations.
• Experience performing or overseeing industrial hygiene monitoring, exposure evaluations, and results interpretation.
• Preferred experience with radiation health and safety, radiological controls, or health physics programs in an industrial environment.
• Demonstrated effectiveness working across functions with operations, maintenance, engineering, projects, laboratories, and contractors.
• Strong capabilities in incident investigation, root cause analysis, corrective action tracking/management, and auditing.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to engage effectively with employees, supervisors, managers, executives, regulators, and contractors.
• Ability to organize priorities and manage several simultaneous projects and field activities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and common EHS data management and reporting tools/systems.

Desired Qualities

• Strong preference for experience in metals, mining, rare earth, mineral processing, or chemical manufacturing operations.
• Documented expertise in managing combustible dust risks, chemical exposure controls, and critical risk programs in industrial environments.
• Working familiarity with behavior-based safety approaches, human performance principles, and inherently safer design concepts.
• Hands-on, field-focused mindset for recognizing hazards and reducing risk.
• Strong leadership presence with the skill to coach, influence, and enforce accountability.
• A natural educator who is comfortable developing, documenting, and administering both required and voluntary health and safety training programs.
• Demonstrated ability to recognize issues, create solutions, and drive execution from initial concept through final closeout.
• Preferred experience supporting emergency response teams, medical response preparedness, hazardous materials response, or comparable programs.

Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Statement

We are honored to operate as an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be evaluated for employment without consideration of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other protected classification under applicable law. Applicants from underrepresented groups-including Women/Disabled/Veterans-are encouraged to apply. Candidates with disabilities who cannot meet certain requirements will still be considered qualified if the essential functions of the role can be performed with reasonable accommodation.

Right to Work

In accordance with federal requirements, every individual hired must verify identity and authorization to work in the United States and must complete the required employment eligibility verification documentation upon hire.

Safety Provision

Employees are accountable for complying with all company, industry, and regulatory policies and legal requirements to maintain a safe workplace for both themselves and the organization. Employees must be willing to actively promote a safety-focused culture across the workforce and to participate in Process Hazard Analysis activities and Pre-Startup Safety Reviews.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal Protective Equipment is mandatory when performing job duties in a mine, manufacturing environment, outdoor work area, or plant setting. Required PPE may include-but is not limited to-hard hat, hearing protection, safety glasses, safety footwear, respirator, rubber steel-toe boots, protective clothing, gloves, and any additional protective equipment as needed.

Working Conditions

The facility is located at an elevation of 4,700 feet. Employees working outdoors may encounter severe or extreme weather (including heat, cold, and wind). Work may take place in an open pit mine and/or a manufacturing/chemical plant environment, which can involve exposure to moving machinery components, hazardous/toxic chemicals, electrical shock hazards, explosives, fumes, and airborne particulates.

Physical Demands

The role requires manual dexterity; a functional sense of touch and smell; clear speech; hearing across typical speech ranges as well as all ranges; visual ability for reading and comprehension; near and distant vision; depth perception; and color vision. While carrying out job duties, the employee must be able to communicate verbally and hear. The employee will frequently need to stand and use hands and fingers to handle, feel, and manipulate laboratory equipment. At times, the employee will also need to walk, reach with arms and hands, climb or maintain balance, and occasionally stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. This role requires close-vision capability. Employees must successfully complete a full-face respirator fit test. Employees must be capable of lifting 50 lbs. Employees must be able to work in PPE level C. These requirements represent, but do not fully encompass, the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the position.