Sr Director, HSSE Operations

RWE Americas, LLC
To start as soon as possible, full time, permanent

Functional area: Health, Safety & Environment
Remuneration: Exempt

The Sr Director, HSSE Operations serves as the primary interface for RWE Americas (RWEA) HSSE and Operations, integrating technical best practices, regulatory expectations, emerging industry trends, team development, and relationship management with contractors. The role provides strategic direction, technical leadership, and governance for HSSE across projects throughout North America to ensure safe working conditions, achieve departmental and organizational KPI targets, implement the HSSE management system, maintain full regulatory compliance, protect the environment, and drive a proactive, zero-harm safety culture throughout the project execution lifecycle.

Key activities:

• Supports a team of regionally based RWEA HSSE professionals focused on safe operations and PE


• Ensures safe and healthy working conditions and procedures for all colleagues and contractors


• Achieves departmental KPIs and targets


• Implements HSSE management system, processes, and programs within operations


• Ensures HSSE compliance with legislation, regulations, and environmental aspects at operational facilities

Role Responsibilities:

• Leads and supports a team of direct reports and contract HSSE professionals to achieve departmental and Company KPIs and targets


• Leads national campaigns around behavior-based safety, workforce empowerment, and leadership accountability


• Oversees strategy implimentation, KPIs, metrics, and targets for HSSE operations aligned with PE


• Fosters company HSSE culture through interactions, communications and leading by example


• Shares progress through daily, weekly, and monthly reporting to team members and HSSE leadership to ensure collaboration across departments and drive safe work


• Implements HSSE management system, policies and procedures to ensure compliance with company directives


• Regularly reviews operations HSSE metrics and focus team on high risk activities, trends & mitigations


• Advises and guides operational leadership on the implementation of the HSSE management system, risk identification and mitigation


• Responsible for targeted campaigns, programs and initiatives for operations


• Ensures governance and compliance with the HSSE management system and policies


• Provides feedback to HSSE Excellence regarding procedure improvement opportunities / needs


• Coordinates and supports RCAs, work with HSSE team members to conduct root cause analyses and identify learnings


• Ensures HSSE training compliance across the business

Job Requirements and Experience: 

• A Bachelor of Science in Safety Management, Environmental, Engineering, or relevant area of study; Master's degree preferred


• A minimum of 11 years of operations safety management experience


• Renewable Energy industry experience preferred


• Team Leadership: Ability to lead, inspire, manage, and delegate effectively across regions


• People Development: Ability to develop themselves and their people to their full potential


• Performance Orientation: Self-motivated to drive the business, increase performance, and deliver results


• Strategic thinking: Push boundaries to achieve goals, utilizing resources within a matrix organization


• Continuous Improvement: Constantly optimizing the business


• Integration Management: Ability to lead teams through change management


• Working Together: Ability to collaborate in cross-functional teams   


• Communication skills: Ability to effectively communicate internally & externally within the chain of command and within his/her level of authority


• Open mindset: Self-reflective personality, able to learn and act on feedback


• Hands-on mentality: Actively involving him-/herself, pragmatic, and fact-focused attitude


• Broad expertise in HSSE and asset-intensive business - Operations


• Understanding of the regulatory framework in different jurisdictions, regions, and markets


• Understanding of regulatory decision-making procedures


• Understanding of business model, regulatory, and technical developments, as well as potential implications


• Understanding of operations, including: onshore wind, PV, and BESS


• Flexibility and willingness to travel domestically approximately 30% and as needed to perform the job effectively


• Languages: English mandatory, additional languages an advantage

Work Environment:

This position is an office-based role with some travel and visits to other RWE Americas offices and field locations.  The employee must be able to sit, walk, or stand for long durations of time.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. RWE Americas is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas at this time.  

Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays. Eligible employees also participate in short-term incentives, in addition to salary.

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Any questions? Contact [email protected]

We look forward to meeting you. Of course, you can find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Xing, too.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected status.

RWE Americas, a subsidiary of RWE, is a US-based energy company that is helping to meet the growing demand for energy across the United States. Backed by RWE’s 125-year global legacy of managing diverse power assets, RWE Americas operates approximately 13 GW of power projects across 27 states. With a talented workforce of 2,000 employees, RWE Americas develops, constructs and operates wind, solar and battery storage projects, along with natural gas-powered generation, that safely deliver affordable, reliable electricity to our customers. Committed to responsible development, RWE Americas invests in local and rural communities, creating jobs and partnering with stakeholders to support and strengthen the places where we live and work. This is complemented by RWE’s energy trading business. RWE is also a major offtaker of American liquified natural gas (LNG). Learn more about how RWE Americas is generating impact at americas.rwe.com.

At RWE Americas, we foster a culture defined by our Essential Behaviors - Have Courage, Create Impact and Actively Collaborate. We encourage bold thinking and continuous learning, and we value ownership, resilience and inclusion in everything we do. When you join us, you become part of a team that supports your development, respects your contributions and celebrates shared success. This is a place where you can grow your career and make a meaningful difference.