What an EHS manager does
An EHS manager leads the environment, health and safety function for a site or a group of sites. They set the program, own legal compliance, manage permits and approvals, report to senior leadership on risk and performance, oversee coordinators and committees, and lead the response when something serious happens. Many also run management systems certified to ISO 14001 for the environment and ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety. In a regulated operation, this person shapes how leadership understands and manages risk.
Hiring at this level means testing judgement as well as knowledge. Finch looks at the size and complexity of the operations a candidate has led, their record with regulators and certification auditors, and how they influence plant managers and executives who own the budget. In Ontario that typically includes the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Environmental Protection Act and approvals from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks; for sites elsewhere, we screen for the equivalent provincial rules.
Typical responsibilities
- Develop and lead the EHS strategy, policies and annual objectives
- Keep operations compliant with health, safety and environmental legislation and permits
- Manage ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 management systems and certification audits
- Oversee serious incident investigations, root cause analysis and reporting to leadership
- Run environmental programs covering waste, spills, air emissions and wastewater
- Lead and develop EHS coordinators and support joint health and safety committees
Qualifications and credentials
- A degree in occupational health and safety, environmental science, engineering or a related field
- The Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) designation from the BCRSP, which employers often look for at this level
- Experience with Environmental Compliance Approvals and reporting to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, or the equivalent in other provinces
- Lead auditor training or hands-on experience with ISO 14001 and ISO 45001
- Transportation of dangerous goods knowledge where the operation ships or receives regulated materials
Who hires an EHS manager
- Manufacturing and chemical companies
- Food and beverage processors
- Logistics and distribution networks
- Construction and infrastructure firms
- Mining, energy and utility companies
Where we recruit EHS manager candidates
We fill EHS manager roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Review the scale of sites, workforces and permits they have been responsible for
- Confirm CRSP or other designations with the issuing body
- Ask how they handled a regulator visit, order or serious incident
- Discuss their record building management systems and passing certification audits
- Speak with references at the executive or operations director level
Interview questions to ask
- How would you assess our EHS program in your first months, and what would you look at first?
- Tell me about a time you had to win budget for a safety or environmental improvement.
- How do you report EHS performance so that leading indicators get as much attention as injury rates?