Head of EHS Americas

Cushman & Wakefield
United States, Illinois, Chicago
Nov 09, 2024
Job Title Head of EHS Americas Job Description Summary Role Purpose: The key objective of the role is to develop and lead the implementation of the Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Strategy for the Americas region while also acting as a trusted business partner to the Americas Executive Leadership Team(s) on EHS matters. The role will also support and collaborate on Security and Quality matters across the region to support the work of the wider global EHS Team. The Head of Americas EHS will work in partnership with key operational stakeholders including service line and regional leadership in order to design the strategy, agree strategic objectives and implement relevant initiatives, goals and targets to continuously improve EHS Management across the region. The role will support the operational business to deliver measurable improvements in health, safety and environmental performance across our Americas operational business, in support of our global corporate and EHS strategic priorities. This is a senior corporate role which will report directly to the Global Head of EHS with indirect reporting lines into key senior stakeholders in the region including President, Americas Advisory and President, Asset Services. The role will require an experienced professional who is comfortable and confident in working and presenting at a senior level. The individual will be commercially aware and fully accountable for developing productive relationships with key service line and geographical stakeholders across North America as well as Central and South America. The most critical aspect of these relationships will be advising and supporting senior stakeholders in understanding and managing critical, contentious and complex EHS matters including crisis events as and when these arise. Job Description Core Responsibilities: This role will be responsible for identifying areas of potential strategic organisational risk across the region and working with operational leaders and regional EHS resources to develop robust EHS mitigation controls, governance practices, policies and procedures in accordance with the C&W global EHS strategy. The role will focus on regional EHS initiatives that will prioritise high potential risk. Consultation on and engaging participation in EHS matters across the workforce is considered essential for the role. The Head of EHS will initiate and run EHS Ambassadors Forums and EHS committee's as are appropriate to ensure that EHS matters are appropriately discussed and consulted upon by leadership as well as the general employee population. The role will work across all C&W departments (with the exception of GOS and C&W Services in North America) and geographies and therefore senior stakeholder engagement will be critical to the candidate's success. The candidate must therefore have demonstrable experience in developing senior stakeholder relationships and influencing change and improvement at a senior level in a multinational business. The role will additionally maintain line management responsibilities for senior members of the Americas EHS Team (outside of GOS and C&W Services) and will be responsible for ensuring talent retention and development. The role may deputise for the Global Head of EHS during periods of absence and should therefore have the gravitas and seniority to perform this function. The role will act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders within the Americas region and will act as a crisis manager during periods of crisis with a permanent position on the North America Crisis Management Team(s). Any candidate for the role must have proven experience in developing and implementing cross-border initiatives to improve EHS compliance and awareness and will be responsible for: Assisting the global EHS community with the development and implementation of templates, guidelines and the mobilisation of global tools such as Intelex. Championing global EHS initiatives across their regional business as well as those developed within the region. Developing, implementing and delivering appropriate regional objectives, targets and improvement programs as part of a regional EHS Strategic Plan which will be developed by the role holder and agreed with management. Identifying trends in regional accident rates and types and applying strategic initiatives to improve EHS outcomes. Contributing actively to global ESG reporting Identifying lessons learnt from critical incidents and leading initiatives and programs to prevent recurrences. Sharing lessons learnt globally. Supporting the investigation of significant incidents and identifying lessons learnt. Sharing lessons learnt across the region and globally. Monitoring and reporting on EHS performance and progress against regional and global EHS objectives. Taking steps to continuously improve the availability and quality of EHS performance reporting. Managing and developing regional training programmes, methods of delivery and evaluation of effectiveness to ensure employees have an awareness of EHS programs and strategy. Routinely updating Americas leadership on EHS matters and events. Working with the global and regional procurement teams to implement robust strategic arrangements for the vetting, supervision and management of contractors and third party suppliers. Providing support and technical advice to senior leaders to enable them to discharge their accountabilities and responsibilities for health, safety and the environment within their service line. Monitoring trends in legislation and best practice to support continuing legal compliance and best practice operations globally. Horizon scanning for new relevant legislation and supporting the business to prepare for new requirements Managing critical, contentious and complex EHS matters in a professional manner, acting as trusted advisor to senior leadership. Supporting regional crisis management teams with the development review and testing of local procedures for critical incident management. Supporting client relationships and business development activities as required. Qualifications / Knowledge & Experience: Educated to degree level in Occupational Health and Safety or an equivalent discipline, the successful candidate will have demonstrable experience of developing, implementing and refining models of health, safety and environmental management in accordance with the requirements of international standards. Detailed knowledge and practical application of safety in the fields of construction, technical / facilities management and property management. Relevant HSSE or equivalent qualifications/certifications, e.g., CSP, CIH. Experience of working in a multi-site environment in the facilities, retail, property or service delivery sector preferable. Minimum 10-15 years experience in senior EHS roles expected. Subject Matter Expertise in HSSE Systems, OHS compliance strategies, and relevant US regulations, as well as International Standards Well versed in OSHA legislation and regulation The successful candidate will likely currently report to Board level stakeholders and will have a proven track record of working independently to influence senior stakeholders. The successful candidate will currently hold a position of responsibility within an organisation where brand / reputation management is seen as critical and where they are accountable for the safety of large numbers of internal / external stakeholders. The successful candidate will have worked successfully in an international role and will have experience in developing relationships internationally. While travel is essential the candidate should also be competent and capable in the use of IT engagement tools e.g. Microsoft Teams, video conferencing etc to deliver meetings, workshops and training sessions. Skills & Personal Qualities: Proven skills and qualities in the following areas: Visibility, proactivity and initiative are critical skills for this role. Any candidate must demonstrate how they have lead EHS improvement projects using their initiative and proactivity in the past. Candidate must demonstrate empathy in the way they conduct their work. Relationship and stakeholder management, influencing skills, commercial awareness and pragmatic problem solving skills are essential requirements for this role. Professional and proactive in approach and style, an excellent relationship builder, able to coach and influence change, by working in partnership and collaboration across the business. Able to operate at a senior level with senior executive stakeholders. Resilience and tenacity will be required in order to achieve the objectives and targets of the role. Able to act calmly and with authority in a crisis. Able to deal with major incidents and provide expert counsel to members of the company executive on appropriate action to be taken in the event of any EHS related incident. Ability to effectively respond to complex enquiries, solve complex problems and provide innovative solutions, whilst considering the bigger picture and commercial factors, anticipating potential issues and future needs of the business. Likes to work as part of a team but equally comfortable working alone, enjoys working with diverse and dynamic stakeholders and business units. Excellent presentational skills and confident at delivering complex and difficult messages to a variety of different stakeholders of varying seniority. Sensitive to the varying cultures and ways of operating between countries. Able to tailor solutions to suit national requirements and legislative frameworks. Exceptional time management skills and an ability to work and deliver under pressure. Fluent in English. Additional languages skills including Spanish / Portuguese and advantage. Date: July 2024 Cushman & Wakefield provides equal employment opportunity. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated. Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or email HRServices@cushwake.com. Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.