HSE Director

Exo Group, LLC. has been protecting public infrastructure across the U.S. since 2009. Without consistent maintenance and quality assurance, critical assets face a growing risk of failure over time. Exo delivers engineering, inspection, and remediation services for lighting poles, transmission towers, and other infrastructure exposed to ongoing wear from usage, aging, and environmental conditions.

With deep expertise in vertical infrastructure, Exo builds on years of engineering design and fabrication experience across utilities, telecom, transportation, and retail sectors. This foundation supports a comprehensive inspection and asset management approach that addresses both new installations and aging structures requiring immediate attention.

Recognizing that full replacement is often impractical due to cost and safety constraints, Exo developed its “Ex-Tend” approach to manage assets throughout their entire life cycle. From initial quality assurance to ongoing inspection and targeted repairs, this method is designed to extend service life and improve reliability. Supported by data-driven insights, Exo helps clients monitor asset conditions and make informed, strategic decisions.

Position Summary

The HSE Director serves as Exo's operational HSE leader, translating the company's HSE and risk management strategy into consistent execution across field operations.

Reporting to the VP of HSE and Risk Management, this role leads the Regional HSE Managers and HSE Coordinator and is accountable for operational HSE performance, compliance assurance, field auditing, risk identification, safety culture development, field engagement, leadership coaching, and the performance and continuous improvement of the regional HSE organization.

Core Responsibilities

1. Regional HSE Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership, planning, and oversight of the Regional HSE organization and its operational performance.
• Lead regional staffing, geographical coverage, and organizational structure, ensuring appropriate allocation of resources to support operational needs and business growth.
• Manage the field HSE budget, including regional staffing and Contract Field Safety costs, and approve Contract Field Safety staffing levels as field headcount changes.
• Lead, coach and develop Regional HSE Managers while holding them accountable for measurable improvements in regional HSE performance, including reductions in injury rates and preventable vehicle accidents.
• Reinforce Exo’s culture of Make It Safe, Stop Work Authority and accountability for safe work practices throughout the organization.
• Drive consistent safety execution and communication across regions, Operations, and corporate HSE and Risk Management.
• Supervise and develop the HSE Coordinator who supports field training records, documentation, and HSE data.

2. Field Safety & Operational Leadership:

• Lead field safety execution through visible leadership, clear accountability, and strong operational partnership.
• Hold regional safety leaders accountable for field presence, team performance, and consistent execution.
• Partner with Operations leadership to integrate safety into planning, high-risk work and daily decisions.
• Ensure HSE teams identify hazards, verify controls, and provide practical field solutions.
• Maintain visibility into field conditions and align operational execution with Exo’s Make It Safe expectations.

3. Field Auditing & Compliance: Lead consistent field auditing and compliance across Exo operations.

• Establish audit standards, ensure consistent job-site audits, and partner with Operations to assign, track, and verify corrective actions through closure, including identifying and addressing recurring and systemic issues.
• Use audit data to report trends, prioritize risk, and drive consistent execution across regions.
• Monitor compliance with EXO policies, Life-Saving Principles, THA/JSA, PPE, training, and critical controls.
• Identify program gaps, compliance issues, unsafe conditions, and ineffective controls.

4. Safety Culture Development & Leadership:

• Lead and sustain Exo’s safety culture through visible leadership, employee engagement, and shared accountability.
• Maintain a visible, credible field presence and build trust with employees and leaders.
• Promote personal ownership, Stop Work Authority, hazard and near-miss reporting, and recognition of proactive safety actions.
• Partner with Operations to integrate safety into planning and daily work.
• Coach safety leaders to influence behavior and consistently reinforce Exo’s Make It Safe expectations.
• Use employee feedback, observations, and incident trends to strengthen culture and improve performance.

5. Serious Injury & Fatality Risk Management

• Lead field execution of Exo’s SIF prevention strategy.
• Ensure critical hazards are identified, controlled, and verified before and during high-risk work.
• Reinforce THA/JSA requirements, Life-Saving Principles, and the Critical Hazard Watchlist.
• Use field findings and trends to eliminate recurring SIF exposures and strengthen controls.

6. Development of Safety Professionals:

• Lead the development and succession of Exo’s safety professionals.
• Establish development plans and competency standards for Regional HSE Managers and Field Safety Specialists.
• Coach leaders in field engagement, auditing, risk management, communication, and business acumen.
• Identify and prepare high-potential talent for greater responsibility and future HSE leadership.
• Assess organizational capability and recommend staffing, training, and development priorities.

7. HSE Management System & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure effective field implementation of Exo’s Safety Management System and DOT/FMCSA corporate programs.
• Monitor key HSE processes and close gaps between written programs and field execution.
• Use field findings, incidents, audits, and employee feedback to drive continuous improvement.
• Partner with the Senior Manager of HSE Programs and Risk to maintain effective, compliant, and scalable programs.

8. Incident & Corrective Action Oversight

• Oversee significant incidents, investigations, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions.
• Monitor trends and address systemic issues through changes to training, procedures, equipment, staffing, or operations.
• Partner with Operations to ensure sustainable corrective actions and integrate lessons learned into field work.
• Coordinate with the Senior Manager of HSE Programs and Risk on related claims, risk, and technical matters.
• Lead Exo’s response to OSHA inspections and citations, with Regional HSE Managers serving as on-site contacts, and coordinate decisions on contesting citations with the VP and Legal.
• Ensure injuries and incidents are reported promptly to support accurate OSHA recordkeeping, claims management, and return-to-work.

9. Transportation Safety & Field Risk

• Identify transportation and operational risks that could affect Exo’s ability to safely deploy employees and perform work.
• Ensure field execution of Exo’s DOT/FMCSA, fleet safety, and Samsara driver-coaching programs administered by the Senior Manager of HSE Programs and Risk.
• Maintain strong coordination among field safety, transportation compliance, Operations, and corporate risk functions.
• Provide field risk input to the VP’s enterprise risk framework, and ensure field execution of industrial hygiene, environmental, and subcontractor safety requirements.
• Lead Exo’s motor vehicle accident prevention strategy and hold Regional HSE Managers accountable for measurable reductions in preventable motor vehicle incidents and associated injury rates through driver-risk analysis, targeted corrective actions, field engagement, and consistent execution of transportation safety controls.

10. Leadership, Reporting & Accountability

• Build strong knowledge of Exo’s operations, financial drivers, clients, contracts, and enterprise risks.
• Partner with Operations to improve safety performance and injury prevention while strengthening operational efficiency, client satisfaction, risk management, and responsible growth.
• Represent HSE in strategic, executive, and operational leadership discussions.
• Set expectations and hold Regional HSE Managers accountable for consistent results.
• Promptly escalate critical risks and recommend action based on field and audit data.
• Maintain meaningful HSE metrics and report significant risks, gaps, trends, and corrective actions to the VP.
• Define field KPIs and leading indicators, and use the HSE/DOT dashboards maintained by the Senior Manager of HSE Programs and Risk to track and trend performance.
• Conduct performance reviews with Regional HSE Managers and establish clear performance expectations, priorities, and improvement actions.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety, HSE, Risk Management, Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive HSE experience in construction, utilities, industrial services, or similar field-based operations.
• 5+ years of experience leading and managing safety professionals, and managing multi-state or regional HSE programs.
• Demonstrated success in field safety execution, regulatory compliance, auditing, serious injury and fatality (SIF) prevention, incident investigation, and corrective-action management.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA and DOT/FMCSA regulations.
• Proven ability to establish accountability, develop leaders, and partner with Operations to integrate safety into planning, decision-making, and execution.
• Ability to analyze HSE data, establish meaningful performance metrics, identify trends, and communicate risks and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Strong leadership, communication, coaching, influencing, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to travel and work effectively in construction, utility, industrial, and remote field environments.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate HSE and risk management into operations, strategic planning, and decision-making while balancing safety, compliance, performance, financial priorities, and responsible growth.
• Demonstrated success in developing, strengthening, and sustaining a proactive safety culture through leadership engagement, employee involvement, accountability, communication, and field-level presence.

Preferred Qualifications

• CSP, SMP, CIH, or other relevant advanced HSE professional credential, or a master’s degree in HSE, Safety, Risk Management, Business, or a related field.
• Experience with enterprise risk management, workers’ compensation, transportation safety, fleet risk, insurance, and/or claims oversight.
• Experience developing and implementing scalable HSE management systems and processes within a growing organization.

Physical Requirements

• Field mobility: Ability to travel regularly to field sites (20–25%), often in remote or construction environments. Ability to walk long distances over uneven terrain, climb ladders, navigate construction and industrial sites, and bend, kneel, and squat to inspect equipment and ground-level hazards.
• Endurance and conditions: Ability to stay active for extended periods during inspections, audits, and training, and to work in varying weather, including extreme heat, cold, and rain.
• Lifting: Ability to lift, carry, and position safety equipment, PPE, barriers, signs, and tools weighing up to 25 pounds.
• Observation: Ability to visually inspect sites for hazards, read signs and labels, detect audible warnings in noisy environments, and communicate effectively near machinery and heavy equipment.
• Emergency response: Ability to respond quickly to on-site emergencies and move safely around field hazards.
• Ability to sit and work at a computer for extended periods and use standard office equipment.
• Ability to communicate effectively in person, by telephone, and through video conferencing.
• Ability to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

Mental Requirements

• Strategic judgment: Ability to assess risk across regions and make sound, timely decisions, including escalating critical risks and stopping unsafe work.
• Leadership through others: Ability to lead, coach, and hold Regional HSE Managers accountable, and to influence senior Operations leaders without direct authority.
• Analysis: Ability to interpret HSE data, audit findings, and incident trends, and translate them into priorities and corrective actions.
• Communication: Ability to communicate clearly and credibly with executives, Operations leaders, safety professionals, and field employees.
• Composure and resilience: Ability to lead calmly through serious incidents and emergencies, and to manage the stress and emotional impact of injuries while sustaining a positive safety culture.
• Organization: Ability to manage priorities across multiple regions, projects, and stakeholders at the same time.
• Continuous learning: Commitment to staying current on regulations, standards, and industry practices.

Measures of Success

• Measurable reductions in recordable injury and preventable motor vehicle incident rates across regions.
• Consistent field execution of EXO’s HSE programs, audits, and critical controls in every region.
• Timely closure of corrective actions and reduction of recurring and systemic issues.
• Effective oversight of significant incidents and OSHA inspection responses.
• A capable, developing regional HSE team, with Contract Field Safety staffing matched to field headcount.
• Strong partnership with Operations, with safety integrated into planning and daily work.
• Accurate, timely reporting of HSE performance, risks, and trends to the VP.

FLSA Status: Exempt

Pay Range: $160,000–$190,000 Annually, commensurate with experience and qualifications, plus eligibility for an annual performance-based bonus.

Reports To: Vice President of HSE and Risk Management

Benefits:

Exo offers a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Medical

• Dental

• Vision

• Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Accounts

• Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment

• Short Term and Long-Term Disability

• Accident, Hospital Indemnity and Critical Illness

• 401k with company match

• PTO

• 10 paid holidays

Note: The above job description is a general overview of the responsibilities and requirements typically associated with the role of HSE Director. The specific duties and requirements may vary depending on the organization's needs.

Exo is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.