About Wright-Hennepin

Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric utility serving rural Wright County and western Hennepin County since 1937. Today, we provide safe, reliable electricity to more than 59,000 member accounts while remaining committed to the communities we serve.

Position Summary

The Safety Director provides strategic leadership for Wright-Hennepin's safety culture, risk management initiatives, regulatory compliance programs, and employee well-being. This position partners with leaders across the organization to integrate safety into operational planning, employee development, contractor oversight, and business decision-making. The Safety Manager develops proactive strategies to identify and mitigate risk, strengthen safety culture, improve organizational performance, and achieve long-term safety objectives.

This position requires a strategic thinker who can lead initiatives to minimize workplace hazards and who is self-directed, requiring minimal direction with a forward-thinking vision.  This position will need to come with utility background and experience leading safety efforts. 

Location: Onsite - Rockford, MN. Rockford is located on Hwy. 55, 15 minutes west of I-494.

Pay & Benefits

Salary Range: $120,000-145,000 based on qualifications and experience

Wright-Hennepin offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, financial well-being, and work-life balance, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous 401(k) match
• Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions
• Annual bonus opportunity
• Paid time off and company-paid holidays
• Tuition reimbursement programs
• Flexible Spending Accounts (medical and dependent care)

What you'll do

30% Safety Leadership and Coaching for Field Operations

• Partner with Engineering and Operations to provide safety input during project planning, work design, equipment selection, and construction activities.
• Conduct crew observations and tailgates for all WH businesses and subsidiaries and coach and correct in real time.
• Conduct risk assessments and job hazard analyses for new initiatives, projects, and operational changes.
• Develop multi-year safety improvement roadmaps focused on reducing organizational risk exposure.
• Lead emergency preparedness planning, incident response coordination, and post-event review activities.
• Participate in storm restoration planning, mutual aid safety coordination, and emergency response initiatives. Identify traffic hazards on jobs and recommend traffic control during normal business hours and after hours.

15% Safety Leadership, Culture and Strategy 

• Drive safety culture and make recommendations for safety programs.
• Develop, implement, and oversee the organization's Safety Improvement Plan (SIP) and safety objectives in alignment with organizational goals and enterprise risk priorities. Track Safety Improvement Plan progress and act as primary contact for on-site safety audits. Create and lead action plans as a result of audit findings.
• Lead the development of a proactive safety culture that promotes employee engagement, accountability, ownership, and reporting of hazards and near misses. 
• Establish and monitor leading and lagging safety indicators to evaluate organizational performance and recommend improvement strategies. 
• Conduct annual safety culture assessments and develop action plans to address identified opportunities. 
• Facilitate the Safety Committee and Medical Response Team to drive continuous improvement and organizational accountability. 
• Serve as the organization's safety subject matter expert and trusted advisor to leaders and employees. 
• Prepare and present safety performance updates, emerging risks, and strategic initiatives to executive leadership and the Board of Directors.
• Lead Safety Committees and Medical Response Team. Conduct meetings, assign action items, and   ensure progress made towards actions.
• Manage equipment and PPE testing, observation and tracking?. 

15% Leadership Development and Safety Training

• Develop and implement a comprehensive safety education strategy for employees, supervisors, and leaders. 
• Coach managers and supervisors on safety leadership, accountability, human performance principles, and effective field observations.
• Identify training needs through trend analysis, operational assessments, and incident investigations. 
• Design and facilitate safety programs that support employee development and organizational objectives. 
• Ensure orientation and onboarding programs effectively prepare new employees for safe work practices.
• Coordinate safety events? for employees, contractors, and public entities. 
• Create and facilitate safety training programs based on department and position needs. 
• Conduct internal safety trainings and curriculum, new hire on-boarding?
• Review trends on past injuries and create training to mitigate future injuries in those categories 

20% Safety Analytics and Continuous Improvement

• Lead intake process for near-miss, injury/incident review?. Share findings with employees to  ensure that employees can learn from the incident.  Analyze injury, incident, near-miss, vehicle, and property damage trends to identify systemic risks and emerging concerns.
• Develop dashboards and predictive analytics that support proactive decision-making and risk reduction.
• Benchmark organizational safety performance against industry peers and best practices. 
• Lead root cause analyses and organizational learning efforts following significant safety events. 
• Recommend and implement initiatives designed to improve safety performance, operational reliability, and workforce readiness.
• Partner with HR team to ensure claims are filed appropriately. 
• Provide analysis of risks by evaluating the effectiveness of initiatives through safety assessments and compiling and interpreting data to identify gaps. Develop and implement action plans to mitigate risks. 
• Coordinate and conduct safety training and field evaluations. Provide assessment and work with leadership on ongoing training and program needs. 
• Ensure employees have access to safety training and track progress towards completion. 
• Develop and communicate policies and procedures to manage workplace accidents and injuries.
• Conduct ergonomics assessments? and ensure employees have proper equipment and resources to work safely. 

10% Contractor Safety Program

• Develop and manage the contractor safety program, including contractor qualification standards, orientation requirements, field audits, and performance evaluations. 
• Establish contractor safety expectations and ensure compliance with organizational and regulatory requirements. 
• Maintain a visible field presence through regular site visits, observations, tailgate meetings, and coaching opportunities. 
• Conduct field-based safety assessments to identify hazards and strengthen safe work practices. 
• Partner with supervisors and crews to address observations and implement corrective actions.

10% Compliance and Regulatory Management

• Ensure compliance with OSHA, DOT, EPA, FMCSA, and applicable utility industry regulations. 
• Serve as the primary contact for regulatory inspections, audits, and external safety assessments. 
• Oversee the development, maintenance, and communication of safety policies, procedures, and written programs. 
• Monitor regulatory changes and recommend policy or program modifications to ensure compliance. 
• Coordinate organizational response to audit findings and monitor completion of corrective actions.
• Provide guidance and direction to HR Coordinator on administrative compliance activities. 

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in safety, Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Health or related field strongly preferred
• 5+ years of experience in utility operations
• Experience in a safety or compliance role within a manufacturing, industrial, electrical, or related environment
• Experience with OSHA, DOT, EPA or other regulatory agencies

Licenses/Certificates

• Valid Driver’s License
• CSP or ASP preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of relevant regulatory, industry standards and best practices
• Demonstrated ability to use analytics and identify trends
• Must be capable of building strong relationships with partners throughout the organization and with external partners
• Demonstrated flexibility and ability to operate within an ambiguous and changing environment
• Proven strong planning, organization and prioritization skills
• Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills
• Ability to resolve conflicts and diffuse difficult situations
• Demonstrated strong consultative and influencing skills
• Proven experience in training delivery
• Ability to be on-call and take after-hours emergency calls

** No 3rd party recruiters, please**