# Environmental Health & Safety Lead - Datacenter

**Company:** [OpenAI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/openai)
**Location:** Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA
**Role:** Hardware Engineering
**Salary:** $185k – $240k/yr
**Experience:** 7+ years
**Skills:** environmental health and safety, data centers, construction safety, electrical safety, high-voltage systems, incident investigation, root-cause analysis, contractor management, environmental compliance, hazardous materials, emergency response, Risk Assessment, Regulatory Compliance, auditing, fire and life safety
**Posted:** 2026-08-03

> Leads environmental, health, and safety strategy across large-scale data center infrastructure, covering design, construction, commissioning, and operations. The role requires deep experience with high-hazard environments, contractor governance, regulatory compliance, incident investigations, and scalable EHS systems.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities

- Develop and own EHS strategy, standards, programs, and operating mechanisms across a data center and compute infrastructure portfolio.
- Establish scalable EHS requirements for site development, design, construction, commissioning, equipment installation, and ongoing data center operations.
- Identify and mitigate EHS risks during site selection, design development, construction planning, and project execution.
- Develop risk assessment frameworks for high-hazard activities and environments, including electrical systems, high-voltage infrastructure, construction, lifting and rigging, energized work, confined spaces, hazardous materials, fire protection, industrial equipment, and commissioning.
- Establish EHS requirements and performance expectations for developers, general contractors, engineering firms, equipment vendors, and other external partners.
- Measure EHS performance through leading and lagging indicators, audits, inspections, incident reporting, corrective actions, and executive reporting.
- Lead investigations of significant incidents, near misses, and high-potential events; identify systemic root causes and drive corrective and preventive actions.
- Develop emergency preparedness and response frameworks for critical infrastructure environments.
- Provide technical EHS guidance during construction and commissioning, including review of construction execution plans, method statements, job hazard analyses, and high-risk work plans.
- Integrate environmental compliance and stewardship requirements into infrastructure development and operations.
- Establish governance processes across a geographically distributed portfolio and third-party operators and contractors.
- Monitor regulatory developments and industry standards and translate them into practical infrastructure requirements.
- Support permitting, regulatory engagement, inspections, and compliance activities.
- Develop training, competency, and accountability programs for employees, contractors, and infrastructure partners.
- Advise infrastructure leadership on material risks, risk acceptance, mitigation, and project readiness.
- Improve EHS through engineering, automation, data, design standards, construction practices, and operational processes.
- Travel regularly to construction sites, data centers, and infrastructure partner locations as required.

## Requirements

- Deep experience leading EHS programs for hyperscale data centers, mission-critical infrastructure, large industrial facilities, semiconductor manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, energy infrastructure, or similarly complex environments.
- Strong technical understanding of construction and operational safety, including electrical safety, high-voltage systems, commissioning, industrial equipment, fire and life safety, and contractor management.
- Experience developing EHS standards and governance systems across large, geographically distributed infrastructure portfolios.
- Experience managing EHS performance across general contractors, engineering firms, developers, equipment suppliers, and other third-party partners.
- Strong understanding of U.S. federal, state, and local EHS regulations and regulatory frameworks.
- Experience conducting high-potential incident investigations, root-cause analysis, corrective action programs, and systemic risk reduction.
- Experience building EHS metrics, dashboards, audit programs, and executive reporting mechanisms.
- Strong knowledge of construction safety management systems and high-risk work plans.
- Experience integrating EHS requirements into design standards, construction planning, commissioning, and operational readiness.
- Strong understanding of environmental compliance, permitting, hazardous materials management, waste management, emergency response, and environmental risk management.
- Experience operating in rapidly scaling organizations.
- Excellent judgment and communication skills for explaining technical and regulatory risks to executives, engineers, construction leaders, and external partners.

## Nice to Have

- CSP, CIH, CHMM, PE, or equivalent EHS credentials.

## Compensation and Benefits

- Annual salary range: **$185,000–$240,000**.
- The role includes regular travel to construction sites, data centers, and infrastructure partner locations.

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