Job Description:
The Health, Safety & Wellness Manager provides strategic leadership and oversight for the organization's Health & Safety Management System, regulatory compliance, WSIB and disability management programs, wellness initiatives, security operations, and emergency preparedness across two facilities employing approximately 1,450 team members operating on three shifts.
The position is accountable for ensuring legislative compliance, driving continuous improvement, managing organizational risk, and fostering a strong culture of safety and wellbeing. The incumbent leads the Health, Safety & Wellness team and partners with departmental leadership to achieve organizational health and safety objectives.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership & Strategy
- Develop and execute health, safety, wellness, and security strategies aligned with organizational goals.
- Provide leadership, development and performance management for the Health, Safety & Wellness team.
- Advise senior leadership on health, safety, regulatory, security, and organizational risk matters.
- Lead initiatives that strengthen employee engagement, hazard awareness, reporting culture, and management accountability.
- Drive continuous improvement in safety culture through visible leadership, performance measurement, and organizational development initiatives.
- Develop and manage departmental budgets and business cases to support health, safety, wellness, security and risk reduction initiatives.
- Develop and execute the departmental business plan and budget, including recommendations for investments that support health, safety, wellness, security and risk reduction priorities.
Health & Safety Governance & Compliance
- Provide strategic oversight of the Health & Safety Management System, ensuring compliance with legislative, regulatory, customer, and organizational requirements.
- Lead the development and maintenance of health and safety policies, programs and standards to ensure regulatory compliance and effective risk management.
- Provide technical oversight of health and safety training requirements to ensure employees and leaders are appropriately trained for workplace hazards and regulatory requirements.
- Act as the organization’s subject matter expert for ergonomics, hazard identification, risk assessment and physical demands analysis.
- Oversee ergonomic and injury prevention programs, risk assessment processes and hazard control strategies.
- Represent the organization with regulatory agencies, customers, and industry stakeholders on health and safety matters.
WSIB, Disability Management & Wellness
- Provide strategic oversight of WSIB, return-to-work, disability management, and accommodation programs.
- Monitor claim performance, costs, and return-to-work outcomes and drive improvement initiatives.
- Lead development and evaluation of employee wellness programs that support workforce wellbeing, attendance, engagement, and retention.
Security & Emergency Preparedness
- Oversee facility security programs, contractor safety governance, and access control processes.
- Ensure effective emergency preparedness, crisis management, and business continuity planning.
- Review significant security and emergency events and direct corrective actions as required.
Operational Partnership & Project Support
- Partner with operational leaders to integrate health and safety requirements into business operations.
- Ensure health, safety, ergonomic, and regulatory considerations are incorporated into project planning and execution.
- Provide health and safety leadership for capital projects, facility modifications, equipment installations and operational changes.
- Oversee contractor safety requirements and performance for construction, maintenance and other contracted services.
Qualifications
- Degree or Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety, Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
- CRSP designation preferred.
- Minimum 10 years of progressive health and safety experience, including 5 years in a management role within a manufacturing, food processing, or industrial environment.
- Demonstrated experience leading Health & Safety Management Systems, regulatory compliance, WSIB and disability management programs, audits, and organizational risk management.
- Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence all levels of the organization.
- Proven ability to drive change, foster a positive safety culture, and lead continuous improvement initiatives.
- Strong analytical, decision-making, project management, and problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced, multi-site, environment.
Direct Reports
- Health, Safety & Wellness Coordinator (3)
- Health, Safety & Wellness Compliance Auditor (1)
Key Competencies
- Accountability and Initiative
- Enabling Change
- People are Our Foundation
Working Conditions
- Occasional weekend, after-hours, and multi-shift support as required to meet operational needs.
- Regular presence in a food-processing environment with exposure to cold temperatures, elevated noise levels, moving equipment, and production hazards.
- Frequent interaction with manufacturing operations, including high-traffic production and material handling areas.
- Periodic work in outdoor environments and active processing areas requiring adherence to all safety and personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements.
Physical Requirements
- May be required to lift up to 50 pounds on an occasional basis while performing ergonomic assessments
- May be required to stand for extended periods of time
Key Performance Indicators
- Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR)
- Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR)
- WSIB Claim Costs and Duration
- Return-to-Work Performance
- Audit Compliance Scores
- Corrective Action Closure Rates
- Ministry of Labour Compliance Results
- Wellness Program Participation and Engagement
- Security Incident Performance
- Department Budget Performance