1338 Interim Enviro, Health and Safety – USA
About Our Client:
An international chemistry manufacturing business, part of a German Group, is seeking an Interim EHS Director to support one of its USA production sites. The site employs approximately 200 people and forms part of a broader cross-border manufacturing network spanning Germany, the USA, and France.
The operation serves customers across pharma, cosmetics and agriculture, with manufacturing based on green chemistry processes and a mix of continuous and batch production technologies. The mandate has arisen following the departure of the previous EHS leader, creating the need for visible on-site leadership, stronger regulatory coordination and central ownership of Environmental, Health and Safety performance in the USA, while remaining aligned with the standards and governance expectations of a German-headquartered industrial group.
This is a business-critical interim executive leadership mandate focused on restoring clear EHS direction at site level in the USA, strengthening compliance discipline, maintaining external credibility with regulators and authorities, and ensuring that Germany-USA operational alignment works effectively in practice. The role will suit an interim leader who can operate confidently in a cross-cultural manufacturing environment, balancing local US plant realities with the governance, reporting rhythm and matrix expectations of an international German Group.
Project Description:
This Interim EHS Director USA assignment has been created to re-establish clear site-level leadership across Environmental, Health and Safety at a Southern USA chemical manufacturing operation owned by a German Group.
The role calls for a senior interim executive who can combine practical plant-level leadership in the USA with a strong grasp of chemical-site regulatory expectations, process safety, environmental compliance, operational risk control and cross-border stakeholder management between Germany and the USA.
- Act as Interim EHS Director for a USA chemical manufacturing site of approximately 200 employees, reporting locally to site leadership while operating within an international German Group structure.
- Provide visible, full-time on-site leadership and take central ownership of all Environmental, Health and Safety coordination activities across the site.
- Serve as the key interface with US regulators, authorities and external stakeholders, ensuring that regulatory requirements are translated into pragmatic plant-level action.
- Stabilise and strengthen the EHS function following a leadership gap, ensuring continuity of ongoing activities while improving accountability, prioritisation and execution.
- Lead the continued development of the site’s safety management system, with particular attention to disciplined implementation, risk reduction and measurable operational follow-through.
- Bring credible oversight to chemical manufacturing EHS topics including OSHA Process Safety Management, EPA Risk Management Program requirements where applicable, and internationally recognised management-system principles such as ISO 45001 and ISO 14001.
- Operate effectively in a Germany-USA matrix environment, balancing local site needs in the USA with wider group expectations, reporting standards and cross-border EHS alignment.
- Support a 6+ month inte
Interim Manager Required Skills:
This role is suited to a senior interim EHS leader from a chemical or process manufacturing background who is comfortable stepping into an operationally sensitive USA site environment and leading from the front within a German Group context.
- Previous experience as an Interim EHS Director, EHS Director, EHS Manager, Environmental, Health and Safety Director, or equivalent site-level EHS leader in chemical manufacturing, specialty chemicals or related process industries.
- Strong exposure to regulated manufacturing environments serving sectors such as pharma, cosmetics, agriculture or similarly demanding industrial settings in the USA.
- Relevant technical foundation in engineering, chemical processes or a scientific discipline that supports sound judgement in a plant environment.
- Demonstrated experience managing EHS in facilities where process safety, hazardous materials, environmental controls and regulatory scrutiny are part of day-to-day operations.
- Comfortable working with management systems and continuous-improvement approaches aligned with ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 principles.
- Comfortable operating in a cross-border Germany-USA business environment, where communication, escalation, reporting and leadership expectations may differ between headquarters and local plant level.
- Able to build trust quickly with both USA operational teams and international stakeholders from a German Group environment.
- Confident engaging with regulators, authorities and senior internal stakeholders, while remaining practical and grounded on site.
- Based in the USA and able to commit to full on-site presence in the Southern USA.
- Open to an interim mandate with the possibility of a longer-term permanent transition.
Key Requirements:
US Chemical Regulatory Framework, EPA Risk Management, EHS Leadership
Type of Assignment:
Interim
Scope of Interim Assignment:
Compliance, Governance, Safety
Functional Area of the Interim Manager:
Location:
Southern USA
Duration:
6 months
Start Date:
April 2026, asap
Why work with us?
CE Interim delivers proven executive interim leaders within 72 hours across borders, cultures, and industries. We specialize in high-impact interim management for private equity firms, family offices, and global corporations facing moments of transition: digital transformation, market entry, operational turnaround, post-merger integration, or crisis.
What sets us apart is not just the speed or depth of our network, it’s how we lead. Every engagement is personally guided by a CE Interim managing partner: former CEOs, CFOs, or COOs who’ve been on your side of the table, steering organizations through high-stakes decisions.
With a global talent pool and operational reach spanning Europe, the USA, and the Middle East, we don’t fill roles, we build trust, lead transitions, and deliver outcomes.
As part of the Valtus Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of Executive Interim Management companies, we ensure seamless international execution through 25+ offices and 80+ senior partners in over 50 countries.
