Startup and Validation EHS Program Manager (Field Based)

ERM is seeking an experienced Startup and Validation EHS Program Manager to support a major pharmaceutical manufacturing startup in Lebanon, Indiana.

This individual will provide onsite leadership for health, safety, and environmental activities associated with commissioning, qualification, startup, and operational readiness of manufacturing systems and supporting infrastructure.

The role serves as the primary HSE leader for startup activities and oversees a team of Node Leads and HSE professionals supporting multiple facility areas.

The successful candidate will partner closely with client leadership, startup teams, engineering organizations, and operations personnel to ensure safe startup execution, effective lockout/tagout (LOTO) programs, safe work permits (SWP), startup readiness reviews, incident prevention, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Access to ERM's national EHS experts provide knowledge sharing of best practices across the industry and ongoing learning opportunities for our team.

This is a full-time (40hrs/week), limited-term role for a duration of 2.5 years (30 months), extendable.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Program Oversight


* Provide day-to-day leadership for the onsite C&Q HSE team, comprised of 6-8 project leads and specialists.


* Establish consistent HSE expectations, processes, and field practices across all startup areas.


* Mentor and support Node Leads and HSE professionals.


* Interface directly with client startup leadership and project stakeholders.


* Lead coordination meetings and drive accountability for HSE deliverables.

Startup Safety & Operational Readiness


* Support safe commissioning, qualification, and startup of manufacturing systems.


* Participate in startup planning, readiness reviews, and operational transition activities.


* Support execution of pre-startup reviews for safety and environmental considerations.


* Identify startup risks and develop practical mitigation strategies.


* Provide field presence during critical startup evolutions.

LOTO & High-Risk Work Management


* Maintain and continuously improve LOTO and SWP strategies, standards, and guidance.


* Support development and review of complex isolation plans.


* Audit LOTO and SWP implementation and compliance.


* Provide oversight of high-risk work activities conducted during startup and commissioning.

Metrics, Auditing & Continuous Improvement


* Develop and report startup safety performance metrics.


* Conduct program audits and field assessments.


* Identify trends and opportunities for improvement.


* Drive closure of corrective actions and develop lessons learned.

Incident Investigation


* Lead investigations of incidents, near misses, and significant safety observations.


* Facilitate root cause analysis efforts.


* Develop corrective and preventive actions.


* Communicate lessons learned across project teams.

Environmental S...