Senior EHS Manager

The Senior EHS Manager is responsible for leading and executing the Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) strategy for the Distribution Division in alignment with corporate EHS objectives. This role partners closely with divisional and regional leadership to drive a strong safety culture, ensure regulatory compliance, and continuously improve EHS performance across multiple distribution locations.

The role serves as a key liaison between Corporate EHS, senior divisional leadership, and field operations, providing strategic direction, hands-on support, and leadership in incident management, audits, training, and continuous improvement initiatives.

This role can be based in Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas or St. Louis. 

Key Responsibilities

EHS Strategy & Leadership

• Lead execution of the Divisional EHS agenda in alignment with the corporate EHS strategy.
• Partner with divisional, regional, and branch leadership to drive EHS awareness, engagement, and accountability.
• Attend leadership and operational meetings to communicate EHS performance, risks, trends, and initiatives.
• Establish and maintain regular one-on-one meetings with the EHS Senior Director to review policy, procedures, performance, and personal development objectives.

Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management

• Maintain expert knowledge of applicable corporate, local, state, and federal EHS regulations (including OSHA, DOT, and environmental requirements).
• Develop, implement, and maintain programs, policies, and procedures to ensure ongoing regulatory compliance.
• Serve as the divisional point of contact for local, state, and federal regulatory agencies.
• Monitor emerging and changing regulations and proactively communicate impacts to senior leadership and Corporate EHS.

Incident Management & Investigations

• Engage directly with field leadership on all OSHA Recordable, Lost Time, and DOT/Non-DOT vehicle incidents.
• Lead or actively participate in incident and accident investigations, ensuring thorough root cause analysis and corrective action development.
• Coach and train warehouse and operations leadership on effective investigation techniques and root cause methodologies.
• Partner with regional and branch leadership to implement corrective actions and prevent recurrence.

Audits, Metrics & Performance Improvement

• Lead the EHS audit process for assigned locations within the division.
• Support operations teams in addressing audit findings and ensure corrective actions are completed within defined timelines.
• Track, analyze, and report EHS metrics and KPIs across the division.
• Collaborate with leadership to establish goals and drive measurable improvements in EHS performance.
• Clearly communicate EHS results, trends, and risks to leadership to drive alignment and accountability.

Training & Capability Building

• Develop and deliver EHS training to reinforce environmental, health, and safety procedures and standards.
• Support EHS capability building and talent development within assigned regions.
• Assist in the development and rollout of division-wide EHS programs and practices.
• Design and implement regional training initiatives related to new or updated EHS programs and processes.

Continuous Improvement & Change Management

• Evaluate the effectiveness of existing EHS programs and processes and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Standardize EHS best practices through clear documentation, tools, and training to ensure consistent application across locations.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to align EHS process improvements with broader business and operational goals.
• Apply change management principles to guide teams through EHS process changes, ensuring adoption, sustainability, and long-term effectiveness.

Growth, Acquisitions & New Business

• Provide EHS guidance and leadership to regional teams supporting acquisitions and new business development.
• Assess EHS risks and readiness and support integration efforts as needed.

Qualifications & Requirements

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health & Safety, Occupational Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Engineering, or a related field preferred
• Master’s degree or professional certifications (e.g., CSP, CIH, CHMM) a plus.

Experience

• 5+ years of progressive EHS experience in distribution, warehousing, manufacturing, logistics, or a similar operational environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading EHS programs across multiple sites or regions.
• Hands-on experience with OSHA, DOT, and environmental compliance requirements.
• Proven experience leading incident investigations, audits, and corrective action programs.
• Experience partnering with senior leaders and influencing without direct authority.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong working knowledge of EHS regulations, standards, and best practices.
• Ability to analyze EHS data, identify trends, and drive performance improvement through metrics and KPIs.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage frontline employees through executive leadership.
• Strong coaching and training capabilities, particularly in operational environments.
• Demonstrated ability to lead change, drive adoption, and build a sustainable safety culture.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities across regions and locations.

Travel

• Ability to travel regularly (30%) to distribution centers and regional locations as required.

The salary range for this position is $110-120K plus bonus based on experience, education and geographic location. 

The perks of being a Bunzl team member don’t stop at being part of a great team or being valued as our #1 asset. We offer a full range of benefits to help our employees take care of themselves and their families today, tomorrow and for the future.

• Medical, Dental & Vision Benefits effective the 1st day of the month after 30 days 
• Paid Time Off - Vacation, Sick, Holidays and Personal Time
• 401K with generous company match
• Additional benefit information can be found on the Bunzl Careers home page under Benefits and Perks. 

Bunzl is a global leader in the Cleaning & Hygiene, Food Processing, Grocery, Health Care, Non‑Food Retail, and Safety industries. We have grown both organically and through acquisitions to exceed $10 billion in sales. Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Bunzl North America operates more than 100 warehouses and serves all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, and parts of the Caribbean and Mexico. With more than 10,000 team members and over 400,000 supplies, Bunzl is recognized as a leading supplier across North America—and proudly certified as a Great Place to Work®. At Bunzl, you’ll find Unlimited Potential… your career, our future.

Bunzl Distribution offers competitive salaries, a comfortable work environment, and a full range of benefits including a 401k with a company match.

Bunzl Distribution has a tradition of commitment to equal employment opportunity. It is the established policy to attract and retain the best qualified people without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex/gender (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, age, disability or veteran status as provided by law.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.