Job Description
Overview Do you want to join a team that's changing the world? Do you have a strong background as an Occupational Health and Safety Manager? Then we're looking for you! Check out the job description and apply now! Put your skills to meaningful use, gain unique experience, and work with world-class team members with diverse backgrounds and expertise who share the same vision. Join the PECNA team today!
Responsibilities Meet the Recruiter: Anh Martin Summary Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we’re building the world’s largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you’ll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation.
Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation.
Job Summary The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Manager leads the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of PECNA’s safety management systems to ensure a safe, compliant, and high-performing manufacturing environment. This role provides strategic and operational leadership to OHS professionals and production teams, embedding safety excellence into every phase of battery manufacturing. The OHS Manager partners cross-functionally with operations, engineering, and facilities leadership to drive proactive risk reduction, ensure regulatory compliance, and cultivate a sustainable safety culture. This position serves as both a hands-on leader and a strategic advisor, guiding PECNA toward industry-leading performance in health, safety, and environmental stewardship.
Essential Duties Safety Leadership & Strategy: - Champion a proactive, values-driven safety culture that aligns with PECNA’s mission, goals, and core principles
- Lead and mentor OHS team members, safety champions, and cross-functional production leaders to drive ownership of safety performance and compliance
- Establish and track OHS performance metrics (KPIs and leading indicators) to monitor progress and identify improvement opportunities
- Represent OHS within leadership meetings and strategic planning sessions to ensure alignment of safety objectives with business priorities
Program Management & Regulatory Compliance - Oversee the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of OHS management systems, ensuring compliance with OSHA, NFPA, and other applicable regulations and standards
- Manage and evaluate key OHS programs including Lockout/Tagout, Machine Guarding, Confined Space, Fall Protection, Respiratory Protection, and Industrial Hygiene
- Develop policies, procedures, and standards that establish consistency across all production areas and align with ISO 45001 or equivalent frameworks
- Lead internal audits and inspections to assess compliance and effectiveness of safety programs, driving timely corrective and preventive actions
Risk Assessment & Operational Support - Oversee and validate risk assessments, job hazard analyses (JHAs), and management of change (MOC) processes for both existing operations and new equipment installations
- Partner with Engineering and Operations on the design, commissioning, and modification of equipment and processes to ensure inherently safe systems
- Provide technical expertise to resolve high-risk safety concerns and support incident prevention strategies
- Coordinate and support permitting, documentation, and reporting activities required by regulatory agencies
Incident Management & Continuous Improvement - Direct the incident investigation process to ensure root cause analysis, corrective action completion, and systemic prevention measures
- Analyze safety performance trends to identify root causes, implement targeted improvement projects, and communicate lessons learned across all shifts and departments
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives using Lean or Six Sigma methodologies to enhance safety performance and efficiency
- Maintain readiness for emergency response, ensuring drills, training, and procedures are effectively managed and up to date
Collaboration & Leadership Communication - Build strong partnerships with operations, maintenance, engineering, facilities, and HR to align safety initiatives and drive accountability at all levels
- Serve as the primary liaison for external auditors, consultants, and regulatory representatives during inspections, permitting, and compliance reviews
- Provide leadership-level reporting on OHS performance, emerging risks, and program progress to site and corporate management
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements - To ensure health and safety in the workplace and for employee protection, wearing PPE is a possibility and includes equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator. A respirator fit test will be required based on functional area.
The foregoing description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills and efforts or work conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the general nature and level of the job. Qualifications Qualifications: Education - Required: Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety and Health, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Science, Engineering, or a related technical field or equivalent work experience
- Preferred: Master’s degree in Occupational Safety and Health, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Science, Engineering, or a related field
Essential Qualifications - 5+ years of progressively responsible OHS experience or regulatory compliance in a manufacturing, industrial, or high-hazard environment
- Demonstrated ability to develop and lead organizational safety strategies, including KPIs, management systems, and risk-based performance improvements
- Strong working knowledge of OSHA, NFPA, ANSI, and other applicable regulatory standards
- Proven experience implementing and maintaining safety management systems (ISO 45001, ISO 14001, or equivalent frameworks)
- Skilled in conducting and overseeing incident investigations, root cause analyses, and corrective/preventive actions
- Ability to analyze safety performance data, identify trends, and develop proactive improvement plans
- Experience leading risk assessments, process hazard analyses (PHA), and management of change (MOC) processes
- Strong interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills with the ability to influence and engage at all organizational levels
- Proficiency in EHS management systems, reporting tools, and digital compliance platforms (e.g., Enablon, Intelex, VelocityEHS, or similar)
- Demonstrated success in building a strong safety culture and leading cross-functional safety initiatives
- Ability to wear and work in PPE, including respirators and hazmat suits, as required by functional area
- Alignment to Panasonic’s seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude)
Preferred Qualifications - 3+ years of experience managing OHS programs or teams in an industrial, high-tech, or high-hazard manufacturing environment
- Experience within lithium-ion battery, chemical, semiconductor, or automotive manufacturing industries
- Proven success leading teams through regulatory inspections, audits, and compliance reporting
- Experience supporting or managing industrial hygiene programs, including air monitoring, noise assessments, and chemical exposure evaluations
- Background in ergonomics, human factors engineering, or behavioral safety leadership
- Training or certification in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or 6S implementation applied to safety processes
- Demonstrated ability to integrate safety into engineering design reviews and new product/process introduction
- Familiarity with emergency response planning, hazardous materials management, and contractor safety oversight
Preferred Certification(s)- Certified Safety Professional (CSP) - strongly preferred
- Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) or equivalent credential
- ISO 45001 or ISO 14001 Lead Auditor certification
- Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) or equivalent credential
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher - preferred
- HAZWOPER, First Aid/CPR, and Emergency Response certifications
Physical Demands Physical Activities: Percentage of time (equaling 100%) during the normal workday the employee is required to:
- Sit: 30%
- Walk: 60%
- Stand: 30%
- Lift: 10%
Required Lifting and Carrying: Not required (0%), Occasional (1-33%), Frequent (34-66%), Continuous (67-100%) For This Position, The Required Frequency Is - Up to 10 lbs.: Occasional
- Up to 20 lbs.: Occasional
- Up to 35 lbs.: Occasional
- Team-lift only (over 35 lbs.): Not Required
Who We Are Meet Panasonic Energy! At Panasonic Energy, you'll do work that matters as we are dedicated to transforming the world through the acceleration of sustainable energy. By producing safe, high-quality lithium-ion batteries, you become part of a team that plays a crucial role in creating technologies that move us.
This is an exciting time to join us as we expand our operations to De Soto, Kansas and build the world's largest lithium-ion battery factory. We will provide you with the opportunity to experience career growth in more ways than one.
As an innovative thinker, you'll thrive here, as we continually push the boundaries of lithium-ion battery technology and production capabilities to enhance efficiency and performance in EVs.
Being part of Panasonic Energy means positively contributing to society, aligning with our commitment to building a better world through sustainable energy solutions.
We care about what you care about, fostering an environment where your contributions make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation. Join us and be part of a team that values your work, encourages innovation, and actively contributes to a positive societal impact.
In addition to an environment that is as innovative as our products, we offer competitive salaries and benefits.
We Take Opportunity Seriously At Panasonic Energy, we are committed to a workplace that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. Fairness and Honesty have been part of our core values for more than 100 years and we are proud of our diverse culture as an equal opportunity employer.
We understand that your career search may look different than others and embrace the professional, personal, educational, and volunteer opportunities through which people gain experience. If you are actively looking or starting to explore new opportunities, submit your application!
Where You'll Be For our onsite roles, Panasonic Energy is committed to fostering an ideal working environment that goes beyond the conventional. We understand the significance of moments that matter in your onsite experience, and we prioritize creating a workspace that not only promotes productivity but also ensures a fulfilling and positive work atmosphere. Join us at Panasonic Energy, where your onsite presence is valued, and we strive to make each moment count in your professional journey.
Benefits & Perks - What's In It For You Panasonic Energy prioritizes total well-being and offers comprehensive benefits options to support physical, emotional, financial, social, and environmental health:
- Highly inclusive and class-leading healthcare options to include family planning, mental health, and pet insurance
- Employee assistance programs that support total well-being with complimentary session offered each and every month
- Company-matched and fully vested 401K retirement program that starts immediately from date of enrollment
- Annual bonus program, High5 employee recognition and awards platform, quarterly and annual employee recognition
- Simplified access to self-guided and representative-supported short and long-term financial wellness and retirement planning
- Educational Assistance & Reimbursement Program
- Inclusion programs and associated employee resource groups that promote representation and belonging
- Leadership, career, and mentorship development programs opportunities at all levels across the organization
- Collaborative and motivating culture routed in continuous personal and professional growth and much more.
Supplemental Information Pre-employment drug testing is required.
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. All qualified individuals are required to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.
Due to the high volume of responses, we will only be able to respond to candidates of interest. All candidates must have valid authorization to work in the U.S. without restriction. Thank you for your interest in Panasonic Energy Corporation of North America. R-102896
Job Tags
Full time, Temporary work, For contractors, Work experience placement, Immediate start, All shifts,