Safety Engineer Jobs in Iowa (NOW HIRING)

Niman Ranch supports a community of more than 600 independent farmers and ranchers who raise pork, beef, and lamb traditionally, humanely, and sustainably to deliver the finest tasting meat. It is part of Perdue Farm, a fourth-generation, family-owned food and agricultural business deeply rooted in tradition yet with a forward-thinking mindset. We believe that success starts with our people, and our culture is built on a foundation of teamwork, integrity, and respect, where every voice matters and everyone is encouraged to contribute to our shared goals. We are dedicated to creating a supportive, inclusive environment where associates feel valued and inspired to make an impact, both within the company and in the communities we serve. From promoting growth and development to prioritizing work-life balance, we're committed to helping our team members thrive. That's Perdue.

Summary 

Join our team as a Safety Manager and lead the way in building and sustaining a strong, people first safety culture. In this role, you will guide safety and security efforts across an assigned food manufacturing complex and affiliated operations, partnering closely with leaders to drive continuous improvement. As a trusted safety expert, you will help turn proactive safety, health, and security practices into real operational results, ensuring a safe, secure, and high performing workplace for all associates. 

Principal Essential Duties & Responsibilities 

• Lead all safety & security efforts for the manufacturing complex and affiliated field operations.   

• Manage live production and garage safety in conjunction with the non-collocated safety director, safety for live production and garage/transportation operations non-manufacturing facilities located within the vicinity of the primary assignment. 

• Directly lead & manage daily activities and personnel matters of the facility and its safety department personnel to ensure resources are effectively and consistently employed in the organization. 

• Lead facility security team/guard force in managing security processes to include developing/ administering site security practices and policies, supporting and tracking required key performance indicators including training objectives, and timely completion of site surveys and audits. 

• Provide technical expertise for cross functional teams to ensure safe operational processes and capital/engineering projects.  

• Collaborate with functional experts in vehicle safety, corporate security, environmental, PSM, and other areas to align facility activities and objectives.  

• Provide interpretations for OSHA, NFPA, DHS, DOT, and other pertinent regulations to ensure processes and policies comply with applicable laws and regulations. 

• Continuously interact with the hourly work force to promote safety awareness, drive associate engagement, and ensure a world-class safety culture exists within the operations supported.   

• Work aggressively to resolve safety issues and concerns.  

• Lead site safety business plan development by analyzing relevant data and tracking/reporting facility and corporate KPIs/metrics.   

• Validate plan's actions through internal safety and security auditing tracking findings through closure. 

• Provide training support to the organization and ensure that all required safety and security training is effectively completed on time. 

• Ensure effective investigations into all safety and security incidents are completed, participating actively during complex and high impact investigations.  

• Ensure root cause is determined and appropriate corrective actions developed, tracking recommendations to closure.   

• Utilize incident data to develop action plans to address hazards and emerging trends. 

• Lead/member of the incident command team and required to respond and or direct emergency response activities. 

• Liaison for 3rd party assessments, audits, & inspections, i.e. insurance carrier, local fire department, risk engineering firms, OSHA, DHS, etc. 

• Maintain working relationships with permanent and temporary contractors to validate their safe work practices and support their activities to maintain a superior safety environment at the facility. 

• Build relationship with occupational health/medical; to improve worker safety, associate wellness, and case management for supported sites.  

• Actively involved in worker's compensation, assisting the occupational health nurse/third party administrator in effectively managing all open claims. 

• Keep the management team informed of any safety, health, and security related issues and/or concerns identified within scope of responsibility. 

Minimum Education and Experience 

• Bachelor's Degree in safety, science, technical, or business field. 

• 5+ years' experience in manufacturing safety management. 

• Demonstrated experience leading a world-class safety program which has achieved <1.0 TRIR. 

• Must possess a valid driver's license. 

• Industrial and food safety health knowledge. 

• Thorough knowledge of OSHA requirements. 

• Strong organizational skills. 

• Excellent grammar and writing skills. 

• Strong supervisory skills, particularly supervising off-site personnel. 

• Proven ability to lead and influence others. 

• Ability to establish positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders. 

• Communication and interpersonal skills to effectively manage and motivate employees and communicate objectives and action plans. 

• Ability to research pertinent facts, data and other information from internal and external sources. 

• Proficient use of computer and corresponding programs - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OHM, SAP. 

• Ability to implement behavioral-based safety techniques to improve/maintain safety performance. 

• 40-hour HAZWOPER certification and current annual 8-hour HAZWOPER refresher. 

• CPR/First Aid certification or willingness to obtain. 

• Ability to speak English, plus Spanish and/or French. 

Preferred Education and Experience 

• Multi-site safety management experience. 

• Advanced Degree in environmental, safety, & health, or industrial health management, occupational health & safety. 

• Advanced professional certifications with further preference from the Board of Safety Professional (CSP) or the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH). 

Physical Requirements and Environmental Factors 

• Position is mostly sedentary but may require occasional moving to other offices or buildings. 

• May need to move light equipment or supplies from one place to another. 

• May need to access files, supplies and equipment. 

• Work activity is in an office, open-partitioned, cubicle environment. #LI-MN1

Perdue Farms Inc. is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.