Senior Field Safety Manager

Job Title: Senior Field Safety Manager

Location: Houston Area, TX

Duration: Full-time

Reports To: Director of Safety, Fleet & Risk

Job Summary

We are seeking a Senior Field Safety Manager to lead and continuously improve the safety culture across all field operations, including electrical distribution, substations (up to 345kV), and telecom scopes.

This role is the primary field safety leader, partnering with executive leadership and operations to drive safety performance, implement scalable systems, and ensure consistency across crews, projects, and regions. This position goes beyond compliance owning safety as a core operational function that supports production, quality, and long-term growth.

The ideal candidate has deep field experience in energized distribution and high-voltage substation environments, with the ability to influence all levels of the organization while building a best-in-class safety program.

Key Responsibilities

Safety Leadership & Culture

• Lead and promote a company-wide culture of safety excellence across all work scopes.
• Serve as primary safety partner to executive leadership.
• Build trust and credibility with field teams, foremen, and general foremen across divisions.
• Drive consistency in safety expectations, behaviors, and accountability.
• Lead and enhance safety improvement initiatives.

Field Oversight & Standardization

• Conduct field audits, site visits, and safety inspections.
• Standardize safety practices across distribution, substation, and telecom operations.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA regulations, industry safety rules, and client requirements.
• Oversee PPE programs, grounding practices, and electrical safety controls.

Substation Safety Oversight

• Lead safety for substation construction, expansion, and maintenance up to 345kV.
• Ensure safe execution of work including: high-voltage equipment, bus work, breaker and transformer installation, grounding systems, and heavy lifts.
• Establish protocols for energized/de-energized work zones, LOTO, clearance procedures, and hazard mitigation.
• Partner with operations to safely plan outages, switching procedures, and tie-ins.
• Develop substation-specific safety standards, procedures, and training programs.

Training & Development

• Implement company-wide human performance and advanced safety training programs.
• Provide targeted training for high-voltage and substation hazards.
• Mentor field leadership and drive accountability for safety performance.
• Identify skill gaps and implement development initiatives.
• Standardize onboarding and re programs.

Risk Management & Performance

• Lead incident investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective actions.
• Track, analyze, and report safety performance metrics.
• Identify systemic risks across all operations.
• Maintain safety manuals, policies, and processes.

Operational Integration

• Align safety initiatives with production and quality objectives.
• Support planning and execution of complex work across all scopes.
• Ensure safety is embedded in pre-job planning, switching, and outage coordination.
• Build scalable and repeatable safety systems to support business growth.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Manage multiple field safety inspectors schedules and performance.
• Provide coaching, leadership, and accountability across field teams.

Work Environment & Requirements

• Extended hours, including nights and weekends, as needed.
• Significant field presence across multiple job sites.
• Exposure to high-voltage environments (up to 345kV) and heavy civil/electrical work.
• Hands-on role, not desk-only.

Qualifications

Required

• High school diploma or GED.
• OSHA 30 and/or OSHA ET&D certification.
• 7+ years as a Journeyman Lineman in utility/power construction.
• 5+ years of leadership experience in field operations or safety.
• Experience in high-risk electrical environments, including substations.
• Valid Class C CDL.

Preferred

• CSP (Certified Safety Professional) and/or CUSP (Certified Utility Safety Professional).
• Bachelor s degree in Occupational Safety, Construction Management, or related field.
• 10+ years across distribution, substation (up to 345kV), and telecom scopes.
• Experience supporting IOUs, co-ops, municipalities, industrial, and renewable clients.
• Proven success building and scaling safety programs organization-wide.
• Experience managing safety performance across multiple crews and union environments.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

Knowledge

• OSHA 1910.269 and 1926 Subpart V regulations.
• IBEW safety standards and customer requirements.
• Electrical distribution and high-voltage substation construction.
• Grounding, switching, and electrical hazard mitigation.

Skills

• Analytical and data-driven decision-making.
• Safety performance tracking, reporting, and trend analysis.
• Reading and interpreting schematics, prints, and switching procedures.
• Process improvement and program development.

Abilities

• Implement company-wide safety programs and policies.
• Communicate and influence at all organizational levels.
• Lead safety meetings, training sessions, and executive discussions.
• Hold teams accountable while maintaining strong working relationships.
• Manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, multi-scope environment.