EHS MANAGER at Wabtec — Albia, IA

EHS Manager

How Will You Make a Difference?

The EHS Specialist will serve as the primary EHS person for the facility, with responsibility for executing site-level long‐term environmental, health, and safety strategies, ensuring robust compliance with regulatory requirements, and partnering with Operations and Corporate EHS to drive sustainable improvements.

This role requires a balance of strategic thinking and hands-on engagement, with significant time spent on the manufacturing floor understanding equipment, processes, environmental systems, and team member interactions. The successful candidate understands that safety and environmental excellence begin with recognizing risk before an incident or release occurs.

The purpose of this role is to help the organization identify, understand, and manage risk through deep engagement with people, equipment, processes, and environmental systems.

Salary range $70,000 - $95,000.

What Will Your Typical Day Look Like?

EHS Leadership & Compliance

• Support execution of the site's EHS strategic and operating plans in alignment with corporate objectives and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain compliance with all applicable federal, state, local, and company EHS regulations, permits, certifications, and standards.
• Lead site efforts to validate and sustain compliance through effective management systems, audits, inspections, documentation, and corrective actions.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for regulatory agencies and maintain all required compliance records and reporting systems.
• Ensure implementation and ongoing management of site-specific regulatory programs, including IIPP, HIPP, WPV, air permitting, stormwater, hazardous waste, wastewater, and other environmental compliance requirements.

Operational Risk Management

• Partner closely with Operations, Engineering, and Maintenance to understand equipment, processes, environmental systems, and operational risks.
• Promote a culture of risk awareness by helping team members recognize hazards associated with equipment, energy sources, process conditions, material handling, and environmental systems.
• Lead risk assessments, industrial hygiene monitoring, incident investigations, hazard analyses, and corrective action programs.
• Identify opportunities to reduce risk through engineering controls, process improvements, administrative controls, and operational discipline.
• Develop and implement systematic approaches for managing organizational and operational changes.

Environmental Program Management

• Manage environmental programs in accordance with applicable EPA and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure compliance with all environmental permits and regulatory obligations.
• Develop and maintain systems for monitoring, reporting, and demonstrating compliance with permit requirements and environmental performance metrics.
• Partner with corporate EHS and site leadership to implement sustainable environmental improvement initiatives.

Training, Culture & Employee Engagement

• Develop, coordinate, and deliver EHS and regulatory compliance training programs.
• Coach leaders and employees on safe work practices, hazard recognition, environmental responsibilities, and regulatory expectations.
• Foster employee engagement by encouraging participation in safety, environmental, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support the development of a culture where risk recognition and prevention are shared responsibilities across all levels of the organization.

Performance Management & Continuous Improvement

• Establish and track EHS goals, key performance indicators, and leading metrics in partnership with site and corporate leadership.
• Maintain site EHS performance metrics and communicate trends, opportunities, and improvement plans through data-driven insights.
• Support internal and external audits, corporate initiatives, benchmarking activities, and continuous improvement projects.
• Perform administrative and reporting activities necessary to support effective EHS management and operational performance.

The Successful Candidate Will

• Build credibility and strong working relationships with operators, technicians, supervisors, engineers, and leadership teams.
• Develop a deep understanding of site operations through firsthand observation and engagement.
• Effectively identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with manufacturing processes and environmental systems.
• Balance environmental compliance, operational performance, and employee safety objectives.
• Influence positive change through collaboration, communication, and relationship-building rather than formal authority.
• Develop practical, sustainable solutions that improve compliance, reduce risk, and strengthen operational performance.

What Do We Want to Know About You?

Qualifications / Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering, Safety Engineering, Health Sciences, or a related field; or 5–8+ years of progressive EHS leadership experience within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong working knowledge of environmental, health, and safety regulations.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate across functions and organizational levels.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in manufacturing, industrial, or assembly-based operations.
• Experience with ISO-based management systems.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, project management, and leadership skills.

We Are Seeking a Leader Who Demonstrates

• Curiosity to understand how systems, equipment, and processes operate.
• Humility to learn unfamiliar operations and seek input from others.
• Courage to address risk and challenge assumptions when necessary.
• Strong relationship-building and influence skills.
• Systems thinking that connects people, processes, equipment, and environmental performance.
• Operational credibility and a strong desire to spend time where work is performed.

While manufacturing EHS experience is important, we place significant value on learning agility, problem-solving ability, and the capacity to engage effectively with employees at all levels of the organization. We believe risk recognition is a shared responsibility, and this role is instrumental in helping the organization prevent incidents through proactive leadership and continuous improvement.

Who are we?