Director, Environmental Health & Safety

Job description

FLSA Classification: Exempt

Salary Range: $170,000 - $190,000 plus bonus and incentive stock options

Reports to: VP, People & Culture

Location: Brooklyn, NY (Hybrid)

About The Company:

NineDot’s name derives from the classic mathematical puzzle for sparking out-of-the-box solutions. As a leading community-scale, clean energy developer with a growing portfolio of projects across a range of technologies, NineDot Energy is creating innovative energy solutions that support a more resilient electric grid, deliver economic savings, address environmental justice and reduce carbon emissions. We plan to develop, build and operate more than 400 MW of clean energy systems by 2026 that will strengthen the local power grid infrastructure and provide clean, reliable and resilient power to tens of thousands of New York households and businesses. This is all in support of New York State’s mission to achieve 100% clean energy by 2040.

With the backing of Manulife Investment Management and The Carlyle Group - two of the world’s leading infrastructure investors - NineDot is continuing to expand its core battery energy storage pipeline, deliver enhanced products and services, explore new regions and consider potential acquisitions all to advance the decarbonization of New York’s grid. This is an exciting opportunity to build a platform from the ground-up with a world-class team of developers and innovators. NineDot is committed to building a company that exemplifies diversity, equity and inclusion values in its team culture, as well as business practices and community engagement.

Job Summary:

As our first Director of Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S), you will lead the development, implementation, and management of a company-wide EH&S program that encompasses both field operations and office environments. This critical leadership role will set the strategic direction for EH&S, ensuring compliance with applicable regulations while fostering a proactive, safety-first culture across all NineDot locations and functions. You will be responsible for minimizing risk to employees, contractors, and the communities we serve—whether on construction sites, within operational assets, or in office settings. This includes shaping policies, guiding training efforts, and building operational controls across project development, construction, commissioning, asset operations, and workplace safety.

Responsibilities:

• Establish a comprehensive EH&S vision, policy framework, and long-term roadmap aligned with NineDot’s operational goals and risk profile, including periodic program reviews and updates in accordance with OSHA, NFPA, NYC DOB, and all other city and state standards.
• Partner with Construction, Asset Operations, and Project Development teams to oversee EH&S plans across all phases of project execution—including contractor management, construction safety audits, and commissioning procedures.
• Review and evaluate the safety programs of contractors to ensure compliance with all OSHA, state, and local regulations, and evaluate the safety records and training certifications to determine whether the safety culture of a given contractor merits the award of a contract by NineDot Energy.
• Participate in the early-stage due diligence process by assessing environmental and safety factors at prospective sites, providing input on feasibility, potential risks, and regulatory considerations to inform NineDot Energy’s origination and development decisions.
• While projects are under construction, partner with General Contractors and on-site vendors to regularly review and audit their site-safety plans and practices post-award, providing guidance, feedback, and support to strengthen compliance with OSHA, state, and local regulations, and to foster a culture of continuous safety improvement across NineDot Energy projects.
• In conjunction with the operations team, create, implement, and personally take ownership over the site safety plan for all BESS sites once projects transition from construction to operations, ensuring ongoing compliance, continuous risk assessment, and the integration of best practices to safeguard NineDot Energy’s workforce, assets, and community with regards to all aspects of EH&S.
• Build and maintain EH&S management systems, including documentation, standard operating procedures (SOPs), risk assessments, incident investigation protocols, reporting and emergency response plans.
• Design and deliver EH&S training programs for internal teams and contractors to foster a proactive safety culture, including responsibility for orientations and maintaining compliance records.
• Oversee and promote Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) practices within NineDot Energy’s office environment, including ergonomics, emergency preparedness, and workplace safety programs, to ensure a healthy, safe, and compliant workplace for all employees.
• Oversee environmental compliance including air permits, spill prevention/control, recycling, dust/erosion, hazardous waste disposal, stormwater management, climate-related worker protections, and other aspects of environmental stewardship.
• Serve as a thought leader and trusted advisor across departments, helping NineDot scale responsibly and sustainably.
• Participate in and help lead weekly safety talks with Construction and Operations teams to reinforce a proactive safety culture and ensure alignment on current risks, controls, and lessons learned.
• Other duties as assigned.

Core Competencies:

• Collaborates - Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Drives Results - Constantly achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
• Interpersonal Savvy - Relating openly and comfortably with diverse groups of people.
• Cultivates Innovation - Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.
• Financial Acumen - Interpreting and applying understanding of key financial indicators to make better business decisions.
• Strategic Mindset - Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies.
• Optimizes Work Processes - Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement.

Required education and experience:

• 10+ years of progressive EH&S experience, ideally in energy, construction, utilities, or infrastructure industries.
• Deep understanding of EH&S regulations and best practices related to construction, distributed energy systems, and battery energy storage systems (BESS) a plus.
• Proven track record of developing and leading EH&S programs at scale.
• Ability to work cross-functionally and influence without authority.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; able to train and motivate diverse teams.
• Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Relevant certifications such as CSP, SST, CIH, OSHA 30, OSHA ⁵⁰⁰⁄₅₀₁, and OSHA 62 are preferred.
• Willingness to travel to project sites as needed.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

At NineDot Energy, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation and are the foundation of our success. As such, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender expression, gender identity, age, or any other status of an individual or that individual’s associates or relatives that is protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

If you’re passionate about this role but don’t meet every qualification listed, we still encourage you to apply. You may be the right candidate for this or other opportunities with us. We’re committed to building a team that reflects a broad range of experiences, backgrounds, and skills.

NineDot Employee benefits include but are not limited to:

• Medical, dental and vision coverage
• 5% employer match on your 401k retirement account
• 20 paid vacation days off, plus 7 sick days, 9 federal holidays and 3 personal floating holidays
• 12 weeks of 100% paid parental leave for both the primary and secondary caregiver within the first year of birth or adoption
• Wellness initiatives including a $1,000 stipend
• 16 volunteer hours plus two planned company-wide volunteer outings per year