Director Health & Safety

Position Title: 

Director, Health & Safety – North American Packaging Solutions

Pay Rate:

$195,000 - $260,000

Multiple factors, including Individual experience, skills and abilities will determine where an employee is ultimately placed in the pay range.

Category/Shift:

Salaried Full-Time

Physical Location:

6400 Poplar Avenue

Memphis, TN

The Job You Will Perform:

The most senior occupational health and safety (H&S) position in the organization reporting directly to the Vice President, Environment, Health and Safety. 

Responsibilities include:

• Development of internal strategies, H&S policies, performance expectations and tools based on the best available scientific evidence, judgment, corporate policy and industry best practices. 
• Leading the Global Occupational Health and Safety Function for North American Packaging Solutions.
• Provide technical, personnel, and administrative leadership for a team of experienced industrial hygienists, safety engineers, and medical professionals.
• In addition to providing functional team leadership, this director will be expected to work with business, manufacturing, and functional leaders to identify emerging H&S issues, develop strategies and plans, select and train staff, and support implementation to ensure International Paper’s H&S objectives are achieved.
• Expected to accelerate International Paper’s progress to achieve world-class health and safety performance.
• Provides H&S functional leadership in support of trade associations, and legislative and regulatory advocacy initiatives. 
• Represent the company during direct interactions with agency officials, NGOs, trade associations and other interested parties on issues related to occupational health and safety.

The Skills You Will Bring:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Commitment to leading a diverse and inclusive organization.
• Ability to think strategically and to execute and deliver results. 
• Proven team player skills with ability to build and maintain internal and external relationships.
• Excellent problem solving and analytical skills.
• Strong mentoring, training and coaching skills.
• Ability to work independently with strong internal drive for success.
• Personal commitment to safety, able to lead by example, and build a resilient safety culture.
• Proactive approach to both the measurement of safety performance and risk mitigation.
• Progressive leader willing to challenge the status quo and constantly focus on process improvement.
• Agile leader demonstrating continuous personal improvement/capacity building.
• Able to work successfully at all levels of the enterprise, from shop floor through senior management.
• Managerial courage - must possess confidence, poise and must ensure that safety is not only a priority, but a company value.
• B.S. degree in engineering or science field relevant to occupational health and safety required.  M.S. degree a plus.
• PE, CIH, CSP or CPE highly desired.
• 15-20 years H&S experience in highly regulated manufacturing environment.
• Extensive experience in a wide range of occupational health and safety disciplines culminating in a senior leadership/management role with broad organizational responsibilities.
• Demonstrated record of success with multiple projects and initiatives within a global corporate environment.
• Extensive knowledge of U.S. H&S regulations required.
• Experience applying lean and six sigma methodologies to H&S processes and improvement initiatives.
• Experience applying Human & Organization Performance principles, and building a resilient learning and caring culture.

The Benefits You Will Enjoy:

International Paper offers a benefits package that includes health, welfare and retirement plans including Medical, Dental, Life insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts, Short-term and Long-term Disability, 401(k), Company-funded retirement contributions, Paid Time Off, Education & Development (including Tuition Reimbursement), Student Loan Repayment Assistance, and Voluntary Benefits including insurance for home, auto, vision and pets. 

The Career You Will Build:

The successful candidate will gain valuable experience in this developmental position that prepares the individual for senior EHS roles in a mill, the EHS COE, and/or across the Enterprise.

The Impact You Will Make:

We continue to build a better future for people, the planet, and our company! IP has been a good steward of sustainable practices across communities around the world for more than 120 years. Join our team and you’ll see why our team members say they’re Proud to be IP.

The Culture You Will Experience:

International Paper promotes employee well-being by providing safe, caring and inclusive workplaces. We have team members all around the world with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. These are our strengths. We are committed to creating a culture where all individuals are respected, valued, engaged and have an opportunity to do their best work every day. We invite you to bring your uniqueness, creativity, talents, experiences, and safety mindset to be a part of our increasingly inclusive and diverse culture.

The Company You Will Join:

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is the global leader in sustainable packaging solutions. With company headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) headquarters in London, UK, we employ more than 65,000 team members and serve customers around the world with operations in more than 30 countries. Together with our customers, we make the world safer and more productive, one sustainable packaging solution at a time. Net sales for 2024 were $18.6 billion. In 2025, International Paper acquired DS Smith creating an industry leader focused on the attractive and growing North American and EMEA regions. Additional information can be found by visiting internationalpaper.com