The Role

In this role you will report to the EH&S Manager, and coordinate our Environmental, Health, and Safety-related programs and activities within a fast-paced, plastics manufacturing environment. You will manage day-to-day responsibilities -- management of the EH&S audit processes, safety walk-throughs, new-hire and on-going training -- as well as the long range initiatives -- creating a collaborative, cross-functional safety team, establishing, writing and updating procedures, building out programs such as SDS management, and more. Quick question for you - click here

You'll work a mostly day shift schedule, but depending upon need, will need to be flexible to work evenings and/or weekends. Additionally, if there is an incident on the night shift, you'll be expected to come in and address it when you are on-call. You'll interact extensively with our internal staff but also build relationships with your counterparts in our Charlotte facility.

You'll enjoy a wide variety of duties.  Specifically, you will:

• Develop, maintain, and perform safety audit processes/systems. This includes both conditional/traditional as well as behavior/observation-based systems.
• Sponsor the site safety team; continual improvement (CI) safety teams; and other EH&S-based project teams.
• Update, maintain, and conduct new-hire and contractor EH&S training, and deliver other EH&S training as needed.
• Lead incident investigations and write incident reports; provide feedback and solutions for safety/environmental concerns; create and facilitate action plans.
• Perform environmental audits and inspections (hazardous waste, storm water, and EH&S management systems).
• Perform relevant regulatory reviews and maintain records and documentation for safety and environmental training, inspections / audits, and regulatory requirements (SDS, waste manifests, regulatory correspondence, etc.).
• Create, update, and maintain EH&S related procedures to meet company EH&S management system requirements.
• Utilize KPI's (key performance indicators) to gage performance, identify areas for improvement, and implement corrective actions.

Note: this description is intended to give you a general overview of the position and is not an exhaustive listing of duties and responsibilities.

The Requirements

To find success in this position you will need:

• A bachelor's degree in science, industrial hygiene, environmental science, or related field; OR a high school diploma or the equivalent, plus significant and relevant work experience.
• 2+ years of safety experience. Some manufacturing or regulatory experience would be a strong plus. Quick question for you - click here
• A comfort working with computers and proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Word, Excel, & PowerPoint. Familiarity with Access and SharePoint will be a plus.
• The ability to work with limited supervision in a team-based, multi-tasking environment where open and honest communication is the norm.
• Strong critical thinking skills and the ability to proactively solve problems.
• The know-how to put together a strong team, evaluate its effectiveness, and improve its performance.
• The talent to build effective workplace relationships at all organizational levels, motivating co-workers, and supporting co-worker development.
• Effective communication skills and the ability to communicate through multiple media and across all levels -- from leadership to technicians.
• Solid time management and organizational skills with a healthy sense of urgency and the ability to adapt to changing priorities.
• The skill to deal with conflict productively, bringing forth issues that need to be discussed and working to forge a mutually beneficial outcome.
• The talent to empower employees to work in a collaborative, effective manner, gaining time and accomplishing more with reduced resources.
• A hands-on work ethic.
• A passion and enthusiasm for safety.

You should have some of the required experience and skills listed below. We will train you to fill in the gaps of any experience you don't have.

• General industry OSHA safety standards (29 CFR 1910)
• Safety in a manufacturing environment
• Different safety programs (OSHA, behavior based, awareness based)
• Hazardous-waste and non-hazardous waste management (RCRA)
• Storm water pollution prevention plans (SWPPP)
• CERCLA/SARA Tier 2 reports
• SDS (Safety Data Sheet) review and management
• Environmental, health, and safety management systems (i.e., RC/ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, etc.) 
• Development and delivery of Safety and Environmental training
• PIV (Powered Industrial Vehicle) operations
• Fall protection competent person
• 1st aid/CPR/AED/BBP
• ​Crain and/or hoist operations
• Confined spaces

Why Celgard

Build it -- this is a unique opportunity to make a long range impact as we focus on continuous improvement and process refinement. Quick question for you - click here​

Great work environment -- this is a newer plant with state-of-the-art equipment. Not only is the equipment new, most of the team is new, so we're actively building a performance culture with high-energy teams that encourage cross-functional collaboration with individual contributions. We're implementing new initiatives and developing our core values which include teamwork, organizational excellence, customer focus, employee involvement, and zero harm to the environment & people.

Career options -- Celgard dynamically stewards its resources, particularly our most important resource: our people. Because of our unique market niches and proprietary technologies, we prefer to promote from within whenever possible. As we expand we'll be looking for proven professionals to grow with us.

Strong growth environment -- Celgard and our parent company, Polypore International, Inc., continue to grow, as our product line is used in a diverse number of applications in robust markets, including laptops, cell phones, digital cameras, medical devices, and various military applications. In addition:

• In 2009 we received a matching grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support the development of the US EDV market. This funding supported construction of the Concord facility as well as expansion at our Charlotte plant.
• In 2008 we acquired a new technology along with production facilities in Korea, so that we now have the broadest portfolio in our industry. In 2010 we began expanding the Korean facility.
• In 2011 we expanded our Charlotte facility and started up a Concord facility to serve growth in the EDV and consumer electronics market.

Competitive compensation -- in addition to a competitive salary and discretionary incentive, we offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, a 401k plan and more.

Keys to Success

This is an exciting opportunity because we'll be implementing processes in a way that best fits our needs.  The flip side of that, however, is that there are several things yet to be established. If you're comfortable in a more regimented system where the procedures are set and your work is generally predetermined, this role will not be a good fit for you. Here you will need to learn quickly, be flexible, adapt to change easily, and embrace our evolving systems and culture. 

To find success in this role you will need to approach it not just as a desk job, but as an active and action oriented, hands-on position. There will be approximately a 50/50 split between desk work and walking the floor, building relationships, developing and designing teams and becoming an active presence in the plant. On one hand you'll need the technical skill and computer prowess, while on the other you'll need to be personable, high energy and skilled in empowering your co-workers. As an example, when you build the cross-functional safety team you will function as the coach, not the driver, giving the team a greater opportunity to embrace and enable safety initiatives.

About Celgard

Celgard is a global leader in the development and production of specialty microporous membranes, and is one of the largest suppliers to the lithium battery industry. Celgard® battery separators are highly engineered and are used in disposable and rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for personal electronic devices such as notebook computers, mobile telephones, digital cameras, and power tools and are emerging in applications including electric drive vehicles (EDVs) and reserve power and electricity grid management systems.

With company headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, and battery separator manufacturing facilities in the United States, Korea, and China, we are ideally positioned to serve the just-in-time needs of a global market.

Celgard is part of Polypore International, Inc, a global high technology filtration company specializing in microporous membranes. Polypore's flat sheet and hollow fiber membranes are used in specialized applications that require the removal or separation of various materials from liquids, primarily in the ultrafiltration and microfiltration markets. Also based in Charlotte, NC, Polypore International, Inc. is a market leader whose 4 core companies manufacture, market, and service products through 14 manufacturing sites and 14 sales and service locations throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Pictured: Celgard manufacturing facility located in Concord, NC.