Enviro Safety Qual Manager

Who is Golden West Packaging Group (GWPG)?

We are a leading West Coast mill-independent specialty packaging and printing business. We are the people behind the innovative packaging solutions that make it possible for our customers products to reach our community – at home, school, work, at play, and everywhere in between.

With 13 manufacturing facilities primarily in California and Washington state, our extensive production capabilities include structural and graphic design, value-added converting, flexographic printing, and lithographic lamination. Our advanced, environmentally sustainable packaging solutions serve a wide range of well-known customer brands across multiple industries including agriculture, food services, medical device, food products, wineries, high tech, pharma, cosmetics and many more!

Why is Golden West Packaging Group THE place to work?

We are a well-established, growing company in a stable industry that is re-imagining itself to be a place where everyone knows everyone, where you can make a difference, and where you can learn and grow professionally.

We are focused on safety and building an employee-centric work environment where team members can experience camaraderie, relevance, and career advancement.

As the packaging and logistics sector continues to grow, were growing with it and creating new opportunities. Come make your mark at a company that strives to celebrate your individuality, skills, and talents.

At Golden West Packaging Group, youll feel the difference and make a difference

GWPG — Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) and Quality Manager

Position Summary

The EHS and Quality Manager leads Golden West Packaging Groups environmental, health, safety, and quality programs to ensure regulatory compliance, a safe workplace, consistent product quality, customer satisfaction, and continuous operational improvement across the organization.

This role is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining effective EHS and Quality Management Systems (QMS), ensuring compliance with applicable regulatory and customer requirements, and driving a culture of safety, quality, accountability, and continuous improvement. The EHS and Quality Manager partners with operations, maintenance, supply chain, sales, and corporate leadership to identify risks, improve manufacturing processes, prevent defects and workplace incidents, and ensure products consistently meet established specifications and customer expectations.

The position leads EHS compliance, quality assurance, internal and external audits, incident and nonconformance investigations, corrective and preventive actions, employee training, and performance reporting. This role serves as a key resource for operational excellence and risk management across GWPG manufacturing facilities.

Key Responsibilities

Environmental Health & Safety (EHS)

- Develop, implement, and maintain EHS programs, policies, procedures, and performance metrics consistent with federal, state, and local regulations and GWPG standards.

- Lead site and/or regional safety strategy by establishing goals, tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), including TRIR, DART, near misses, and corrective actions, and reporting performance to leadership.

- Conduct routine facility inspections, hazard assessments, and safety audits; identify risks and drive corrective and preventive actions to closure.

- Investigate incidents, near misses, and root causes; prepare formal investigation reports and implement corrective action plans to prevent recurrence.

- Manage OSHA/Cal/OSHA and other regulatory compliance activities, including permit management, reporting, recordkeeping, and agency interactions.

- Develop and deliver EHS training programs for employees, supervisors, and contractors; maintain training records and ensure competency.

- Oversee industrial hygiene, ergonomics, hazardous materials handling, spill response, confined space, lockout/tagout, machine guarding, and other applicable safety programs.

- Lead contractor safety and vendor EHS assessments and ensure compliance with GWPG requirements.

- Support emergency preparedness and response planning, drills, and crisis coordination.

- Partner with operations and HR on incident management, return-to-work processes, and workers compensation prevention strategies.

- Manage EHS documentation, permits, safety data sheets (SDS), audits, and internal and external reporting.

- Drive continuous improvement initiatives, behavioral safety programs, and employee engagement in safety.

- Supervise and mentor EHS staff and/or coordinate with site safety leads as needed.

Quality Management and Assurance

- Develop, implement, and maintain GWPGs Quality Management System (QMS) to ensure consistent product quality, process control, and compliance with applicable customer, regulatory, and company requirements.

- Establish and maintain quality policies, procedures, work instructions, inspection criteria, and quality standards across manufacturing operations.

- Lead the development and monitoring of quality objectives, KPIs, and performance dashboards, including customer complaints, internal defects, scrap, rework, first-pass yield, nonconformance rates, and corrective action closure.

- Serve as a key point of contact for internal and external quality audits, customer audits, and third-party certification audits, as applicable. Coordinate audit preparation, responses, corrective actions, and follow-up activities.

- Manage the nonconforming material and product control process, including identification, documentation, containment, disposition, and communication with relevant stakeholders.

- Lead the Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) process and facilitate root cause analysis using methodologies such as 5-Why, fishbone diagrams, and other structured problem-solving tools.

- Oversee the Material Review Board (MRB) process, as applicable, to evaluate nonconforming materials and products and determine appropriate disposition, including rework, repair, return to supplier, or scrap.

- Investigate customer complaints, quality failures, and product performance issues; coordinate timely responses, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and effectiveness verification.

- Partner with operations, production, maintenance, and engineering to identify process variation, reduce defects, improve manufacturing consistency, and prevent recurring quality issues.

- Establish and maintain quality inspection and testing requirements for incoming materials, in-process production, and finished products.

- Ensure quality documentation, inspection records, specifications, certificates, and other required records are accurate, controlled, and maintained in accordance with company and customer requirements.

- Collaborate with procurement and supply chain to evaluate supplier quality performance, address supplier nonconformances, and implement supplier corrective actions and improvement plans.

- Support the development, review, and implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs), process controls, and standardized work practices.

- Ensure appropriate document control and change management processes are in place for specifications, procedures, materials, equipment, and manufacturing processes.

- Analyze quality trends and lead continuous improvement initiatives to reduce scrap, rework, waste, and the cost of poor quality.

- Develop and deliver quality training for employees, supervisors, and managers to reinforce quality standards, inspection methods, documentation requirements, and individual accountability.

- Partner with customer-facing teams to address technical quality concerns, clarify product specifications, and support customer satisfaction and retention.

- Support new product introductions, process changes, and equipment modifications by ensuring appropriate quality requirements, validation activities, and controls are established.

- Promote a culture of prevention, accountability, and continuous improvement by integrating quality practices into daily manufacturing operations.

Leadership and Continuous Improvement

- Partner with plant managers, operations leadership, and corporate stakeholders to integrate EHS and quality objectives into manufacturing strategies and operational plans.

- Establish consistent EHS and quality management practices across assigned facilities, promoting standardization while addressing site-specific risks and requirements.

- Prepare and present EHS and quality performance reports, identify trends, communicate risks, and recommend improvement priorities to senior leadership.

- Lead cross-functional teams to resolve safety, environmental, product quality, and process-related issues.

- Develop, coach, and support EHS and quality personnel, site coordinators, and operational leaders in their responsibilities.

- Promote employee engagement, ownership, and accountability for safety, quality, and operational excellence.

- Identify opportunities to improve systems, reduce operational risk, increase efficiency, and strengthen customer confidence.

Golden West Packaging Group is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind.

California Pay Transparency Disclaimer: This is an Exempt position. The pay range for this position is $90,000 to $100,000. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role. Actual placement within range will be contingent upon a number of factors, including but not limited to the candidate's qualifications, education, experience, internal equity and alignment with market data.

Qualifications

Qualifications

- Bachelors degree in Occupational Health and Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, Quality Management, Industrial Technology, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.

- Five or more years of progressive experience in EHS, quality management, or a combination of both within a manufacturing, packaging, or similar industrial environment.

- Demonstrated experience implementing or maintaining quality management systems, conducting audits, managing nonconformances, and leading corrective and preventive actions.

- Working knowledge of OSHA/Cal/OSHA regulations, environmental compliance requirements, hazardous materials management, and applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

- Knowledge of quality management principles, process control, inspection methodologies, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement practices.

- Experience with customer complaints, supplier quality, internal and external audits, quality documentation, and manufacturing process improvement.

- Ability to analyze performance data, identify trends, establish measurable objectives, and develop effective corrective action plans.

- Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams and work effectively with operations, maintenance, procurement, sales, and corporate leadership.

- Strong project management, problem-solving, organizational, communication, presentation, coaching, and interpersonal skills.

- Ability to manage multiple priorities, exercise sound judgment, and handle confidential or sensitive business information with discretion.

- Proficiency with Microsoft Office; experience with EHS/QMS software, ERP systems, document control platforms, and incident or quality tracking systems preferred.

- Supervisory or team leadership experience preferred.

- Valid drivers license and ability to travel between GWPG sites as required.

Preferred Certifications and Technical Knowledge

- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), OSHA 30, Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), or similar EHS credentials preferred.

- Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Quality Auditor (CQA), Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE), or similar quality credentials preferred.

- ISO 9001 Quality Management System knowledge or experience preferred; experience with ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 is a plus, where applicable.

- Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, statistical process control (SPC), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and other continuous improvement methodologies preferred.

- Experience in corrugated packaging, folding cartons, flexible packaging, printing, converting, or related manufacturing operations is an advantage.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment

- On-site presence required at manufacturing facilities, including regular interaction with production, warehouse, maintenance, and administrative teams.

- Must be able to travel to all Produce Yards, including Watsonville, Salinas, Santa Maria, Guadalupe, Hueneme

- Ability to enter production areas and wear required personal protective equipment (PPE).

- Work may involve extended periods of standing or walking, climbing stairs or ladders, and exposure to typical manufacturing environments, including noise, machinery, and industrial materials.

- Ability to conduct facility inspections, observe manufacturing processes, and participate in safety and quality investigations.

- Occasional travel between GWPG facilities may be required.

What GWPG Offers

- Competitive pay and benefits package.

- Opportunities for professional development and growth in EHS, quality, and operational leadership.

- A collaborative culture focused on safety, quality, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement.