Vice President Safety

The Vice President of Safety leads the safety strategy, culture, and compliance program for Smart Care Solutions, a mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) contractor and service company in the food equipment service, refrigeration and HVAC industries. This role owns safety performance across new construction, service/maintenance, and field operations — protecting field technicians, tradespeople, subcontractors, and the public while minimizing organizational risk and liability. The VP of Safety serves as a senior member of the leadership team, setting policy, driving accountability at every level of the organization, and building a culture where safety is a shared value rather than a compliance checkbox.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Leadership

- Develop and execute a company-wide safety strategy aligned with business goals, growth plans, and risk tolerance

- Serve as the executive owner of the EHS management system across all divisions

- Lead, and mentor a team of safety managers, field safety coordinators, and trainers

- Advise executive leadership and ownership on safety risk, regulatory exposure, and incident trends

- Represent the company with insurance carriers, regulators, clients, and industry associations

Compliance & Regulatory

- Ensure compliance with OSHA (federal and state-plan), EPA, DOT, and other applicable regulations across all jurisdictions where the company operates

- Maintain and update written safety programs (fall protection, lockout/tagout, confined space, electrical safety/NFPA 70E, trenching/excavation, hot work, respiratory protection, driver safety,  etc.)

- Own OSHA recordkeeping (300/300A/301 logs), reporting, and audit readiness

- Manage relationships and responses during OSHA inspections, citations, and any regulatory investigations

Field Safety & Culture

- Conduct and oversee jobsite audits, inspections, and hazard assessments across construction and service operations

- Drive a proactive, positive safety culture — not fear-based compliance — through engagement, recognition, and visible leadership presence in the field

- Standardize safety onboarding, toolbox talks, and ongoing training for union and non-union field staff, apprentices, and subcontractors to include drug testing, physicals, background checks and required training and work with Human Resources to ensure consistent and reliable onboarding.

- Monitor driver safety policies and programs including vehicle cameras and telematics reporting

- Oversee incident investigation, root cause analysis, and corrective action tracking for injuries, near-misses, and property damage

- Partner with general managers, district managers, project managers and superintendents to integrate safety planning into pre-construction and scheduling

Risk, Metrics & Reporting

- Track and report leading and lagging safety KPIs (TRIR, DART, EMR, near-miss ratios) to executive leadership and the board

- Maintain safety incident reporting data base

- Partner with Risk Management/Insurance on claims management, workers' compensation, and EMR reduction strategies

- Support bid and prequalification processes by maintaining strong safety statistics and documentation

- Manage the safety training and certification budget (OSHA 10/30, first aid/CPR, equipment certifications, etc.)

- Manage field audits, safety staff and vendors

Program Development

- Evaluate and implement safety technology (EHS software, wearables, telematics, digital inspections/JHAs)

- Develop subcontractor safety prequalification and oversight standards

- Lead emergency preparedness and crisis response planning for jobsites, tech locations, and facilities

Qualifications

Required:

- Bachelor's degree in Occupational Safety, Construction Management, Engineering, or related field (equivalent experience considered in lieu of degree)

- 10+ years of progressive safety leadership experience in construction, with at least 5 years in a senior safety role

- Deep working knowledge of MEP trades — mechanical, electrical, and/or plumbing hazards, means and methods

- Strong knowledge of OSHA 1926 (Construction) and 1910 (General Industry) standards

- Proven experience building or scaling a safety program across multiple crews, regions, or business units

- Track record of reducing TRIR/EMR and improving safety culture measurably

- Excellent communication skills across all levels — from field technicians to the executive suite and clients

- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST), or Certified Utility Safety Administrator (CUSA)

- OSHA 500/501 Authorized Trainer certification

- Experience with union labor agreements and prevailing wage projects

- Experience in both construction and service/maintenance environments

- Familiarity with EHS software platforms (e.g., Procore, HammerTech, SafetyCulture/iAuditor, Intelex)

Physical & Work Requirements

- Regular travel to active jobsites, including exposure to construction environments, heights, confined spaces, and mechanical/electrical equipment, and to customer locations where the company’s technicians are deployed

- Ability to wear and properly use required PPE

- Valid driver's license and ability to travel between sites/offices as needed

About Smart Care

Smart Care is a national repair and service provider for commercial foodservice, refrigeration, and cold storage equipment. Our offering of comprehensive mechanical services includes hot side cooking equipment, stand-alone refrigeration, specialty coffee and beverage, complex rack refrigeration and HVAC.

Smart Care is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other protected class status.  All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. If you need a reasonable accommodation with respect to Smart Care’s application or hiring process due to a disability, please contact the Human Resources department at [email protected] .