Director of Environmental, Health & Safety — Pivotal Systems
Location: [Fremont/Hayward, CA — onsite]
Department: Environmental, Health & Safety
Reports To: VP of Engineering / Operations (or COO)
About the Role
Pivotal Systems is seeking a Director of Environmental, Health & Safety to build and lead the company's EH&S function across engineering, manufacturing, and R&D operations. This is a strategic leadership role responsible for setting the company's safety vision, managing regulatory and hazmat compliance, and overseeing gas lab operations supporting the development and testing of mass flow control and gas delivery systems for the semiconductor industry. The Director will build scalable programs and a high-performing team as the company grows.
Key Responsibilities
EH&S Strategy & Leadership
- Own the company's overall EH&S strategy, policies, and culture, aligning safety priorities with business growth and operational goals.
- Build, lead, and develop the EH&S team, including hiring and mentoring engineers, technicians, and coordinators as headcount scales.
- Own the EH&S budget, including capital planning for safety infrastructure, gas lab buildouts, and compliance systems.
- Serve as the executive-level point of contact for regulatory agencies (OSHA, Cal/OSHA, EPA, local AHJs) and lead all inspections, audits, and permitting activities.
- Report on safety performance, risk exposure, and compliance status to executive leadership and the board as needed.
- Establish and drive company-wide KPIs for incident rates, corrective action closure, and audit readiness.
Compliance & Risk Management
- Ensure full compliance with OSHA, Cal/OSHA, EPA, NFPA, and local fire/building codes across all facilities.
- Own hazardous waste program strategy, regulatory reporting (Hazardous Materials Business Plan, Tier II, air permits, etc.), and relationships with waste vendors and regulators.
- Lead incident investigation and root cause analysis for significant events, ensuring systemic corrective actions are implemented.
- Drive enterprise risk assessments and job hazard analyses across labs, engineering areas, and manufacturing.
Gas Lab & Process Safety Oversight
- Set strategy and standards for the specialty and process gas lab, including cylinder management, gas cabinets, purge panels, and gas delivery test infrastructure.
- Oversee gas lab safety systems — detection, exhaust/scrubbing, interlocks, emergency shutoffs — ensuring they meet code and scale with company growth.
- Direct vendor and supplier relationships for specialty, toxic, flammable, and corrosive gases.
- Partner with Engineering and Facilities leadership on gas lab layout, capacity planning, and new site/equipment buildouts, including capital project sign-off.
- Champion process safety management (PSM) principles for gas handling and R&D test operations.
Cross-Functional & Organizational Leadership
- Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Facilities, and HR leadership to embed safety into product design, test protocols, and production scale-up.
- Own company-wide EH&S training programs, including gas handling, PPE, emergency response, and hazard communication.
- Lead emergency response planning and serve as executive incident commander for significant safety or environmental events.
- Establish, train, equip, and maintain a cross-functional Emergency Response Team (ERT), including defining roles, conducting drills, ensuring readiness, and coordinating response with local fire departments and other emergency agencies.
- Represent EH&S in new product introduction (NPI), facility expansion, and M&A due diligence as needed.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in EH&S, Chemical/Industrial Engineering, Environmental Science, or related field; advanced degree a plus.
- 12+ years of progressive EH&S experience, including 4+ years in a leadership role, ideally in semiconductor, capital equipment, or advanced manufacturing.
- Deep expertise in process/specialty gas handling, gas lab operations, and gas detection/safety systems.
- Strong command of OSHA, Cal/OSHA, EPA, NFPA, and local regulatory frameworks.
- Demonstrated experience building or scaling an EH&S organization, including budget ownership and team leadership.
- Executive-level communication skills, with experience presenting to senior leadership and managing regulatory relationships.
Preferred
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), CIH, or CSHM certification.
- Experience leading EH&S through facility buildouts or company scale-up (startup-to-growth stage a plus).
- Familiarity with mass flow controllers, gas delivery systems, or semiconductor capital equipment.
