Environmental Heath & Safety Leader - Food Manufacturing

Sysco Corporation is a global leader in selling, marketing, and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare, and educational facilities. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Sysco supports thousands of customers around the world with a wide range of products and services that promote quality and safety standards. As a multinational corporation, Sysco values operational excellence, compliance with environmental, health, and safety regulations, and fostering a world-class safety culture through continuous improvement and leadership engagement.

This particular role is a full-time, onsite position based in Irvine, California. The Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Specialist will provide intermediate-level EHS expertise supporting assigned business units and field safety teams, as well as collaborating with Sysco's global EHS function to implement a comprehensive global EHS management system. The specialist’s primary objective is to ensure a safe workplace and environmental compliance by supporting various EHS processes including training, compliance, incident investigations, and contractor management.

The role emphasizes close collaboration with site leadership and functional managers to identify, assess, and control workplace hazards and risks. Comprehensive expertise in injury prevention programs is essential, along with the ability to motivate and influence a culture that prioritizes safety at every level of the organization. The EHS Specialist will manage compliance training programs, analyze injury trends and KPIs, and proactively recommend preventive measures. Supporting workers’ compensation claims and other related processes is also a core responsibility, requiring the specialist to work on OSHA determinations and promote safe return-to-work programs.

In addition, this role calls for someone with strong technical knowledge of local, state, and federal EHS regulations along with the capacity to develop clear, understandable training and communication materials for all employees. Effective interpersonal skills are necessary for influencing leadership, union members, and employees to drive safety standards organization-wide. The position also involves active problem-solving and process improvement to maintain compliance and reduce corporate risk.

Travel up to 50% is expected to various Sysco US facilities, supporting multiple sites and ensuring consistent application of EHS policies across locations. This position is crucial in driving Sysco’s health and safety initiatives that align with recognized certifications and standards such as ISO 14001 and ISO 45001. Candidates should be prepared to handle a dynamic work environment including office settings, outdoor sites, freezers, and coolers, necessitating physical mobility and adaptability.

Overall, this position offers a unique opportunity to contribute significantly to workplace safety and environmental stewardship within a respected multinational corporation, emphasizing a hands-on approach to EHS program management and leadership engagement on a large scale. The incumbent will help embed a risk-conscious culture and align Sysco’s operational practices with legal and ethical safety standards, ensuring all employees and contractors work within a secure and compliant environment.