Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Lead

The role

The EHS Lead will own environmental, health and safety across Solcoa's research, fabrication and production operations. The role is hands-on, working on the floor with engineers, chemists, technicians and operators to identify hazards, implement controls and build safety systems as the company scales.

What you will do

• Own site safety: walk the facility, identify unsafe conditions and verify corrective actions.
• Lead hazard reviews of new experiments, equipment and process changes.
• Build and maintain safety procedures for energy isolation, hot work, chemicals, reactive powders, gases and contractors.
• Assess and control workplace exposures such as metal dust, fumes, heat, noise and oxygen-deficient atmospheres.
• Own environmental compliance, including chemical inventories, safety data sheets, hazardous waste, permits and reporting.
• Deliver onboarding, task-specific training and regular safety discussions.
• Develop emergency response plans and drills; investigate incidents and track corrective actions.
• Bring safety requirements into equipment specifications, facility layouts, design reviews and commissioning.

Required qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on EHS experience in chemical processing, metals, advanced materials, industrial manufacturing or a comparable environment.
• Experience owning safety programs in an operating facility and working directly with engineers, technicians and production teams.
• Practical knowledge of Cal/OSHA requirements, hazardous materials management and environmental compliance.
• Experience conducting hazard assessments, investigating incidents and implementing corrective actions.
• Ability to understand unfamiliar equipment and processes, identify significant risks and develop effective controls with technical teams.
• Clear communication, sound judgment and the confidence to intervene when work is unsafe.
• Strong follow-through and comfort building systems in a fast-moving startup.

Nice to have

• Experience with high-temperature processing, molten metals, reactive or combustible powders, vacuum equipment or inert gas systems.
• Experience supporting pilot plants, new facility construction or manufacturing scale-up.
• Familiarity with process hazard analysis, management of change and pre-startup safety reviews.
• Experience coordinating industrial hygiene assessments, environmental permitting and hazardous waste disposal.
• Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), or relevant technical education.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Company-provided lunch daily

Before you apply

• Visa sponsorship is available if needed.

About the company

Solcoa is building next-generation American metalmaking, starting with rare earths. It has developed a chemistry that converts rare earth oxides into high-purity metals and is scaling it to thousands of tonnes of annual production.