ROLE OVERVIEW

GSI is on a deliberate path from $500M to $1B, and the Head of Safety will be one of the most consequential hires we make on that journey. This is not a compliance role. This is not a clipboard. This is an executive seat at the table — a builder's role for someone who sees safety as a strategic lever, a talent magnet, a competitive differentiator, and a business imperative all at once. 

You will own the design and execution of a world-class HSE function across 100 to 200+ active job sites annually, with crews working on steep terrain, remote slopes, and high-consequence geotechnical installations where the margin for error is structurally narrow — not behaviorally narrow.

Your mandate is clear: zero serious injuries or fatalities while doubling exposure hours, and an HSE culture so strong it wins work, retains field talent, and drives down our EMR and insurance cost of capital. You will report directly to the head of operations and have a voice in pre-construction, estimating, capital decisions, and talent strategy.

The systems that got GSI here will not get us there — and you are the person who builds what comes next.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 15+ years of progressive HSE leadership in heavy civil, specialty foundations, mining, oil and gas, or industrial construction — geohazard and geotechnical exposure strongly preferred
• Demonstrated experience scaling an HSE function through a doubling event (e.g., $300M to $700M, $500M to $1B, or equivalent) — you have seen safety systems break under growth pressure and you know how to build ones that don't
• Experience owning a multi-region HSE team of 15 to 40 or more professionals and an annual HSE budget of $500K to $3M or more
• Proven track record of measurable step-change performance: TRIR reduction of 40% or greater, sustained EMR below 0.75, or multi-year SIF-free performance on comparable high-consequence exposure
• Demonstrated boardroom credibility — you have presented to CEOs, boards, DOT and utility owners, surety underwriters, and insurance carriers
• Bachelor's degree in occupational health and safety, engineering, or a related technical discipline; advanced degree preferred
• CSP, CIH, or ASP certification preferred; OSHA 500 or 501 certification a strong plus

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Deep fluency in Human and Organizational Performance (HOP), Safety Differently, and Learning Teams frameworks — you apply these, you don't just cite them
• Ability to read a geotech report, walk a 60-degree slope, and instinctively identify the structural failure modes — you earn credibility with field crews because you understand the work
• Expertise in modern EHS platforms and the ability to stand up a leading-indicator dashboard and predictive analytics capability from scratch
• Command of OSHA, MSHA, DOT, and state-specific regulatory frameworks, with federal contracting readiness as a strong plus
• Ability to build and execute a tiered competency framework — craft, foreman, superintendent, PM, and executive — that goes far beyond annual training videos
• Strategic partnership skills with insurance brokers, carriers, and surety providers — including quarterly EMR and loss-run governance and a working understanding of captive strategy at scale
• Proven ability to design and lead 24/7 crisis and incident response protocols, including executive-level SIF investigation with a causal learning orientation — not a blame orientation
• Strong executive presence and communication skills — equally fluent translating safety strategy in the boardroom and standing in the bed of a pickup truck talking to a foreman

COMPENSATION

• Salary in the $150,000-$180,000 range
• Annual bonus 20%
• Relocation available - this role will sit in our Corporate HQ in Westminster, CO