Environmental Health and Safety Manager (EHS Manager)

The Asahi Kasei Group operates with a commitment of creating for tomorrow. Our business sectors, Materials, Homes, and Health Care, contribute to the development of society by anticipating the changing needs of those around the world. We look for candidates that offer a fresh perspective and a variety of skills to help us achieve our commitment.

Asahi Kasei is a long-trusted supplier of lithium-ion battery separators – polymer-based microporous membranes that are a key component of the lithium batteries used to power electric vehicles, renewable energy storage systems, and more. We are currently seeking applications to fill the following job opening at Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada, where we are in the process of constructing a new lithium battery separator manufacturing facility to support increasing North American demand.

Company:

Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada Corporation

Job Description:

Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada Corporation (AKBSCA) is seeking an Environmental Health and Safety Manager to be a part of a new greenfield start-up based in Port Colborne, Ontario. The Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Manager provides strategic and hands‑on leadership for all EHS programs for AKBSCA’s Port Colborne facility. This role ensures compliance with regulatory requirements (MECP, OHSA/MLITSD, ECCC, CCOHS), drives a proactive safety culture, leads environmental compliance programs, and oversees the implementation and continual improvement of an EHS Management System consistent with Responsible Care and corporate expectations. The EHS Manager partners with site leadership, employees, and contractors to build a “Zero Harm” safety culture and ensure operational readiness for a new manufacturing facility.

Reporting Relationships

This position reports to the Sr. Environmental Health & Safety Director in our corporate North America office, working directly with local plant leadership as we continue the startup phase.

Asahi Kasei Values

• Sincerity – Being sincere with everyone.
• Challenge – Boldly taking challenges, continuously seeking change.
• Creativity – Creating new value through unity and synergy.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as representative for AKBSCA for Asahi Kasei America’s EHS council.
• Implement EHS procedures, standards, and training programs to reduce risk and ensure compliance with regulatory and corporate requirements.
• Monitor, measure, and communicate EHS performance, trends, and key metrics; implement corrective actions as needed.
• Maintain strong visibility on the manufacturing floor and construction areas through routine walkthroughs, inspections, and employee engagement.
• Provide EHS expertise, coaching, and leadership to support a positive safety culture and Zero Harm mindset.
• Lead all environmental compliance activities including ECAs, emissions, wastewater, waste management, hazardous materials, and associated monitoring and reporting.
• Conduct and lead incident investigations, ensure corrective actions are implemented, tracked, and verified for effectiveness.
• Support and oversee safety performance for construction contractors, including inspections, incident reporting, and training requirements.
• Perform or facilitate hazard and risk assessments, job hazard analyses, and recommend solutions for identified concerns.
• Conduct pre-startup safety reviews (PSSRs) for new or modified equipment.
• Develop, coordinate, and deliver EHS training programs for employees, supervisors, and contractors.
• Provide leadership to the Joint Health & Safety Committee and lead EHS-related committees and project teams.
• Serve as a key member of the site leadership team, providing strategic and technical EHS guidance.
• Establish and manage annual EHS operating and capital budgets.
• Support facility design, layout, and process development through EHS risk evaluation and recommendations.
• Develop, maintain, and improve an EHS Management System to assign, track, and verify responsibilities across the organization.
• Develop annual EHS goals, objectives, and improvement plans aligned with corporate and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain change-management processes to evaluate new products, materials, and work processes for EHS impacts.
• Lead and participate in EHS audits, inspections, and self-assessments to ensure compliance and drive continuous improvement.
• Ensure emergency preparedness programs are maintained, including hazard assessments, training, equipment readiness, and communication systems.
• Manage EHS risks associated with contracted services and critical suppliers.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with federal, provincial, and local regulatory agencies.
• Communicate and collaborate across functions to implement joint EHS initiatives where appropriate.

Key Skills and Abilities:

• Must be proactive, self-motivated, customer-focused, and solution-oriented.
• Ability to foster and maintain relationships with employees at all levels within the organization.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills with the ability to influence and support leaders.
• Comfortable developing and executing plans, promoting ideas, and implementing initiatives.
• Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
• Comfortable working in a manufacturing environment.

Qualifications

Education Background:

• Minimum bachelor’s degree in health, safety, environment or related field.

Knowledge & Experience:

• Plus 7+ years of experience Health, Safety and Environment in a manufacturing environment.
• Plus 3+ years of experience leading a team and Health, Safety and Environment.
• Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) or Canadian Registered Safety Technician (CRST) Certification is required.
• Prior experience with EHS Management Systems such as ISO 14001 or 45001 certification and Responsible Care is a plus.

Expected Compensation:

• Salary based position with a range of $105,000.00 to $135,000.00 based on education and experience.

Travel:

• Must hold a valid Passport and be willing to travel up to 10% internationally for training and visiting other company locations, predominately the United States of America and Japan.

Schedule:

• Full-time 100% in-person position.
• Typical work hours are Monday to Friday, with flexibility to address urgent issues as needed 24/7. Attendance at meetings and trainings on off shifts may also be required periodically.

Working Environment

This position will be based in a temporary office at on the site location in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada, until the permanent office is built in 2027. The final work environment will be at a 24/7 manufacturing operation. This position is in support of manufacturing and requires working in a production environment around chemicals. The manufacturing facility will be a state of the art in terms of automation and being temperature and humidity controlled. This will be a clean and comfortable environment due to the nature of the products being produced.

About Us

Asahi Kasei is a pioneer in battery technology and a long-trusted supplier of lithium battery separators, which are polymer-based microporous membranes that are key components of lithium-ion batteries (LIB) used in consumer electronics and electric vehicles.

Asahi Kasei is accelerating its next phase of global growth with proactive investment and capacity expansion in battery separators to meet increasing demand for electric vehicle applications with Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada Corporation in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada. AKBSCA will further build our LIB separator infrastructure for automotive applications and energy‑related uses like energy storage systems and data centers to meet growing demand in North America.

The company’s Hipore™ brand of separators has been commercially available since the lithium battery market’s inception in the early 1990s, and they are found primarily in electric drive vehicles (EDVs) as well as in consumer electronics (CE) such as smartphones, tablets and personal computers. Hipore™ membrane separators bring high porosity and excellent energy transfer, while contributing to battery safety and reliability, and they are especially well matched for the high-capacity batteries required for power plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and full battery (BEV) vehicles.

The Asahi Kasei Group is a diversified group of companies led by holding company Asahi Kasei Corp., with operations in the material, homes, and health care business sectors. With more than 49,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries. We are Creating for Tomorrow!

For more information, go to www.ak-bsc.ca.

We are committed to providing accommodations throughout the interview process for needs that are made known in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). If accommodation is required in the application process, please contact AKBSCA Human Resources at [email protected].

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As an equal opportunity employer, Asahi Kasei is dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce. Asahi Kasei believes that its diverse workforce strengthens the company’s ability to adapt and thrive in a changing world .