EHS Manager Data Center Operations

AFL provides industry-leading fiber optic products and services across the globe. Our company was founded in 1984 with a single fiber optic cable and now we manufacture over two thousand products employ over 5000 associates and consistently generate annual sales in excess of 2 billion-dollars in revenue. With our commitment to professional growth and employee development let AFL Connect you to your next career opportunity!

Position Summary

Position Summary

The EHSS Manager Data Center Construction & Commissioning leads environment health safety and security performance across data center construction commissioning and limited operational transition activities. This role protects people while enabling schedule certainty quality execution and customer confidence in highly complex fastâpaced environments.

The EHSS Manager serves as the primary EHSS interface between AFL leadership customers general contractors commissioning agents trade partners and service providers. The role focuses on managing highârisk activities typical of data center projects including electrical work working at heights simultaneous operations (SIMOPS) equipment energization and startup/turnover activities.

The EHSS Manager reports to Senior EHS Manager AFL US Services and has authority to escalate risk concerns and stop work when critical controls are not in place or when conditions present an imminent risk to people property or operations.

Scope of Responsibility

• Construction: Full EHSS oversight of data center construction and fitâout activities
• Commissioning / Startup: EHSS coordination during preâstartup readiness energization testing and turnover
• Operations (Limited): Support during transition to operations including handoff reviews and early operational risk controls.

This role does not provide full operational EHSS ownership but supports safe turnover and early operational stabilization.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership Authority & Safety Culture

• Lead and sustain a proactive highâaccountability safety culture across multiple project sites.
• Maintain a visible field presence engaging where work and risk exist.
• Coach project leaders supervisors and contractors to recognize risk and intervene early.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to Data Center business leaders aligning EHSS controls with schedule cost and quality objectives.
• Exercise stopâwork authority and escalate unresolved critical risks through leadership channels.

Stakeholder & Interface Management

• Serve as the central EHSS point of contact for:
• AFL Data Center business leadership
• General contractors and construction managers
• Commissioning agents and customer EHS representatives
• Trade partners service providers and vendors
• Translate customer safety and security expectations into executable site requirements.
• Support alignment of contractor safety programs permit systems and site rules.
• Participate in customer audits readiness reviews and leadership walkthroughs.

Risk Management Permits & Field Execution

• Lead hazard identification and taskâbased risk assessments with focus on:
• Electrical safety and energized work
• Working at heights
• SIMOPS
• Equipment installation and lifts
• Confined space work where applicable
• Support and verify highârisk permit systems and critical control implementation.
• Conduct preâstartup readiness and highârisk activity reviews.
• Validate controls are effective prior to permitting work to proceed.
• Perform management of change reviews when scope sequencing or conditions change.

Contractor Safety Oversight

• Support contractor prequalification onboarding and siteâspecific orientation.
• Monitor contractor compliance with site rules regulatory requirements and customer standards.
• Conduct field audits observations and leadership engagements.
• Address performance gaps through coaching corrective actions or escalation as required.
• Promote consistent safety expectations across shared workspaces and multiple employers.

Incident Emergency & Crisis Management

• Lead or support investigation of incidents near misses and highâpotential events.
• Apply structured root cause analysis and track corrective actions to closure.
• Support emergency preparedness evacuation planning and crisis response coordination.
• Escalate serious incidents in accordance with AFL and customer protocols.
• Share lessons learned across projects to prevent recurrence.

Regulatory Security & Compliance

• Interpret and apply applicable federal state and local EHSS requirements.
• Maintains compliant documentation records and permits for ongoing work.
• Support internal customer and regulatory audits.
• Reinforce site security requirements access controls and sensitive area protocols consistent with customer data center expectations.

Training & Communication

• Oversee delivery of EHSS onboarding taskâspecific and refresher training for AFL personnel and contractors.
• Ensure training aligns with project risk profiles and execution phases.
• Communicate expectations using clear practical fieldâready language.
• Reinforce expectations through consistent field engagement.

Program Execution Metrics & Continuous Improvement

• Deploy AFL enterprise EHSS programs using the Data Center Playbook.
• Track and trend leading and lagging indicators including:
• Audit findings and closure rates.
• Contractor compliance metrics
• Training completion
• Incident and nearâmiss trends.
• Report performance to business and EHSS leadership.
• Support project closeout reviews and constructionâtoâoperations handoff.

Success Measures / KPIs

• Reduction in recordable incidents and highâpotential events
• Timely closure of audit findings and corrective actions
• Contractor compliance and field execution quality
• Effective control of highârisk activities
• Positive customer audit outcomes and readiness reviews

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelors degree in EHSS Engineering Construction Management or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 7 years of EHSS experience supporting construction or missionâcritical environments.
• Strong working knowledge of OSHA regulations
• Experience working in multiâemployer worksites.
• Willingness to travel regularly and support offâhours work as required.

Preferred

• Experience in data center construction commissioning or operations
• Experience supporting multiâsite or concurrent projects.
• OSHA 30
• Professional certification (CSP CHST or equivalent)

The EHSS Manager serves as the primary EHSS interface between AFL leadership customers general contractors commissioning agents trade partners and service providers. The role focuses on managing highârisk activities typical of data center projects including electrical work working at heights simultaneous operations (SIMOPS) equipment energization and startup/turnover activities.

The EHSS Manager reports to Senior EHS Manager AFL US Services and has authority to escalate risk concerns and stop work when critical controls are not in place or when conditions present an imminent risk to people property or operations.

Scope of Responsibility

• Construction: Full EHSS oversight of data center construction and fitâout activities
• Commissioning / Startup: EHSS coordination during preâstartup readiness energization testing and turnover
• Operations (Limited): Support during transition to operations including handoff reviews and early operational risk controls.

This role does not provide full operational EHSS ownership but supports safe turnover and early operational stabilization.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership Authority & Safety Culture

• Lead and sustain a proactive highâaccountability safety culture across multiple project sites.
• Maintain a visible field presence engaging where work and risk exist.
• Coach project leaders supervisors and contractors to recognize risk and intervene early.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to Data Center business leaders aligning EHSS controls with schedule cost and quality objectives.
• Exercise stopâwork authority and escalate unresolved critical risks through leadership channels.

Stakeholder & Interface Management

• Serve as the central EHSS point of contact for:
• AFL Data Center business leadership
• General contractors and construction managers
• Commissioning agents and customer EHS representatives
• Trade partners service providers and vendors
• Translate customer safety and security expectations into executable site requirements.
• Support alignment of contractor safety programs permit systems and site rules.
• Participate in customer audits readiness reviews and leadership walkthroughs.

Risk Management Permits & Field Execution

• Lead hazard identification and taskâbased risk assessments with focus on:
• Electrical safety and energized work
• Working at heights
• SIMOPS
• Equipment installation and lifts
• Confined space work where applicable
• Support and verify highârisk permit systems and critical control implementation.
• Conduct preâstartup readiness and highârisk activity reviews.
• Validate controls are effective prior to permitting work to proceed.
• Perform management of change reviews when scope sequencing or conditions change.

Contractor Safety Oversight

• Support contractor prequalification onboarding and siteâspecific orientation.
• Monitor contractor compliance with site rules regulatory requirements and customer standards.
• Conduct field audits observations and leadership engagements.
• Address performance gaps through coaching corrective actions or escalation as required.
• Promote consistent safety expectations across shared workspaces and multiple employers.

Incident Emergency & Crisis Management

• Lead or support investigation of incidents near misses and highâpotential events.
• Apply structured root cause analysis and track corrective actions to closure.
• Support emergency preparedness evacuation planning and crisis response coordination.
• Escalate serious incidents in accordance with AFL and customer protocols.
• Share lessons learned across projects to prevent recurrence.

Regulatory Security & Compliance

• Interpret and apply applicable federal state and local EHSS requirements.
• Maintains compliant documentation records and permits for ongoing work.
• Support internal customer and regulatory audits.
• Reinforce site security requirements access controls and sensitive area protocols consistent with customer data center expectations.

Training & Communication

• Oversee delivery of EHSS onboarding taskâspecific and refresher training for AFL personnel and contractors.
• Ensure training aligns with project risk profiles and execution phases.
• Communicate expectations using clear practical fieldâready language.
• Reinforce expectations through consistent field engagement.

Program Execution Metrics & Continuous Improvement

• Deploy AFL enterprise EHSS programs using the Data Center Playbook.
• Track and trend leading and lagging indicators including:
• Audit findings and closure rates.
• Contractor compliance metrics
• Training completion
• Incident and nearâmiss trends.
• Report performance to business and EHSS leadership.
• Support project closeout reviews and constructionâtoâoperations handoff.

Success Measures / KPIs

• Reduction in recordable incidents and highâpotential events
• Timely closure of audit findings and corrective actions
• Contractor compliance and field execution quality
• Effective control of highârisk activities
• Positive customer audit outcomes and readiness reviews

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelors degree in EHSS Engineering Construction Management or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 7 years of EHSS experience supporting construction or missionâcritical environments.
• Strong working knowledge of OSHA regulations
• Experience working in multiâemployer worksites.
• Willingness to travel regularly and support offâhours work as required.

Preferred

• Experience in data center construction commissioning or operations
• Experience supporting multiâsite or concurrent projects.
• OSHA 30
• Professional certification (CSP CHST or equivalent)

Required Experience:

Manager