Corporate Safety Director - Knutson Construction

Celebrated as one of Minnesota's Top Workplaces! Knutson Construction is accepting applications for a Corporate Safety Director to join our team!

“Together We Make Dreams Real” – that is our purpose as a company and we exist to work in concert with each other, owners, design professionals and subcontractors to make the journey as stress-free as possible. Together, we've created a dynamic, fun, inspiring environment where we can be ourselves and grow each day. Knutson is deeply committed to cultivating and upholding diversity throughout our workforce, relationships, and communities. We recognize the utmost importance of continually advancing our comprehension of diversity, equity, and inclusion as transformative forces within our work, industry, and company values.

At Knutson, opportunities to shine happen daily. We value what makes you different and empower you to act on your ideas. Our culture is one that encourages, supports, and feels like a family.

Knutson is ready to welcome a dynamic and collaborative safety leader with a passion for care that connects with every Knutson team member! The Corporate Safety Director plays a vital role cultivating and communicating a best-in-class Zero Incident Safety Culture, leading the development and implementation of company-wide safety initiatives, policies, and procedures to ensure the ongoing health and safety of Knutson's employees, partners, and clients.

This role reports directly to the President and enjoys a proactive partnership with the entire Leadership Team to continuously improve upon our Zero Incident Safety Culture. The successful candidate is self-motivated with a positive and engaging approach to building credibility and safety accountability throughout the company.

Key job responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Safety Leadership
• Develops trust and rapport throughout the organization (field & office) to garner positive influence and leadership following, to drive the company's successful Zero Incident Safety Culture.
• Develops high-level safety program goals and execution strategy to enhance the Zero Incident Safety Culture.
• Collaboratively works with the President and Leadership Team to develop and implement company-wide safety policies, processes, and procedures, ensuring the health and safety of all employees, partners, and clients.
• Effectively balances time between field and office to establish positive relationships and foster trust/rapport to achieve positive safety outcomes.
• Mentors and motivates field and operations leaders, to act as extensions of the Safety team by positively influencing, delivering, and serving as ambassadors for our Zero Incident Safety Culture.
• Effectively delivers The Knutson Experience (TKE) – making all Knutson clients, partners, and employees feel assured, inspired, and appreciated.

Team / People
• Mentors and develops Safety department team members to deliver TKE across the company.
• Leads, grows, and retains a high-performing, professional Safety team by hiring, training, developing, and coaching performance to achieve best-in-class safety outcomes.
• Identifies training and/or professional development opportunities to support Safety team members in achieving performance goals and/or objectives.
• Fosters a continuous improvement mindset within the safety team to improve and evolve safety outcomes.
• Promotes a safety team culture that establishes and follows standardized best practices across the company.

Core Safety Team Responsibilities
• Leads Safety team to track, report, and respond to key safety performance metrics on a weekly, monthly, and annual basis.
• Supervises Safety Department team members working with Superintendents, Project Managers, and other Operations project team members to develop and implement project-specific safety plans.
• Conducts regular and frequent project inspections to identify and control hazards; follows-up to ensure recommendations have been implemented.
• Supports project teams in communicating and ensuring compliance of company and OSHA safety requirements to subcontractors.
• Leads and conducts timely accident investigations, compiling information into high-quality accident report summary.
• Leads and/or facilitates all required safety training programs for field and office personnel.
• Oversees the administration of company drug screening and pre-employment physical programs.
• Monitors changes in safety regulations and develops programs to ensure company compliance.
• Develops and maintains positive working relationships with local OSHA representatives.
• Ensures all OSHA-required documentation is completed and maintained.
• Participates in the work procurement process as necessary: proposal writing, project pursuit interviews, etc.

Claim Management
• Develops positive working relationships with insurance and industry partners.
• Worker's Compensation (WC) claims:
• Oversees effective management of all WC claims.
• Collaboratively works with industry insurance partners to properly manage company WC claim risk(s).
• Works with appropriate parties (e.g., insurance carriers, brokers, attorneys, physicians, unions, etc.) to develop a prompt and favorable resolution to all WC claims.
• Effectively oversees and manages company Return-To-Work program.
• Works with the Preconstruction team to identify owner-specific safety requirements during the preconstruction phase, planning strategies for implementing and managing a Zero Incident Safety program on specific projects.
• Effectively oversee and/or manage all auto-liability / equipment claims.

Required Skills and Abilities:
• Possesses high energy, ambition, and inspirational leadership to continue elevating the company's Zero Incident Safety Culture.
• Ability to be a creative, progressive thinker as it relates to safety culture and behavior change.
• Knowledge of claims management and resolution.
• Knowledge of Federal, state, and local safety regulations.
• Knowledge of and skill in using personal computers and related software including Microsoft Office applications.
• Skill in dealing with diverse problems, issues, and opportunities in which many challenges exist simultaneously.
• Highly effective verbal and written communication skills, using knowledge and perspective of the intended audience so ideas and/or information presented are understood and accepted.
• Skill in problem-solving including the ability to identify and appropriately evaluate risk and alternatives.
• Skill in negotiating, including the ability to work with others and arrive at an acceptable conclusion for all parties using compromise, persuasion, and diplomacy.
• Skill in developing and maintaining positive working relationships with internal and external partners at all levels of the field and office.
• Ability to regularly travel to project sites throughout the upper Midwest, and/or other project locations as necessary; ability to physically walk on uneven surfaces, climb ladders, and move around a typical, large commercial construction project site to conduct safety audits and effectively interact with employees.

Minimum Education and/or Experience Requirements:
• Bachelor's degree in safety management or construction management and 10+ years of construction safety experience; or a combination of education and experience providing equivalent knowledge.
• Professional safety certification is desirable.

Additional Benefits & Perks:
• Competitive Pay
• Performance Based Career Advancement
• Medical, Dental and Vision
• Health Savings Account with employer contribution
• Flexible Spending Account
• Paid Time Off
• Life and Long-Term Disability Benefit with no premium cost to employee
• Mentorship Program
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Employee Referral Bonus Program
• Scholarship Program
• Flex Fridays
• 401k w/Company Match
• Annual Discretionary Bonus Program
• Successful Annual Discretionary Profit-Sharing Program
• Paid Parental Leave
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.