Director of Safety – NYC Construction

Overview

We are a leading New York City-based general contractor specializing in ground-up residential construction, delivering high-rise and mid-rise developments across the five boroughs. We are seeking a Director of Safety to build the systems, training, and culture that prevent safety incidents across our portfolio.

What You'll Do

• Design, implement, and continuously improve company-wide safety programs, policies, and standard operating procedures across all active high-rise and mid-rise projects
• Build and deliver structured safety training curricula for site safety managers, superintendents, subcontractors, and new hires — covering OSHA requirements, fall protection, crane and rigging safety, site logistics, and NYC-specific DOB and Local Law requirements
• Develop leading (not just lagging) safety metrics and reporting systems to identify risk trends across the portfolio before incidents occur
• Establish clear, consistent incident investigation and root-cause analysis protocols that site teams can execute independently, rather than requiring the Director's direct involvement in every incident
• Own company-wide OSHA compliance strategy, DOB safety filings, and Local Law 196 site safety training compliance
• Partner with project executives and estimators during preconstruction to build safety planning, staffing, and budget into project plans from day one
• Manage relationships with insurance carriers, workers' comp providers, and regulatory agencies (OSHA, DOB, DOT) at the organizational level
• Build and maintain a bench of qualified site safety managers, including hiring standards, onboarding, and ongoing professional development
• Conduct periodic program audits (not daily site visits) to evaluate whether site-level teams are executing company safety standards, and adjust programs based on findings
• Track industry regulatory changes and proactively update company policy ahead of compliance deadlines
• Present safety performance, program updates, and risk trends to executive leadership and ownership on a regular cadence

What You Bring

• 8+ years of progressive safety leadership experience in NYC commercial or residential construction, including experience with high-rise and/or mid-rise ground-up projects
• Proven experience building or significantly overhauling a safety program at the organizational level — not just managing safety on individual sites
• Deep knowledge of OSHA regulations, NYC DOB requirements, and Local Law 196 site safety training compliance
• Strong training and curriculum development skills — you should be someone who can build a training program from scratch, not just deliver one that already exists
• Experience developing safety metrics, dashboards, or reporting systems used at an executive level
• CHST, CSP, or SMS certification strongly preferred
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfortable presenting to ownership and executive leadership
• A systems-and-process mindset — this role is about building repeatable structures, not personally responding to every field issue

Nice to Have

• Experience managing a team of site safety managers across multiple concurrent projects
• Background in curriculum design or adult learning/training methodology
• Familiarity with safety management software or EHS platforms (Procore, HammerTech, Predictive Solutions, or similar)
• Experience working directly with insurance carriers on experience modification rate (EMR) improvement strategies

Why Join Us

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• 401(k) with company match
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
• Paid time off and holidays
• A true seat at the leadership table — this role is built to shape safety strategy company-wide, not chase incidents site to site
• The opportunity to build a program from the ground up across a growing portfolio of landmark NYC developments

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.