Director of Safety

What you’ll do

As Director of HSE, you’ll build and own Giga’s health, safety, and environmental function from the ground up—designing the systems, policies, and culture that keep our people safe across manufacturing facilities, construction sites, data center deployments, and after-sales field service operations. This is a hands-on leadership role with real influence: you’ll sit at the intersection of operations, engineering, and compliance at a company scaling faster than almost anything in the infrastructure space. If you’ve spent your career in bureaucratic safety programs where nothing actually changes, this will feel different. You’ll own the outcomes.

Where you’ll work

We are an in-office culture — velocity matters when you're building physical infrastructure, and the best decisions happen in the room. This role is ideally based in our San Francisco, Long Beach, or Houston offices, with full-time onsite expectations outside of bi-weekly WFH Fridays.

That said, we will make exceptions for truly exceptional talent if you live outside one of our hubs. If you're the right person for this role, we'll have a conversation about what works.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and continuously improve Giga’s HSE management system across manufacturing, field construction, data center operations, and after-sales field service activities.
• Serve as the company’s subject matter authority on OSHA, EPA, NFPA, and other applicable federal, state, and local regulatory requirements.
• Develop and enforce incident prevention programs, safety training curricula, and emergency response protocols for all sites and job classifications.
• Lead all incident investigations—root cause analysis, corrective action tracking, and reporting—and drive a culture of transparency and continuous improvement.
• Partner with project managers, superintendents, and operations leads to embed safety requirements into project planning, site mobilization, and day-to-day execution.
• Develop HSE protocols specific to after-sales field service teams—including commissioning, startup, maintenance, and warranty repair work performed at customer sites—ensuring technicians are trained and equipped to work safely in diverse operating environments.
• Own relationships with regulatory agencies and manage all compliance filings, audits, permits, and environmental reporting obligations.
• Build and lead a small HSE team as the company scales; define team structure, hire, and develop talent.
• Track, analyze, and report on leading and lagging safety metrics to senior leadership; use data to prioritize risk reduction initiatives.
• Manage HSE-related vendor and subcontractor qualifications, including pre-qualification requirements and on-site compliance expectations.
• Champion sustainability and environmental stewardship practices aligned with Giga’s growth and customer commitments.

Requirements

• 8+ years of progressive HSE experience in industrial, construction, manufacturing, or electrical infrastructure environments.
• Demonstrated success building or significantly scaling an HSE program within a fast-moving, multi-site operation.
• Deep working knowledge of OSHA 29 CFR 1910 and 1926, EPA regulations, and applicable state-level equivalents.
• Experience managing HSE across fixed facilities (manufacturing, warehouses), field/construction environments, and customer-site field service operations simultaneously.
• Proven track record conducting incident investigations and driving systemic corrective actions that reduce recurrence.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to translate complex regulatory requirements into practical, actionable guidance for field teams.
• Proficiency with HSE management software and reporting tools.
• Ability and willingness to travel to project sites, customer facilities, and field service locations as needed (estimated 20%).

Bonus points 

• Certified Safety Professional (CSP) or similar credential (CHMM, CIH, OHST).
• Experience supporting data center construction, electrical equipment manufacturing, or utility-scale renewable energy projects.
• Familiarity with ISO 45001 (Occupational Health & Safety) or ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) standards.
• Background in startups or high-growth companies where you’ve had to build programs with limited resources.
• Experience managing environmental permitting (air, stormwater, hazardous waste) across multiple jurisdictions.

Benefits

• Subsidized health, dental, and vision insurance
• Equity (options) in a rapidly growing startup
• 401(k) with 4% employer match
• Unlimited PTO
• Parental leave
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Commuter benefits
• Monthly team onsites where all offices come in–person to collaborate