Senior Process Safety Manager

Date:  Nov 12, 2026
Location: 

Salisbury, MD, US, 21804

Req ID:  82133
Job Function:  Engineering

Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company that handles agricultural commodities and a diverse portfolio of products and businesses. It is part of Perdue Farms, a fourth-generation, family-owned food and agricultural business deeply rooted in tradition yet with a forward-thinking mindset. We believe that success starts with our people, and our culture is built on a foundation of teamwork, integrity, and respect, where every voice matters and everyone is encouraged to contribute to our shared goals. We are dedicated to creating a supportive, inclusive environment where associates feel valued and inspired to make an impact, both within the company and in the communities we serve. From promoting growth and development to prioritizing work-life balance, we’re committed to helping our team members thrive. That's Perdue.

 

Summary 

Help prevent major process safety incidents and protect employees, assets, and operations across Perdue Agri-business’s solvent extraction facilities. As Senior Process Safety Manager, you will provide day-to-day support for the Salisbury Crush Plant while serving as a multi-site technical leader who shapes process safety strategy, standards, governance, and continuous improvement. You will partner with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, and Environmental, Health and Safety teams to strengthen operational discipline, support regulatory compliance, and integrate risk management into business decisions while maintaining site leaders’ accountability for program execution. This role is ideal for a collaborative technical leader who brings sound judgment, solves complex problems, and influences others without direct authority to deliver measurable reductions in process safety risk. 

 

Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm 

 

Principal Essential Duties & Responsibilities 

  • Develop and implement the enterprise process safety strategy, standards, policies, and multi-year improvement roadmap across all applicable facilities; establish consistent process safety management requirements, governance structures, and performance expectations across business units and operating locations; and serve as the enterprise technical authority and subject matter expert on complex technical and operational risk issues. 

  • Advise senior leadership on material process safety risks, regulatory exposure, program effectiveness, and investment priorities; establish risk-based priorities and recommend resource allocation to address significant vulnerabilities; and promote a culture of prevention, accountability, operational discipline, and continuous improvement. 

  • Provide technical oversight and strategic guidance to facility leadership teams implementing process safety programs; assess program effectiveness and gaps and establish corrective action and improvement plans; deploy standardized tools, procedures, guidance, and best practices with appropriate facility-specific requirements; conduct periodic site assessments, technical reviews, and leadership discussions on risk and program maturity; facilitate cross-site collaboration on lessons learned, emerging risks, and risk reduction practices; influence plant managers, engineering leaders, and stakeholders to maintain standards and resolve significant deficiencies; and escalate material risks, unresolved corrective actions, and critical safeguard deficiencies to appropriate senior leadership. 

  • Provide enterprise oversight of applicable OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) and EPA Risk Management Program (RMP) requirements; establish expectations for process safety information, operating procedures, training, contractor safety, mechanical integrity, Management of Change (MOC), Pre-Startup Safety Reviews (PSSR), incident investigation, and compliance audits; monitor regulatory changes and relevant industry standards and translate requirements into enterprise policies and implementation guidance; oversee internal audit quality and effectiveness and support regulatory inspections; ensure findings and program deficiencies are assigned, tracked, and resolved within established timeframes; and maintain visibility into compliance status, significant exposures, and corrective action effectiveness across applicable sites. 

  • Establish enterprise standards for Process Hazard Analyses (PHAs), including HAZOP, What-If, and other appropriate risk assessment methodologies; guide complex process hazard evaluations and mitigation strategies; ensure consistent management of PHA schedules, revalidation requirements, and recommendations; establish risk-ranking criteria and recommendation priorities based on severity, likelihood, and potential business impact; review significant risks and ensure interim safeguards and permanent corrective actions are identified; and promote inherently safer design and effective engineering controls in facility modifications, process improvements, and capital projects. 

  • Establish and monitor enterprise MOC and PSSR expectations; ensure changes to processes, equipment, materials, technology, procedures, and facilities receive appropriate technical review and risk assessment before implementation; partner with Engineering and Project Management to integrate process safety into design, construction, commissioning, and startup; guide high-risk modifications, expansions, new installations, and major equipment replacements; review significant capital project risks and recommend safeguards and mitigation measures; and monitor program effectiveness and address recurring change management and operational readiness deficiencies. 

  • Provide technical oversight of mechanical integrity programs for process equipment and safety-critical systems; partner with Maintenance, Reliability, and Engineering to establish inspection, testing, preventive maintenance, and equipment integrity standards; monitor significant safety-critical equipment deficiencies, overdue inspections, impaired safeguards, and unresolved integrity concerns; promote risk-based maintenance and inspection to support reliable operations and prevent loss-of-containment events; and establish expectations for equipment condition evaluation, critical deficiency resolution, and verification of corrective action effectiveness. 

  • Provide technical leadership for significant process safety incident investigations, including fires, explosions, loss of containment, and other high-potential events; ensure identification of root and systemic causes and sustainable corrective actions; establish consistent incident classification, investigation, reporting, and lessons-learned practices across facilities; analyze incident trends and recurring failure mechanisms for enterprise-wide improvement opportunities; and communicate lessons learned and verify implementation of relevant corrective measures across affected facilities. 

  • Develop enterprise process safety metrics, dashboards, and reporting processes that give leadership clear visibility into risk and performance; monitor leading and lagging indicators, including process safety incidents, overdue high-risk actions, PHA recommendations, MOC compliance, and mechanical integrity deficiencies; and conduct periodic reviews of performance, program maturity, and progress against established objectives. 

  • Identify opportunities to improve program effectiveness through standardization, technology, risk-based prioritization, and process simplification; establish and monitor multi-site improvement plans and report progress, barriers, and emerging risks to senior leadership; and evaluate the effectiveness of implemented controls and corrective actions rather than relying solely on administrative completion. 

 

Minimum Education and Experience 

  • Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Safety Engineering, or another relevant engineering or technical discipline. 

  • Typically, 10 or more years of progressive experience in process safety, engineering, industrial operations, or a related technical field. 

  • Demonstrated experience providing process safety oversight, technical leadership, or program governance across multiple facilities. 

  • Significant knowledge of OSHA PSM, EPA RMP, and applicable regulatory requirements. 

  • Experience with PHA facilitation or oversight, MOC, PSSR, mechanical integrity, incident investigation, compliance auditing, and risk assessment. 

  • Demonstrated success influencing senior leaders and driving corrective action across multiple operational locations. 

  • Strong understanding of process safety management systems and major accident prevention principles. 

  • Knowledge of relevant API, ANSI, NFPA, and other applicable industry standards. 

  • Experience with risk assessment, hazard identification, incident investigation, and corrective action management. 

  • Ability to evaluate complex technical issues and translate findings into practical, risk-based recommendations. 

  • Proficiency in process safety performance measurement, audit methodologies, and continuous improvement. 

  • Understanding combustible dust, fire and explosion hazards, and bulk material handling risks where applicable to the organization's operations. 

  • Enterprise-level thinking and strategic risk management. 

  • Strong technical credibility and sound professional judgment. 

  • Ability to influence without direct reporting authority. 

  • Executive communication and presentation skills. 

  • Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management. 

  • Risk-based decision-making and prioritization. 

  • Change leadership and continuous improvement. 

  • Personal accountability and commitment to operational excellence. 

 

Preferred Education and Experience 

  • Experience in manufacturing, refining, chemical processing, oilseed crushing, food processing, bulk material handling, or other relevant industrial operations. 

 

Physical Requirements and Environmental Factors 

  • Position is mostly sedentary but may require occasional moving to other offices or buildings. 

  • May need to move light equipment or supplies from one place to another. 

  • May need to access files, supplies and equipment. 

  • Work activity is in an office, open-partitioned, cubicle environment. 

 

Perdue Farms Inc. is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.


Nearest Major Market: Salisbury