Cushman & Wakefield · 11 hours ago
Global Head of EHS
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/ExecutiveCushman & Wakefield is seeking a Global Head of Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) to lead and oversee the enterprise-wide strategy for EHS across all regions and business lines. This role involves driving a proactive safety culture, ensuring compliance with regulations, and managing complex stakeholder relationships while promoting operational excellence and sustainability goals.
CommercialCommercial Real EstateConsultingLeasingLegalProperty Management
Responsibilities
Develop, implement, and continuously enhance the global EHS strategy, standards, and performance metrics to ensure alignment with business objectives, risk reduction, sustainability goals, and regulatory compliance, while driving governance through executive-level reporting, risk reviews, and collaboration with corporate teams and leadership
Oversee global EHS programs and partner with internal departments and clients to align and address leading injury and illness prevention, contractor safety, fire and life safety, environmental compliance, hazardous materials, ergonomics, emergency preparedness, business continuity planning, and workplace violence prevention; implement robust risk assessment methodologies with corrective and preventive actions; trainings; return-to-work program; site inspections and security assessments; and manage incident response, investigations, root cause analysis, and global communication of lessons learned
Ensure global compliance with all applicable EHS regulations by overseeing audit programs, inspections, and internal controls; maintaining ISO certifications (ISO 45001, ISO 14001) and client-mandated standards; and driving corrective actions to uphold regulatory and operational excellence across all jurisdictions
Provide strategic leadership for global and regional EHS teams by mentoring and ensuring alignment and accountability; provide executive leadership and key business functions as the senior advisor; and represent the organization externally to clients, regulators, and industry bodies on critical safety, compliance, and risk matters
Champion a proactive, prevention-focused safety culture globally by developing and governing comprehensive EHS training frameworks for employees and contractors, leading scenario planning and executive tabletop exercise, and delivering impactful communication strategies including campaigns, alerts, performance reporting, and engagement initiatives to ensure competency and continuous improvement
Partner with Sustainability teams to integrate EHS initiatives with climate, energy, waste, and GHG objectives; support client Sustainability reporting and corporate sustainability disclosures; and drive environmental stewardship and regulatory compliance across global operations
Support business development and client engagement by representing the EHS function in proposals and presentations; lead change management initiatives to drive adoption of new EHS policies, practices, and systems; and ensure effective succession planning and talent development within the global EHS team
Oversee and, as applicable, lead the selection, implementation, and optimization of global EHS technology platforms, data analytics, and digital transformation to drive real-time visibility and reporting
Qualification
Required
Experience in developing and implementing global EHS strategy, standards, and performance metrics
Strong knowledge of EHS regulations and compliance requirements
Experience in overseeing global EHS programs and managing complex stakeholder relationships
Proven ability to drive a proactive, prevention-focused safety culture
Experience in crisis management and business continuity planning
Strong leadership skills with the ability to mentor and align global and regional EHS teams
Experience in maintaining ISO certifications (ISO 45001, ISO 14001)
Ability to integrate EHS initiatives with sustainability objectives
Experience in data analytics and technology platforms related to EHS
Strong communication skills for delivering impactful communication strategies
Preferred
Experience in representing organizations externally to clients, regulators, and industry bodies
Experience in change management initiatives related to EHS policies and practices
Experience in business development and client engagement within the EHS function
Company
Cushman & Wakefield
Cushman & Wakefield is a real estate services firm that offers retail investment, energy management, and property services.
Founded in 1917
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Cushman & Wakefield has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (3)
2024 (6)
2023 (2)
2022 (6)
2021 (1)
2020 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$734.8MKey Investors
GreystoneCitizens BankVanke
2023-10-10Post Ipo Debt· $223.8M
2023-08-08Post Ipo Debt· $400M
2022-10-13Post Ipo Debt· $27.3M
Leadership Team
Matthew Bouw
CEO Asia Pacific & EMEA
Michelle M. MacKay
CEO
Recent News
2026-01-22
Bizjournals.com Feed (2025-11-12 15:43:17)
2026-01-22
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