Environment, Health and Safety Manager

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Iscon Balaji Foods

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Ahmedabad, India

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Position Title: Assistant General Manager – Environment, Health & Safety (EHS)

Location: Corporate Headquarters: Thaltej-Shilaj Road, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Reports To: Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Scope of Role: Pan-India oversight of 6 manufacturing plants (including large-scale facilities in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab)

Department: Corporate Environment, Health & Safety (EHS)


Job Purpose

The General Manager (EHS) will serve as the apex custodian of workplace safety, environmental sustainability, and regulatory compliance across all corporate offices and 6 multi-state manufacturing facilities. This leadership role is responsible for architecting the long-term EHS strategy, cultivating an incident-free safety culture, and ensuring that Iscon Balaji Foods aligns with international ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) expectations and global ethical supply chain frameworks.


Roles and Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership & Policy Framework

  • Corporate EHS Roadmap: Design, deploy, and govern the enterprise-wide EHS vision, standards, and metrics tailored for agro-processing and frozen food manufacturing lines.
  • Multi-Site Governance: Establish a standardized, centralized EHS management system that provides continuous oversight of the 6 distinct plant structures (including frozen specialties, French fries, and dehydrated flakes lines).
  • ESG & Sustainability Integration: Formulate targets for resource conservation, focusing on water footprints (ETP/ZLD optimization), bio-waste reduction, carbon emission management, and renewable energy adoption across plants.

2. Process Safety & High-Risk Management

  • Ammonia & Cryogenic Safety Management: Enforce rigorous Process Safety Management (PSM) for high-capacity refrigeration systems. Lead hazard and operability (HAZOP) studies, emergency response drills, and mechanical integrity checks for pressurized networks.
  • Occupational Thermal Management: Standardize strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) for employees transitioning between high-temperature frying/blanching lines and sub-zero blast freezers. Ensure supply and compliance of specialized cold-chain PPE.
  • Starch & Dust Explosion Prevention: Mitigate combustible dust hazards inherent to dehydrated potato flake processing through dust collection infrastructure, spark detection, and ignition-source control.

3. Statutory Compliance & Legal Affairs

  • Regulatory Liaison: Act as the primary corporate representative with State Pollution Control Boards (GPCB, MPPCB, PPCB), the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Factory Inspectorates, and Central Ground Water Authorities (CGWA).
  • SEDEX & Ethical Standards Governance: Act as the apex custodian for SEDEX standards across all 6 manufacturing facilities. Ensure that plant-level EHS, labor safety, and environmental practices strictly align with the SMETA (SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit) 4-Pillar framework (Labor Standards, Health & Safety, Environment, and Business Ethics).
  • Audit Readiness & CAPA Management: Lead all plants through periodic SEDEX/SMETA audits required by global supply chain partners. Ensure pristine documentation, rectify non-compliances, and drive the swift implementation of Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) to secure and maintain excellent platform ratings.
  • Consents & Licensing: Secure and manage timely updates for Environmental Clearances (EC), Consent to Establish (CTE), Consent to Operate (CTO), and Waste Authorizations across all locations.
  • Legal Risk Mitigation: Interpret evolving Indian environmental laws, labor codes, and international supply chain compliance standards, translating them into preventative plant-level structural updates to insulate the company from legal liability.

4. Auditing, Risk Assessments & Technical Governance

  • Comprehensive EHS Audits: Lead periodic corporate audits across all sites, evaluating industrial hygiene, fire safety systems, electrical risks, and structural assets.
  • Root Cause Analysis (RCA): Personally direct investigations into any major near-misses or incidents. Ensure the deployment of decisive Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) through plant EHS heads.
  • ETP & Waste Infrastructure: Audit the efficiency of Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP) and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) facilities to guarantee that treated water and solid biological waste continuously fulfill discharge standards.

5. Safety Culture & Capability Building

  • Behavior-Based Safety (BBS): Transition the organizational culture from reactive compliance to proactive safety through strong BBS initiatives on the shop floors.
  • Training Architectures: Oversee the development of training curriculum covering chemical handling, confined space entries, lock-out/tag-out (LOTO), and contractor safety.
  • Performance Reporting: Define, track, and present monthly EHS dashboards featuring key lagging and leading indicators (e.g., LTIFR, Near-Miss reporting rates) directly to the executive board.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

  • Zero Fatalities & Critical Incidents: Maintain a pristine safety record across all operations.
  • LTIFR Reduction: Achieve a year-over-year reduction in the Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate across all 6 manufacturing plants.
  • 100% Legal & Ethical Compliance: Zero regulatory fines, notices, or platform suspensions stemming from national laws or SEDEX compliance framework lapses.
  • Sustainability Performance: Realize targeted reductions in per-ton water consumption and energy metrics at processing units.
  • Audit Closing Rate: Achieve a greater than 95% on-time closure rate for corporate, third-party, and SMETA audit CAPAs.


Candidate Profile & Qualifications

Educational Background

  • Primary Degree: Bachelor’s Degree (B.E./B.Tech) in Chemical, Environmental, Fire & Safety, or Mechanical Engineering from a recognized institution.
  • Specialized Certification: Post Graduate Diploma in Industrial Safety (DIS) from a CLI, RLI, or State-approved institution is mandatory.
  • Preferred Added Values: Professional certifications such as NEBOSH International Diploma, Certified Safety Professional (CSP), or ISO 45001/14001 Lead Auditor credentials.


Professional Experience

  • Overall Tenure: 10 to 15 years of robust experience in the industrial EHS domain.
  • Leadership Tenure: Minimum of 5 years of experience in a multi-plant, corporate leadership or senior management role.
  • Industry Domain: Proven experience inside the Food Processing, FMCG, Beverage, or Chemical manufacturing sectors is highly preferred. Exposure to large-scale industrial cold chains or freezing plants is a major advantage.


Technical & Behavioural Competencies

  • Practical experience leading external ethical supply chain audits (SMETA / SEDEX, URSA, or SA8000 frameworks).
  • Deep, practical command over Indian environmental and factory regulations (Factories Act 1948, Environment Protection Act 1986, Gas Cylinder Rules, etc.) and how they map to international ethical trade expectations.
  • Practical experience managing large-scale industrial ETPs, RO systems, and hazardous waste disposal programs.
  • Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence cross-functional plant heads, manage vendor ecosystems, and communicate clearly with statutory authorities.
  • Willingness to travel systematically from the Ahmedabad headquarters to out-of-state manufacturing plants for structural reviews and audits.