--- title: 'EHS Manager at Heron Power' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/ehs-manager-heron-power-scotts-valley-093101vrenj3' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-12' --- # EHS Manager at Heron Power - **Company:** Heron Power - **Location:** Scotts Valley, CA - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-07-07 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/heron-power/21865f47-3f0e-428e-81af-096351d46437 ## Job description What to Expect Heron Power is a startup company building cutting-edge power electronics for the 21st-century grid. We aim to debottleneck the growth of electricity generation and consumption with scalable, innovative, and less costly hardware solutions, accelerating the electrification of everything. Our first focus goal is to build better converters (inverters & rectifiers) to connect large-scale renewables, storage, and loads to the grid. Heron’s leadership team is made up of seasoned veterans who have designed and shipped gigawatts of power conversion products over the past decade. We understand that no one individual knows everything. We will all learn a lot together and from each other. We strive to build a collaborative, enriching environment conducive to personal, technical, and career growth. You can expect to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment, driven by first principles engineering, solving difficult problems. Job Overview As EHS Manager, you will lead and own Heron Power’s Environment, Health & Safety function across R&D, new product introduction (NPI), manufacturing, and field service operations. Reporting to the Head of Global Compliance, Safety & Technical Policy, you will build and manage a team of EHS professionals, set program strategy, and serve as the organizational authority on safety culture, regulatory compliance, and risk management across all Heron Power sites. This is a people-manager role with direct responsibility for the growth, performance, and day-to-day direction of the EHS team. ## How You Will Contribute - Own and direct the development of site-specific hazard mitigation analyses (SS-HMA), job hazard analyses (JHA), and safe work procedures for high-voltage R&D labs, NPI areas, manufacturing floors, and field service activities at customer sites; delegate, review, and approve deliverables across the EHS team. - Lead the field service safety program for technicians commissioning, servicing, and decommissioning Heron Power equipment at customer and third-party sites; establish standards for pre-deployment safety briefings, site-specific hazard assessments, PPE provisioning, and off-site incident reporting, and ensure consistent execution by the team. - Direct the evaluation of production process controls and safety-related machine control systems against ISO 13849-1 performance level requirements; partner with manufacturing engineering leadership to establish documentation standards and approval workflows for safety function integrity across automated and semi-automated assembly equipment. - Oversee EHS inspection programs, arc flash boundary compliance audits per NFPA 70E, and corrective action management; establish audit cadences, review findings, and hold the team accountable for closure of action items. - Direct hazardous waste program management including characterization, manifest tracking, and disposal under RCRA and California Title 22; own facility waste inventory, annual reporting obligations, and agency relationships. - Set strategy and standards for Heron Power’s chemical inventory management, SDS library, and regulatory screening for substances including epoxy potting systems, conformal coatings, thermal interface materials, and dielectric coolants; ensure team execution and program currency. - Own BAAQMD permit compliance, TRI reporting, and Cal/OSHA chemical-specific obligations across all Heron Power facilities; serve as signatory and primary point of contact for regulatory submissions. - Serve as the senior organizational liaison with Cal/OSHA, local fire authorities, and environmental agencies; represent Heron Power in inspections, hearings, and negotiations; maintain compliance calendars, permit registers, and agency correspondence. - Establish and govern the manufacturing equipment safety review program; direct compliance audits against applicable 29 CFR 1910 machine guarding, lockout/tagout (LOTO), and electrical safety subparts; hold manufacturing leadership accountable for corrective action closure. - Lead the ergonomics program across lab and manufacturing operations; direct ergonomic assessments and studies, set improvement priorities, and guide the team in implementing solutions consistent with Cal/OSHA Title 8 §5110 and 29 CFR 1910 General Duty Clause obligations. - Own emergency response planning and readiness across all Heron Power sites, including BESS pilot installations and high-voltage test environments; direct drills, first-responder coordination, and NFPA 855 compliance; ensure the team maintains current emergency action plans at all facilities. - Own and oversee EHS training programs across engineering, lab, manufacturing, and field personnel; set curriculum standards covering NFPA 70E arc flash safety, hazard communication (GHS/HazCom), PPE selection, powered industrial truck (forklift) operation, aerial work platform and scissor lift safety, fall protection (29 CFR 1910.23/1926 Subpart M), CPR, and AED use; ensure training records and completion rates are maintained for all site personnel. - Chair safety committee meetings; lead incident investigations, near-miss reviews, and root cause analyses; drive corrective and preventive action closure and report findings to senior leadership. - Define, track, and report leading and lagging EHS metrics to the Head of Global Compliance, Safety & Technical Policy and executive leadership; use data to drive resource allocation decisions and continuous improvement across Heron Power’s 3-tier lab safety plan (R&D, NPI, Manufacturing). ## What You Will Bring We have a focused list of requirements. We prioritize candidates who combine deep EHS technical expertise with demonstrated people leadership, the ability to influence cross-functional teams, and the drive to build a world-class safety organization in a fast-scaling hardware company. Must-Have Requirements - Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health & Safety, Occupational Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, or a related field. - 7+ years of EHS experience in a manufacturing, R&D, or energy technology environment, including at least 2 years in a people-management or team-lead role. - Working knowledge of Cal/OSHA Title 8, 29 CFR 1910 (OSHA General Industry standards), NFPA 70E, RCRA, and California hazardous waste regulations (Title 22). - Experience conducting job hazard analyses, arc flash studies, and site EHS audits. - Proficiency with SDS management systems, waste manifest tracking, and compliance calendars. - Experience with hazardous waste classification, characterization, and manifest preparation under federal and California requirements. - Demonstrated ability to build, manage, and develop EHS teams; experience setting team goals, conducting performance reviews, and hiring EHS professionals. - Ability to operate at strategic and tactical levels simultaneously; comfortable setting program direction in ambiguity while also rolling up sleeves to execute in a lean, resource-constrained startup environment. - Highly effective communicator and cross-functional influencer; able to represent EHS priorities credibly to executives, engineers, manufacturing operators, and external regulators. Nice-to-Haves - Experience supporting energy storage systems (BESS), high-voltage power electronics, or utility-scale electrical equipment. - Experience with medium-voltage (up to 34.5 kV) electrical safety, including familiarity with NFPA 70E arc flash and shock hazard boundaries, PPE selection, and safe work practices applicable to medium-voltage equipment in R&D and field environments. - Familiarity with NFPA 855, IEC 62368-1, UL 9540, or related energy storage and power electronics standards. - CSP, CHMM, or equivalent professional certification (active preferred at manager level). - Knowledge of BAAQMD permitting and TRI reporting obligations. - Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Teams, SharePoint) and EHS management software. - Familiarity with Cal/OSHA PSM requirements and chemical process safety at R&D scale. If you are passionate about building safety organizations that protect people and enable technology to scale, we would love to hear from you. Join us in accelerating the electrification of everything at Heron Power. Heron Power provides competitive compensation (salary and equity) and benefits. ## About Heron Power ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Heron Power develops next-generation medium-voltage power electronics, including solid-state transformers, to modernize the electrical grid for AI data centers, renewable energy, and surging electricity demand. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series B) - **Headquarters**: Scotts Valley, California, United States - **Founded**: 2024 - **Founders**: Drew Baglino ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution; Industrial Power Electronics; Energy Infrastructure - **Target customers**: B2B — hyperscale data center operators, solar and storage developers, utility-scale energy project developers, and the broader electricity sector. - **Mission or purpose statement**: To build power electronics purpose-built for the 21st-century grid, helping the electricity sector grow faster and more affordably with scalable, reliable, and software-integrated infrastructure. ## Products & Services - **Heron Link for Data Centers**: An integrated solid-state transformer + SuperBBU (battery backup unit) solution purpose-built for AI and hyperscale power needs, enabling more efficient, scalable, and reliable power delivery. - **Heron Link for Solar & Storage**: An integrated solid-state transformer and inverter in one infinitely scalable platform, designed to streamline the connection of renewable generation and battery storage to the grid. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed. - **Key Metric**: Total Funding of **$178 million** across two rounds (Series A: $38M led by Capricorn Investment Group in June 2025; Series B: $140M led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz in February 2026). - **Notable Investors/Partners**: - **Investors**: Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz (American Dynamism Fund), Capricorn Investment Group, Gigascale Capital, Valor Equity Partners, Energy Impact Partners, Powerhouse. - **Advisors**: JB Straubel (Tesla Co-Founder), Zach Kirkhorn (Former Tesla CFO). - **Strategic Partner**: LG Energy Solution Vertech (collaboration to integrate Heron Link with U.S.-manufactured battery energy storage systems). - **Growth Signals**: - Headcount has grown **975% year-over-year** to 72 employees, with 58 active job postings. - Awarded **$26.375 million** in tax credit incentives from the state of California to build a 40-gigawatt manufacturing facility and create 600+ advanced manufacturing jobs. - Rapidly scaling from engineering prototypes to early customer deployments with major industry partners. ## Competitive Advantages - **Deep technical moat**: Heron’s core technology is an integrated solid-state transformer (SST) — a fundamental re-architecture of medium-voltage power electronics that is more scalable, software-integrated, and efficient than traditional copper-and-iron transformers. - **Founder pedigree**: CEO Drew Baglino was a 18-year veteran and SVP of Powertrain and Energy at Tesla, where he led development of the 4680 battery cell, Megapack, and built multi-billion-dollar energy and charging businesses. - **Strategic backing**: Backed by a world-class syndicate of climate-tech and deep-tech investors (Breakthrough Energy, a16z, Valor) and advised by Tesla co-founder JB Straubel and former Tesla CFO Zach Kirkhorn. - **Manufacturing-first approach**: Already planning a 40 GW U.S. manufacturing facility with state incentives secured, signaling a focus on high-volume, cost-competitive production from the start. ## Strategic Focus - **Scale manufacturing**: Building out a large-scale U.S. factory to meet demand from AI data centers and renewable energy projects. - **Commercial deployment**: Moving from engineering prototypes to delivering integrated solutions with strategic partners like LG Energy Solution Vertech. - **Debottleneck the grid**: Targeting the critical infrastructure bottleneck where traditional transformers and grid equipment cannot keep pace with surging electricity demand from AI, electrification, and renewables. ## Why Work Here - **High-impact mission**: Work on foundational hardware that directly enables the energy transition and AI infrastructure — systems that will be deployed and operated for decades. - **Engineering culture**: Values rapid iteration ("build, test, learn"), first-principles reasoning, and cross-functional collaboration across hardware, software, manufacturing, and operations. - **Ownership and autonomy**: Strong emphasis on taking accountability for outcomes, not just tasks, and working across team boundaries to deliver an impeccable product. - **Transparent and direct**: Culture prizes clear communication, honest feedback, and progress over posturing — "no defensiveness, no ego." - **Location and flexibility**: Based in Scotts Valley, California (near Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley), with a presence in Canada. The work is highly hands-on (hardware, lab, factory), so on-site presence is expected for engineering roles. - **Growth trajectory**: Explosive headcount growth (975% YoY) and 58 open roles across electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, software, and supply chain disciplines — offering significant career acceleration for early hires. - **Notable perks**: Opportunity to work alongside a team with deep expertise from Tesla, Meta, and KKR, with direct mentorship from a proven founder. ## Sources 1. [heronpower.com](https://heronpower.com/) 2. [heronpower.com/about](https://heronpower.com/about) 3. [heronpower.com/careers](https://heronpower.com/careers) 4. [linkedin.com/company/heron-power-electronics](https://www.linkedin.com/company/heron-power-electronics) 5. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/heron-power](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/heron-power) ## Other roles at Heron Power - [Staff Industrial Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-industrial-designer-heron-power-scotts-valley-fpx59mmenp7f) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Accounting Manager/Senior Accounting Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/accounting-manager-senior-accounting-manager-heron-power-scotts-valley-fnvtfa8188q9) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Staff Supplier Industrialization Engineer - Mechanical](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-supplier-industrialization-engineer-mechanical-heron-power-scotts-valley-957jykeqt1bf) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Staff Supplier Industrialization Engineer - PCBA](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-supplier-industrialization-engineer-pcba-heron-power-scotts-valley-eva12vmsvtfh) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Head of People Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-people-operations-heron-power-scotts-valley-w6j1waf56azk) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Hardware Validation Systems Developer](https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-validation-systems-developer-heron-power-scotts-valley-rt7hhp0tqay6) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Test Engineer – Power Electronics](https://feeny.ai/job/test-engineer-power-electronics-heron-power-scotts-valley-68sp21xs5b1x) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Electrical / Electronics Design Engineer - PCBA Test Automation](https://feeny.ai/job/electrical-electronics-design-engineer-pcba-test-automation-heron-power-scotts-97hcjwyaz5kk) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Systems Integration Engineer, SST & BESS Applications](https://feeny.ai/job/systems-integration-engineer-sst-bess-applications-heron-power-scotts-valley-vgbkn6jhna14) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Senior Product Test Engineer, Energy Storage Applications](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-product-test-engineer-energy-storage-applications-heron-power-scotts-jpvdhkdth144) — Scotts Valley, CA