Director Product Safety

Job Description:

Your Role on Our Team

Under the direction of the VP Safety and Regulatory you will oversee post-sale product safety functions, which include managing safety related claims, supporting the Legal team in defense of product liability matters. This position would be U.S.-based with occasional travel. You will drive operational excellence, implement world-class post-sale product safety strategies, and build high-performing teams that support Milwaukee Tool's ambitious growth.

You'll be DISRUPTIVE through these duties and responsibilities

• Develop and maintain Product Safety methods, tools, templates, training content, governance practices, technical guidance, and lessons learned that improve consistency, speed, documentation quality, and risk-based decision-making across the organization.
• Monitor emerging hazards, technology trends, field signals, litigation trends, regulatory developments, standards activity, and industry practices to anticipate product safety implications and recommend proactive actions.
• Serve as the senior technical authority for Post-Sale Safety on complex, high-risk, novel, or ambiguous product safety matters across assigned technologies, product families, or business units.
• Establish product safety analysis strategies and procedures to support global business growth and customer requirements effectively and efficiently.
• Build and maintain a safety culture rooted in Milwaukee Tool’s core values, fostering open communication, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying and addressing gaps in processes, systems, and technologies.
• Set direction for safety communications, including review of operator's manuals, service information, packaging, marketing claims, and on-product markings for consistency with hazard analysis outcomes, safety communication expectations, and product risk decisions.
• Lead the development and mentoring of high-energy, talented product safety teams. Monitor, analyze, and report product safety performance.
• Build strong relationships with cross-functional teams, including legal, regulatory, engineering, quality, and marketing.
• Support external technical engagement, standards development, agency discussions, expert consultation, and industry benchmarking where needed to advance Milwaukee Tool's product safety position.

The TOOLS you'll bring with you:

• Requires a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, or related technical discipline preferred) or technical equivalent. Advanced technical degree or specialized product safety experience is a plus.
• 8-10+ years of experience in product safety, regulatory, reliability, quality, design engineering, systems engineering, testing, post-sale safety, or related technical risk assessment activities, preferably associated with power tools, lithium-ion batteries, outdoor power equipment, and/or consumer products.
• Recognized expertise in product safety risk assessment, hazard analysis, safety-by-design principles affecting power tool, battery, accessory, and outdoor power equipment products, including user interaction, guarding, electrical, thermal, mechanical, dust, vibration, and other relevant hazard areas.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multiple, complex projects to define safety requirements, evaluate design options, review technical evidence, identify residual risk, and make clear recommendations under schedule pressure for complex or ambiguous product safety situations, especially where standards are incomplete, requirements are ambiguous.
• Exceptional ability to influence without direct authority, communicate complex safety issues to executive and technical audiences, resolve disagreement, and guide teams toward timely, risk-informed decisions.
• Demonstrated mentorship of technical talent, development of Product Safety processes or tools, and leadership of cross-functional improvement initiatives.
• Strong understanding of safety and risk topics affecting Milwaukee product categories, including user interaction, guarding, electrical, thermal, mechanical, dust, vibration, human factors, software/control interaction, and other relevant hazard areas.
• Ability to review technical data, test results, product requirements, design information, and user-facing content to form clear safety recommendations.
• Possess strong verbal, written, organizational, and facilitation skills essential to professional communication.
• Show an emphasis on and adherence to schedule and attention to detail.
• Ability to travel both domestically and internationally, as necessary.

Milwaukee Tool is an equal opportunity employer.