This spring, Cameron LNG faced a familiar but urgent problem: they couldn’t find the right person for a critical safety role.
For weeks, the team searched for a Safety Engineer Level 1 — someone with a rare mix of LNG-specific process knowledge, strong documentation skills, and the ability to manage technical safety programs in a high-stakes environment. Resumes came in, but none matched the precise vision of the hiring manager.
“They reached out. They had been looking on their own, and they couldn’t find anybody,” recalls Kevin McCann, recruiter at ResponsAble. “The manager had this picture in his head of exactly what he wanted, and it was very specific. He turned down several candidates until I was able to really narrow it down and get to the nitty-gritty of what he was looking for.”
That specificity mattered. The LNG industry runs on precision, and the technical writing skills were vital. Finding someone to fulfill the needs of safety documentation wasn’t just about compliance but protecting the people and the equipment on site. At Cameron LNG, finding the right talent for this permanent safety leadership position was critical to ensure the operational safety and efficiency at this Gulf Coast region’s LNG facility.
The Tipping Point: Turning to ResponsAble
When Cameron LNG connected with ResponsAble, they’d already worked through their own channels and other recruiting partners without results. The hiring manager was old-school: direct, uncompromising, and extremely focused on getting the candidate with very particular experience.
Kevin knew that to succeed, he had to look past the job description and dig deeper into the manager’s mindset to identify how he could find the right hire.
“I tend to get to know these people pretty well because I have to know how they think and what they’re looking for — personalities, culture,” Kevin explains. “It’s like a giant puzzle.”
Through multiple conversations, Kevin translated a rigid set of expectations into a tailored search strategy, focusing only on candidates who could match both the technical requirements and the manager’s high bar for documentation and process safety.
Finding the Right Safety Hire
The role called for far more than general safety oversight. This engineer needed to:
- Write SOPs and safety permits for high-pressure, hazardous chemical systems
- Conduct audits and root cause analyses
- Bring deep process knowledge of LNG equipment and pipelines
- Demonstrate exceptional technical writing and leadership skills
Most candidates didn’t check all the boxes. Then Kevin found the right hire — a bilingual safety engineer whose qualifications went far beyond the Level 1 role.
“Most of my candidates are 85–90% of what the client’s looking for. This guy was really specific,” Kevin says. “So I worked with my proposed placement to tailor her resume for this particular customer and this particular reader.”
Beyond the resume, Kevin spent time coaching the hire prior to the interviews:
“I described the people she’d be meeting, what they value, and how to adapt her interview style to match. We went over everything in detail — what to say, what not to say. I shared documents, gave updates constantly. She would call me with questions, and I would call her. We communicated a lot.”
Introducing The Hire
Kai impressed from the first Teams interview. By the time she came on-site, the decision was clear.
“She killed it in the on-site interview,” Kevin recalls. “At that moment they decided, ‘We want this person — but we don’t want to bring her in here at this level. We want to bring her in higher.’”
Cameron LNG reclassified the role, offering Kai a Safety Engineer Level 2 position at a higher salary — a significant step above the original Level 1 posting. It was the perfect blend of technical expertise and cultural fit.
The Impact – After the Hire
The impact was immediate. Permits and SOPs, once a persistent frustration for the hiring manager, were now written correctly the first time.
“He wanted someone who knew LNG production, could do audits, write permits, and had strong writing skills,” Kevin says. “Those were his pet peeves — the permits were never right the first time. Now, they’re done the way they should be.”
Her presence has already improved documentation accuracy, streamlined safety processes, and filled a longstanding gap in process safety leadership at Cameron LNG.
Achieving Long-Term Success with the Right Safety Hire
Cameron LNG’s experience underscores ResponsAble’s approach to direct hire placements: finding the right candidate isn’t about speed or volume. It’s about applying a comprehensive customer service mindset that centers on patience, human insight, and the kind of precision that can only come from recruiters who have experience in the industrial setting themselves.
“This was not like the temporary {hires} where they need somebody for four months,” Kevin explains. “This is about finding someone who will fit long term — and that takes time, patience, and the right process.”
Through this strategy, our ResponsAble recruiter discovered a candidate that others missed and invested in her preparation so that she began with the best foot forward to align her skills with the hiring manager’s exacting expectations. ResponsAble turned a stalled search into another safety success story.
Ready to Hire Once, and Hire Right?
ResponsAble Safety Staffing specializes in solving tough hiring puzzles, especially when the stakes are high and the talent pool is narrow.
If you’re ready to find the right person the first time, let’s talk about our direct hire services for permanent safety roles.
Schedule a Consultation to Request Talent with ResponsAble.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Safety Staffing for Louisiana LNG
Q: Why is finding the right Safety Engineer so challenging for LNG facilities?
A: LNG operations in Louisiana — from Cameron Parish to other Gulf Coast sites — require professionals with both technical process knowledge and strong safety documentation skills. Candidates must understand high-pressure chemical systems, permitting, and audits while also fitting into a facility’s culture. That rare skill mix makes recruiting difficult.
Q: What is the difference between a Safety Engineer Level 1 and Level 2?
A: A Level 1 Safety Engineer often focuses on entry-level safety support, documentation, and compliance monitoring. A Level 2 Safety Engineer brings deeper LNG process knowledge, leadership skills, and the ability to manage technical safety programs with more autonomy. In this case, the candidate’s expertise warranted promotion from Level 1 to Level 2.
Q: How does ResponsAble help Louisiana LNG companies hire the right safety professionals?
A: ResponsAble recruiters take the time to understand not just the job description, but also the hiring manager’s expectations and the facility’s unique processes. This customer service mindset ensures we deliver candidates who are both technically qualified and culturally aligned.
Q: What safety positions can ResponsAble fill for Gulf Coast facilities?
A: We support direct hire and contract roles, including Safety Engineers, Process Safety Specialists, EHS Directors, Safety Coordinators, and other critical industrial safety positions across Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.
Q: How quickly can ResponsAble place a safety professional in Louisiana?
A: Timelines vary depending on the specificity of the role. For highly specialized LNG safety hires, it may take longer to identify the right candidate. However, ResponsAble’s industry expertise and focused search strategies consistently shorten hiring cycles compared to companies searching alone.
Q: Do you only work with LNG facilities in Louisiana?
A: No. While we have deep experience supporting LNG and petrochemical facilities in Louisiana, we also partner with industrial clients across the Gulf Coast and nationwide who need skilled safety professionals.