Open Position: Associate Biological & Chemical Safety Officer @ Washington University in St. Louis

The Office of Environmental Health & Safety at Washington University in St. Louis has an immediate opening for an Associate Biological & Chemical Safety Officer.

The main areas of responsibility are:

• At the Biological & Chemical Safety Officer’s (BCSO’s) direction, oversee the laboratory and clinic inspection program for Washington University. This includes day-to-day supervision of the Health & Safety Professional II staff, evaluation of inspection data, generation of reports as needed, and representing EH&S at meetings pertaining to laboratory and clinic safety.
• Serve as one of the initial reviewers of protocols submitted to the Institutional Biological & Chemical Safety Committee (IBC). This requires a thorough understanding of the science underlying IBC protocols and the regulations that apply to different types of research, the ability to identify the risks involved, and the ability to recommend appropriate ways to mitigate those risks. The review of research protocols includes the initial risk assessment in the areas of potentially infectious microorganisms, potentially biohazardous materials, recombinant DNA, biotechnology, human gene therapy, zoonotic agents, chemical carcinogens, toxins and other chemical, physical and equipment hazards.
• Serve as one of the alternate responsible officials (AROs) for WU’s select agent program and assists the BCSO/Responsible Official (RO) in overseeing the Select Agent Program.
• Serve as a lead on the EH&S Chemical Emergency Response Team (CERT) members. This requires the ability to quickly assess hazards (biological, chemical, and radiological) and make decisions to protect personnel, property, and the environment from harm. As part of CERT, the position serves as a member of the WU Hazardous Materials Spill Response Team (HAZWOPER).
• Serve as an alternate Chemical Hygiene Officer
• Develop and update training materials related to laboratory and clinic safety.
• Assist with semi-annual inspections of BSL3, ABSL3 and BSL2 laboratories on campus.
• Act as a liaison to faculty and staff as well as to representatives from many regulatory agencies (including CDC, DOJ, and USDA-APHIS) to ensure compliance with regulations pertaining to laboratory safety.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field (microbiology, biochemistry, etc.) and four years of experience -or- a graduate degree with one year experience in a relevant field
• Oral and written (business and technical) communication skills
• Ability to make sound judgments that impact safety and compliance
• Public speaking experience
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office applications are essential skills.
• Individual must be physically able to wear personal protective equipment (PPE), lift up to 25 pounds and move while wearing self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and fully encapsulating suits.
• Individual must be able to obtain a security risk assessment clearance for work with Select Agents and toxins.
• Will need to carry an on-call (24/7) pager for spill response approximately once a quarter.
• Ability to wear a variety of personal protective equipment (PPE) during inspections and spill remediation.
• Ability to lift 25 to 40 pounds

Additional Details

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, protected veteran, or disability status.

For more information and/or to apply, go to https://jobs.wustl.edu and reference job posting #32369.