Assistant Biosafety Officer

Overview

The Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) at Stanford University supports teaching, learning, and research activities by promoting a safe and healthy environment. With over 50 specialists across 10 technical groups, we collaborate with researchers, faculty, staff, and students to provide practical safety and environmental solutions. Our work environment is team-oriented, collaborative, vibrant, and deadline-driven.

Assistant Biosafety Officer (ABSO) is needed to support Stanford’s biological safety programs, reporting to the Institutional Biosafety Officer (BSO). The ABSO will assist with personnel and programmatic oversight, supervise a team of biosafety specialists, provide protocol review, consultation, and in-field services, and help design, develop, and manage Biosafety & Biosecurity (B&B) programs across Stanford’s research enterprise, including the School of Medicine.

The ABSO will support the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) with regulatory compliance and strengthen relationships with principal investigators involved in cutting-edge research.

In this role, you will:

• Develop, implement, and oversee biosafety programs; interpret policies and procedures as they apply to environmental, health, and safety practices.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in one or more EH&S areas; lead technical meetings; represent assigned area in meetings with internal and external customers.
• Directly supervise and develop individual contributors, including contractors and matrixed staff external to the organization.
• Develop training programs and communication strategies around biosafety, including outreach to researchers, students, and post-docs to support ongoing onboarding of new researchers.
• Ensure programs and practices comply with applicable statutes and regulations, and that EH&S requirements are met.
• Investigate and resolve questions or issues from within the organization, customers, and government regulatory agencies.
• Ensure environmental health and safety inspections are conducted, corrective actions are completed on time, and necessary documentation is maintained.
• Develop, maintain, audit, and evaluate current policies and procedures for regulatory compliance and continuous improvement. May represent the university as a designated safety officer when required by regulatory requirements.

Additional key responsibilities

• Program Oversight and Development
  • Serve as a member of designated research compliance committees; facilitate risk assessment and registration for rDNA, prion-like proteins, and biological agent protocols.
  • Use data metrics to recommend corrective actions and enhancements to biosafety programs.
  • Conduct audits and assessments to ensure biosafety compliance.
  • Investigate and address issues or complaints from the university community and external or regulatory agencies.
  • Support compliance programs including blood borne pathogens, aerosol transmissible diseases, high containment research, specialized laboratory facility design and review, and compliant operation of biocontainment facilities.
• Build Relationships and Increase Collaboration
  • Supervise and mentor biosafety specialists and support staff; represent the Biosafety Office in interdepartmental and external engagements.
  • Cultivate collaborative relationships with department chairs, faculty, researchers, and staff to enhance biosafety practices and proactive risk management.
  • Assist researchers with review of proposed work and identification of appropriate containment levels, biosafety practices, and hazard control strategies.
  • Collaborate with stakeholders, including the Dean of Research and university safety partners, to engage the university community in biosafety efforts.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in arts/science in a related field and five years of related progressively responsible experience, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. An advanced degree and/or certifications may be required for some programs.

To be successful in this position, you will bring:

• Proven ability to manage biosafety programs and lead staff in a professional service environment.
• Knowledge of…