Assistant Director​/Laser Safety Officer, Research Safety

Department:
Office for Research Safety
Salary/Grade: EXS/9

In support of the Director, Research Safety (RS), the Assistant Director/Laser Safety Officer (AD/LSO) provides day‑to‑day oversight and support the Laboratory Safety Specialists (LSS) in RS. The Laboratory Safety Review (LSR) process is the single most important function in RS.

The AD/LSO is responsible for ensuring Research Safety meets, documents and follows‑up on inspection activities (biological, chemical, laser, and radiological) to protect individuals, public health, and the environment in accordance with all relevant occupational and environmental rules, regulations, and best practices. The AD/LSO assigns and adjusts tasks, evaluates performance, monitors goals, and ensures high standards in all aspects of the lab inspection process.

The AD/LSO is also assigned laboratories to inspect and will accompany other LSS during inspections to develop and maintain an effective program.

In the absence of the Director, the Assistant Director oversees and facilitates the day‑to‑day operations of the Research Safety, Evanston office. The Assistant Director may serve on various central, school‑based, and ad‑hoc committees.

The Assistant Director/Laser Safety Officer, Research Safety will support the OR mission and values by exhibiting the following: understand empathy, model accountability, ensure fairness, embrace community and value creativity. The incumbent will strive to provide excellent service when performing job responsibilities.

• Trains, supervises, and evaluates the performance of Evanston based Lab Safety Specialists. Leads by example – inspects labs, follows up on open issues, resolves problems, meets with staff to discuss progress and goals.
• Develops, leads, and manages the laser safety program at Northwestern University. The Laser Safety Officer duties include classifying laser systems, performing laser safety calculations, and inspecting laser laboratories for safety and compliance with regulations. The LSO also approves all standard operating procedures for lasers and maintains and verifies the inventory of class 3b and 4 lasers to be reported to the state of Illinois.
• Monitors, manages and supervises record‑keeping requirements in the LUMEN research registration system to ensure compliance, identifies issues and proposes solutions.
• Schedules, prepares for, performs, and documents the more complex laboratory safety and compliance audits and inspections, follows up with respect to deficiency correction, and prepares reports for review by RS and other administrative units.
• Using education and experience, contributes to the development of new content and curricula to prepare for new and emerging health & safety issues. Assists in the development of policies and procedures, web page content, and articles for publication.
• In cooperation with the Director, develops contingency plans for emergency response and drills for the Evanston campus. Participates on and supports the emergency response team. Requires on‑call service and always carrying a pager.

Performs other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline plus 5 years of experience in a mid‑large environmental health and safety program in an academic, governmental, industrial, or commercial enterprise.
• Candidate disciplines include but are not limited to chemical sciences, biological sciences, physical sciences, engineering, occupational health and safety, laser safety, industrial hygiene, and public health.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain productive working relationships with the public, university leadership, governmental authorities, and employees with diverse backgrounds, goals, and agendas.
• Experience in higher education, research laboratories, environmental consulting, or comparable institutional environment.
• Must be physically fit to lift/carry at least 50 lbs, walk extensively, and be capable of wearing chemical protective clothing including respirators or SCBA.

• Master's degree in a relevant scientific field.
• 6+ years of experience in the field of…