Lab Facilities, Health & Safety Technologist

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 78,000 - 92,000; Full time

Job summary

A neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company in Vancouver is seeking a Lab Facilities, Health & Safety Technologist. The ideal candidate will support safety compliance, conduct inspections, and assist with laboratory operations. Requires a BSc in a relevant field and 3-5 years of Health & Safety experience. Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits are offered.

Benefits

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement savings with matching contributions

Tuition Assistance program

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience supporting Health & Safety in a laboratory environment.
• Experience with biosafety, radiation safety, and chemical safety.
• Physically able to lift and handle gas cylinders and dewars.

Responsibilities

• Assist in drafting and maintaining safety documentation.
• Conduct and support safety inspections.
• Support fire safety efforts and emergency preparedness.
• Monitor contractor safety compliance.
• Assist with new employee safety onboarding.

Skills

Problem-solving skills

Customer service

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Multitasking

Education

BSc in Biology, Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology, or related field

Tools

Laboratory equipment

First Aid certification

Health and safety certification

Job description

About Xenon

Xenon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:XENE) is a neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing, and commercializing innovative therapeutics to improve the lives of people living with neurological and psychiatric disorders. We are looking for great people who thrive in a respectful, collaborative, inclusive, and productive culture to join the Xenon team.

What We Do

We are advancing an exciting product pipeline to address indications with high unmet medical need, including epilepsy and depression. Our flagship azetukalner program represents the most advanced potassium channel modulator in clinical development for multiple indications. Building upon positive results and compelling data from our Phase 2b "X-TOLE" study in adult patients with focal epilepsy, our Phase 3 epilepsy program includes multiple clinical trials evaluating azetukalner in patients with focal onset seizures and primary generalized tonic–clonic seizures. In 2024, we are planning to initiate a Phase 3 azetukalner program in major depressive disorder, based on topline data from our Phase 2 "X-NOVA" clinical trial. In addition, we are proud of the leading-edge science coming out of our discovery labs, including early-stage research programs that leverage our extensive ion channel expertise and drug discovery capabilities to identify validated drug targets and develop new product candidates. Backed by a strong balance sheet to support our growth plans, we continue to build a fully integrated, premier neuroscience company with strong discovery, clinical development, corporate, and commercial operations.

About the Role

We are seeking a Lab Facilities, Health & Safety Technologist to join our team. This individual will support the Safety team in maintaining compliance with laboratory safety regulations and best practices. The Health & Safety Technologist will perform a variety of tasks including assisting with safety documentation development and review, daily laboratory inspections to identify new hazards, concerns, and adherence to laboratory safety practices, ensuring availability of personal protective equipment and emergency response equipment, environmental monitoring, new employee safety onboarding, training, daily hazardous waste collection, environmental audits, document control, and support for daily laboratory operations. This role involves collaborating with team members and external contractors to install, maintain, and repair laboratory equipment.

The ideal candidate is a self-starter who is highly motivated, dependable, and comfortable pivoting between changing priorities and a variety of assigned tasks. This position reports to the Associate Director, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety/Operations and will be located in our Vancouver, BC, Canada location. The level of the position will be commensurate with the candidate's experience.

Responsibilities

• Assist in drafting and maintaining safety documentation, including laboratory safety protocols, manuals, procedures, incident reports, inspections, and compliance records.
• Conduct and support safety inspections, review inspection findings, recommend corrective actions, and ensure follow-up for completeness. Ensure safety due diligence, conduct internal audits, and identify opportunities for improvement. Coordinate emergency response and personal protective equipment (e.g., eyewash stations, fire extinguishers, lab coats, safety goggles, gloves).
• Support fire safety efforts, including acting as a Fire Warden, conducting safety drills, and assisting with emergency preparedness.
• Participate in the installation and operations of new laboratory capital equipment and identify safety concerns. Monitor contractor safety compliance during onsite mechanical and infrastructural work. Help coordinate site preparation and installation of new instruments.
• Assist with new employee safety onboarding and safety training in collaboration with hiring managers.
• Resolve daily laboratory-related requests via the Facilities Help tracker. Assist team members with routine laboratory support services.
• Support auxiliary lab operations such as:
  • Maintaining and handling NMR liquid nitrogen and helium levels
  • Managing and handling tissue culture cryo storage levels (liquid nitrogen)
  • Managing compressed gas cylinders and dewars inventory
  • Managing and handling laboratory hazardous and biological waste
• Serve as a member of the Facilities Emergency Response & After-Hours Call Out Team.
• Act in accordance with Company policies, including the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and ensure policies are understood and followed by direct reports.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• BSc in Biology, Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology, or related field
• 3-5 years of experience supporting Health & Safety in a laboratory environment
• Health and safety diploma or certification
• Experience with biosafety, radiation safety, and chemical safety
• Current First Aid certificate (Intermediate or OFA2) is an asset
• Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive attitude
• Excellent customer service and communication skills
• Strong record-keeping abilities, attention to detail, and ability to multitask
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a flexible environment
• Physically able to lift, push, and pull up to 25 kg (55 lbs), and handle gas cylinders and dewars

The base salary range for this role is $78,940 to $91,801 CAD; we will consider above this range for exceptional candidates. Base salary is determined by a combination of factors including, but not limited to, education and other qualifications, years of relevant experience, and internal equity.

Compensation and Benefits

Our Total Rewards program includes base salary, target bonus, and stock options, as well as a full range of benefits including medical, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, accidental death & dismemberment, and life insurance programs, Employee Assistance Program, travel insurance, and retirement savings programs with company matching contributions. Xenon encourages time to rest and re-charge through vacation, personal days, sick days, and an end-of-year company shutdown. Xenon highly values employee development and has an expanding Training, Learning & Development program, including a Tuition Assistance program for advanced degrees.

As part of our hiring process, Xenon conducts background checks for finalist candidates. The types of checks conducted will vary depending on the relevance to the position.

US positions only: Xenon Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. participates in the E-Verify program in all states in which we hire. Learn more about the E-Verify program here.

To apply for this position, click Apply Now to complete the application. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, due to the volume of applicants, only those chosen for interview will be contacted.