Biosafety Manager [ML-15053]

Shirley Parsons; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

University of California, Los Angeles is seeking a Biosafety Manager to lead its biosafety and high-containment programs on campus. The role functions as campus Biosafety Officer (BSO) and serves as ex-officio member of the UCLA Institutional Biosafety Committee, advising on best practices for mitigating biological hazards.

Key duties include acting as Alternate Responsible Official for Select Agent Program, overseeing BSL-3 facilities, coordinating inspections, developing training, and

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years in biosafety, including management of BSL-3 or higher containment facilities and work with infectious agents.
• Demonstrated leadership overseeing professional staff in a regulated environment.
• In-depth knowledge of NIH Guidelines, Cal/OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, and select agent regulations.
• Experience with vivarium operations and high-containment environments.
• Ability to establish cooperative relationships with staff, administrators and academia.
• Strong analytical skills for environmental data and written/oral communications.
• Experience coordinating tasks across multiple groups to meet goals.

Responsibilities

• Act as Alternate Responsible Official for the Select Agent Program.
• Support and oversee High Containment Director for BSL-3 facilities and operations.
• Support Vivarium Safety Officer in providing safety services to vivarium staff and researchers.
• Set schedules for biological use authorization reviews.
• Set inspection assignments for labs with biological hazards.
• Serve as biosafety SME and advise committees on best practices.
• Coordinate regulatory inspections (NIH, CDC, USDA) as contact.
• Review and manage campus medical waste program.
• Provide input for Research Safety Plan Reviews.
• Develop and maintain campus biosafety documents and SOPs.

Skills

Biosafety

BSL-3 experience

Leadership

Communication

Regulatory knowledge

Project management

Training development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Microbiology/biology/industrial hygiene or related field

Master's degree in biological sciences preferred

Job description

Shirley Parsons has been retained by the University of California, Los Angeles, to seek a Biosafety Manager to lead its biological safety and high-containment programs on campus. The Biosafety Manager will act as the campus Biosafety Officer (BSO), which serves as the campus subject matter expert for biological safety/biosecurity at UCLA. The Biosafety Manager will be ex-officio member of the UCLA Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) and is tasked with advising the committee on best management practices for mitigating biological hazards.

The Role

• Act as the Alternate Responsible Official to the High Containment Director and Associate Biosafety Officer for the Select Agent Program;
• Support and oversee the High Containment Director in managing the BSL-3 facilities & operations;
• Support and oversee the Vivarium Safety Officer in providing safety services to vivarium staff and researchers working with animals and plants;
• Set schedules and assignments of biological use authorization reviews;
• Set inspection assignments of laboratories with biological hazards including animal biocontainment facilities;
• Serve as the primary biosafety subject matter expert, advising stakeholders and supporting institutional committees on best practices
• Function as point of contact during regulatory inspections (NIH, CDC USDA, etc.);
• Review and manage the campus medical waste program;
• Provide input for Research Safety Plan Reviews;
• Manage biosafety training development; and
• Develop and maintain campus documents and policies such as the UCLA Biosafety Manual, Exposure Control Plans, Standard Operating Procedures/Policies, etc.

The Candidate

• Minimum 7 years of relevant experience in biosafety, including management of BSL-3 or higher containment facilities and working with infectious agents, human gene transfer, recombinant and/or synthetic nucleic acids.
• Demonstrated leadership experience overseeing professional staff in a highly regulated environment, including mentoring and performance management.
• In-depth knowledge of NIH Guidelines, Cal/OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, Cal/OSHA Aerosol Transmissible Disease Standard, and federal select agent regulations.
• Experience working with vivarium operations and high-containment environments, managing risks associated with animal care, zoonotic diseases and infectious agents.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with otherstaff members, administrators, managers, subordinates and academia.
• Ability to analyze complex technical data from environmental surveys, using logic and quantitative reasoning.
• Ability to make oral presentations, lead meetings, with persons of various social, cultural, economic, and educational backgrounds to persuade others to accept a specific action or opinion, and also to provide information to explain procedures, policies, etc.
• Skill in writing grammatically correct, concise and accurate communication for the purpose of training, inspection, gathering and dissemination of information relevant to biosafety.
• Demonstrated experience in coordinating and delegating tasks with various groups to meet common goals.
• In-depth knowledge of NIH Guidelines, Cal/OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, Cal/OSHA Aerosol Transmissible Disease Standard, and federal select agent regulations.
• Demonstrated experience in coordinating and delegating tasks with various groups to meet common goals.
• Bachelor's Degree Microbiology, biology, industrial hygiene or related biological science or safety disciplines or equivalent experience / training Or Master's Degree Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) is preferred but not required in biological sciences, microbiology, or related field or equivalent experience / training.
• Current professional biosafety registration or certification (RBP or CBSP, respectively) or eligibility for certification is strongly preferred.