Building Safety Manager

Northeastern University; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 76,000 - 108,000; Full time

Job summary

Northeastern University is seeking a Building Safety Manager to provide EH&S guidance for research and teaching laboratories on the Boston campus. You will inspect labs, advise PIs, DSOs, and CSOs on safe practices and regulatory compliance across chemical, biological, and radiation safety.

The role requires strong interpersonal skills, collaboration with ECOS, and handling of hazardous materials. Responsibilities include emergency planning, incident response, and ongoing program development

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a physical or life science, environmental science, engineering, occupational safety, or related area.
• Minimum of five years’ EHS experience in laboratory settings.
• Preferred: higher education experience, hazmat planning, and lab process safety expertise.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary safety advisor for PIs, lab managers, and staff; conduct regular inspections and walkthroughs and document findings.
• Coordinate MAQs storage and hazardous waste handoffs with ECOS and Facilities.
• Develop and maintain Emergency Action Plans and participate in incident investigations and on-call responses.
• Contribute to program development, maintain documentation, and pursue ongoing professional development.

Skills

Regulatory landscape knowledge

Lab inspections

Hazard assessment

PPE guidance

Cross-stakeholder coordination

Emergency response coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in physical/life/environmental science or related

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

Safety data management platforms

Job description

Building Safety Manager

About the Opportunity

JOB SUMMARY

The Building Safety Manager (BSM) serves as an embedded labsafety professional who provides environmental health and safetyguidance, oversight, and support for research and teachinglaboratories within their assigned buildings on the NortheasternBoston campus. The BSM advises Principal Investigators, labpersonnel, Department Safety Officers (DSOs), and College SafetyOfficers (CSOs) on safe laboratory practices and regulatorycompliance across chemical, biological, and radiation safety.Through regular building walkthroughs, lab inspections, and ongoingrelationship-building with research groups, the BSM identifieshazards, recommends corrective actions, and helps labs understandand meet applicable city, state, and federal safety regulations.This can include supporting the appropriate management of hazardousmaterial inventories within defined control areas, in coordinationwith lab personnel and Facilities. The BSM is a key point ofcontact for their local research community. The BSM alsoparticipates in building-level emergency planning, incidentresponse, and coordinates with Northeastern's ECOS (EnvironmentalCompliance and Occupational Safety) team on hazardous wastehandling when needed. The role requires strong interpersonalskills, sound judgment to build trust with research groups, theability to communicate risk clearly, and promote a collaborative,non-punitive safety culture rather than a purely enforcement-drivenone.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in a physical science, life science,environmental science, engineering, occupational safety, or otherapplicable area
• Minimum of five years demonstrated work experience in meetingEHS requirements in a laboratory setting

Preferred Qualifications

• Employment experience within higher education
• Experience in hazardous material emergency planning
• Experience in laboratory process safety
• Master's degree in one of the fields listed above
• Background in laboratory research and environmental health andsafety compliance in research laboratories

Necessary Skills:

• Working knowledge of the regulatory landscape governinglaboratory operations (OSHA, RCRA, Massachusetts DEP, NFPA, andrelated standards), with the ability to translate regulatoryrequirements into practical, actionable guidance for labpersonnel
• Experience conducting laboratory inspections, hazard and riskassessments, and tracking corrective actions to closure
• Ability to effectively negotiate and influence the safetybehavior of PIs and research, building credibility and trust
• Experience fostering a collaborative, non-punitive safetyculture across research groups with varying levels of safetymaturity
• Experience with laboratory safety data management and trackingplatforms
• Ability to coordinate across multiple internal stakeholderssuch as Facilities, Department and College Safety Officers, ECOS,and other OARS programs on cross-functional safety initiatives
• Experience responding to and participating in investigation of laboratory incidents and emergencies, including coordination withemergency responders
• Ability to assist with hazardous material emergencies andpost-event remediation
• Ability to operate instrumentation used to monitor personnelchemical exposures and evaluate monitoring results
• Excellent time, organizational, and project management skills,including planning, prioritizing, and scheduling multiple ongoingprojects to work independently and with the BSM team
• Demonstrated ability to work with a diverse population andfoster a collaborative work environment

• Be medically qualified to wear respiratory protection and otherpersonal protective equipment
• Lift up to 50 lbs and move up to 500 lbs of materials usingrolling carts or drum carts.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES

1) Laboratory Safety Support and Inspections

Serve as the primary safety advisor for PIs, lab managers, and research staff within assigned buildings. Conduct regular lab inspections and building walkthroughs to identify hazards and unsafe practices. Work collaboratively with lab personnel to develop corrective action plans. Support labs through the General Lab Inspection Program and related OARS inspection workflows, including documentation of findings and follow-up. Advise on risk assessments, hazard analysis, and appropriate PPE use. Support lab design projects related to lab safety. Build and maintain working relationships with DSOs, CSOs, College Directors, and PIs to ensure safety concerns are understood and addressed collaboratively.

2) Hazardous Material and Waste Coordination

Support labs in understanding and maintaining compliance with Maximum Available Quantities (MAQs) storage thresholds within defined control areas, partnering with lab personnel and Facilities to flag and resolve potential issues as they arise. Coordinate with Northeastern's ECOS team on hazardous waste handoffs and routing.

3) Building-Wide Emergency Planning and Response

Participate in the development and maintenance of Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) for assigned buildings, in collaboration with other Northeastern safety professionals such as Emergency Management, lab supervisors and other stakeholders. Maintain awareness of building-wide hazards, equipment, and ongoing research activities to support emergency responders during incidents. Participate in a rotating on-call emergency response team, incident investigations, and help identify and implement corrective actions.

4) Program Development, Support, and Continuity

Contribute to the development of OARS projects and programs, including writing guidance, leading working groups, and more, as directed. Maintain up-to-date documentation of building assignments, in-progress work, and key contacts to support team continuity. Participate in OARS programs as they relate to assigned buildings, supporting college and lab-level engagement. Assist with start-up and decommissioning of laboratory operations. Serve as a source of regulatory information for lab personnel and performother technical or administrative duties as directed. Pursue ongoing professional development through conferences, training, and certifications.

Position Type

Legal and Regulatory Administration

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.

Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefiteligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paidtime off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- aswell as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compensation Grade/Pay Type:

110S

Expected Hiring Range:

$76,335.00 - $107,823.75

With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.