Director, Environment Health & Safety

Allen Institute; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 195,850 - 282,645; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental insurance

401k plan

Paid time off

Relocation assistance

Job summary

A leading bioscience organization in Seattle seeks a Director for Environment Health & Safety. The role involves directing safety and compliance operations, leading a team, and collaborating with research teams to ensure a safe work environment. This dynamic position calls for an experienced leader with a Master’s degree and a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Comprehensive benefits and relocation assistance are included.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in regulatory compliance, occupational safety, or similar roles.
• 5+ years of experience in a leadership role managing staff.

Responsibilities

• Direct operational implementation for the EHS team responsible for employee safety training.
• Assess and verify compliance with safety regulations for lab operations.
• Lead the EHS team and manage annual goal setting.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Risk management

Team collaboration

Diversity and inclusion

Education

Master of Science in industrial hygiene or related field

Tools

MS Office Suite

ServiceNow

Job description

Director, Environment Health & Safety, Scientific Support Services – Administrative Division

To be considered for this role, please submit a cover letter along with your application.

The mission of the Allen Institute is to unlock the complexities of bioscience and advance our knowledge to improve human health. Using an open science, multi-scale, team-oriented approach, the Allen Institute focuses on accelerating foundational research, developing standards and models, and cultivating new ideas to make a broad, transformational impact on science.

The mission of the Allen Institute administration team is to provide support and structure to the scientific divisions. Coinciding with the team science approach, Administration helps facilitate team learning and the overall mission of the institute.

This director-level position leads the Environment Health & Safety (EHS) team within the Scientific Support Services (S3) department. This position will work with the Sr. Director, Scientific Support, to provide strategic planning, systems, operational goals and timelines, policies, guidelines, and training to support environmental compliance and occupational safety, and to keep pace with our scientific research goals. The Scientific Support Services department provides services and support critical to our Team Science, Big Science, and Open Science approach by providing a foundation of safety, quality, service, and compliance. The ideal candidate will work collaboratively with research teams from each scientific unit to proactively understand their safety compliance needs and will translate these to develop and implement effective safety policies and guidelines to ensure a safe workplace for research. This is an opportunity to lead change by proactively growing the EHS team, systems, guidance, and services in support of the Allen Institute’s mission and growth.

At the Allen Institute, we believe that science is for everyone – and should be open to everyone. We are dedicated to combating biases and reducing barriers to STEM careers more broadly. We also believe that science is better when it includes different perspectives and voices. We strive to make the Allen Institute a place where everyone feels like they belong and are empowered to do their best work in a supportive environment.

We are an equal‑opportunity employer and strongly encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for our open positions.

Essential Functions

• Direct strategic planning and operational implementation for the EHS team responsible for employee safety training, occupational health, chemical hygiene, lab safety, emergency response, employee exposure assessment, radiation and laser safety, biosafety, required regulatory reporting, workers’ compensation claims, accident prevention and investigation, hazardous material disposal and inventory, ergonomics, Safety Committee, Laser Safety Committee, and more.
• Assess and verify compliance with environmental and occupational safety regulations for the use of chemicals, biological agents, research animals, radioactive materials, class IV lasers, etc.
• Verify laboratories and associated operations meet the Institute’s safety standards and policies.
• Lead the Allen Institute EHS team, including on‑call responsibilities.
• Lead and direct the team to develop, prioritize, and plan for annual goal setting, and determine timelines, budgets, and resources to support successful execution.
• Recruit, build, mentor, train, develop, and support growth for EHS staff.
• Support and sometimes develop initiatives related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in alignment with Allen Institute core principles.
• Partner with scientific research teams to enhance and implement a durable service environment that can accommodate growth efficiently.
• Work with research teams to understand their use of hazardous materials; identify risk and propose risk management approaches, assist in implementing best practices, safe handling requirements, proper storage, and compliant disposal focused on protecting the environment.
• Manage quality assurance for written programs, processes, training content, chemical inventory, and web‑based content.
• Manage records retention and timely disposal as determined in policy, including personal occupational health information, exposure records, and chemical inventories.
• Responsible for strategic planning and decisions for the EHS team that are in line with Institute goals and objectives.
• Collaborate with the EHS and Scientific Support Services teams to plan the scope and schedule of significant projects such as software implementation, safety audits, training development or improvement, contracted services, guidelines, or program development.
• Manage and maintain vendor relationships and service delivery expectations.
• Provide leadership and subject expert support for the Allen Institute Safety Committee, Institutional Biosafety Committee, Laser Safety Committee, and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
• Develop strategy to scale services to meet organizational objectives, growth, and budgets.
• Develop and implement safety inspection process for laboratory and non‑laboratory spaces.
• Support emergency response and disaster recovery planning and development effort.

Required Education and Experience

• Master of Science in industrial hygiene, toxicology, environmental health, public health, or equivalent combination of degree and experience.
• 12+ years of experience working in research or in similar risk management roles overseeing regulatory compliance, occupational safety and health, biological safety, or an equivalent combination of degree and experience.
• 5+ years of experience in a leadership position managing staff.
• Professional certification in one or more of the following: industrial hygiene, biosafety, safety, or hazardous materials management.

Preferred Education and Experience

• Detail‑focused and organized with an understanding that communication and transparency are critical to achieving success.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Intermediate to advanced skills with MS Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Smartsheet and SharePoint.
• A team player and natural leader with strong interpersonal and collaboration skills; ability to navigate challenging group dynamics, work effectively across scientific, technical, and business interfaces.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, proactively, and with agility in a complex, matrixed environment, dealing well with ambiguity at times, building internal alignment, influencing others, and managing differences effectively.
• Ability to recognize and quickly identify and resolve conflict.
• Experience with ServiceNow or similar workflow management software.
• Experience managing or providing on‑call services.

Work Environment

• Will enter laboratory environment, including potential exposure to lasers, biohazards, chemicals, and research animals.
• Will be required to wear personal protective equipment.

Physical Demands

• Ability to push and pull up to 50 pounds. May need to lift up to 30 pounds.
• Fine motor movements in fingers/hands to operate computer, other office equipment, and lab equipment.
• Repetitive motion and extended periods of sitting.

Position Type / Expected Hours of Work

• This is a critical job and expected to report for work regardless of weather and/or other conditions.
• Occasional evening and weekend hours may be required.
• This position is expected to be available for emergency response.
• This role is currently able to work both remotely and onsite in a hybrid work environment. We are a Washington State employer, and the primary work location for all Allen Institute employees is 615 Westlake Ave N.; any remote work must be performed in Washington State.

Travel

• Occasional travel to support benchmarking.
• Attendance and participation in national conferences.

Additional Comments

• **Please note, this opportunity offers relocation assistance**
• **Please note, this opportunity does not offer work visa sponsorship**

Annualized Salary Range

• $195,850 – $282,645*
• Final salary depends on required education for the role, experience, and level of skills relevant to the role, along with work location, where applicable.

Benefits

• Employees (and their families) are eligible to enroll in benefits per eligibility rules outlined in the Allen Institute’s Benefits Guide. These benefits include medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Employees are also eligible to enroll in the Allen Institute’s 401k plan. Paid time off is also available as outlined in the Allen Institute's Benefits Guide. Details on the Allen Institute’s benefits offering are located at the following link to the Benefits Guide: https://alleninstitute.org/careers/benefits.

It is the policy of the Allen Institute to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, the Allen Institute will provide reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities.

Note: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions; it does not proscribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.