Career Center

This position provides institutional leadership of the Chemical Safety unit of the EHS organization. This individual serves as the University's designated Chemical Hygiene Officer (CHO). The position plans and implements a comprehensive chemical safety program to support the University's mission of research and teaching. The position is responsible for assessing risks pertaining to working with hazardous and toxic chemicals, reviews research proposals to protect environment, health and safety; trains laboratory personnel in chemical hygiene principles; coordinates activities of the Laboratory and Chemical Safety Committee; addresses new concerns relating to UNC research programs in emerging Nano particles, carcinogens, pharmaceuticals, toxic gases, and general surveillance to ensure compliance with applicable State and Federal regulations pertaining to chemical hazards.

Principal Functions include:

(1) Serve as the chief technical expert in Chemical Safety, with the responsibility of providing technical advice to principal investigators, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and the Laboratory and Chemical Safety Committee (L&CSC) on chemical safety and compliance with the OSHA Laboratory Standard and Formaldehyde Standard. This position provides hazard information, advice on preventing personnel exposures, including engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment. Provides guidance to employees on special hazards, such as chemical carcinogens, highly toxic materials, and reproductive hazards. Administer the university policy on reproductive hazards policy for pregnant employees who want to enter the Conceptus Protection Program. Administer the University Ventilation policy, which oversees research engineering controls such as chemical fume hoods. This position serves as the EHS liaison to the IACUC and is responsible for protocol and chemical hazard form review. This position also is the EHS primary contact with the Division of Comparative Medicine for animal husbandry and veterinary concerns related to occupational safety, and will involve inspections, incident investigations, and risk assessments. (2) Lead and manage the EHS Chemical Safety group. Encourage the development of this section's employees to their maximum potential through leadership, coaching, support, and training. Develop a clear, practical strategy to address emerging issues and maintains alignment with resources, compliance directives, and priorities. (3) Responsible for the systematic review of Laboratory Safety Plans in the Chemical Hygiene Section, which identifies hazardous materials that may require special handling, ventilation control, or emergency preparedness, and identifying Laboratory Safety Plans (LSPs) that are deficient or outdated. Evaluate and determine if monitoring is needed for employee exposures to toxic materials as a result of LSP evaluations, review of use of hazardous materials in animal proposals, incident and injury reports, and requests for monitoring. The CHO assists faculty and staff to safely manage hazardous material; establishes departmental guidelines for safety procedures and personal protective equipment. (4) Coordinate the activities of the Laboratory and Chemical Safety Committee (L&CSC). Investigate laboratory accidents involving chemical and physical hazard research. This position will provide general surveillance over activities involving chemical research, including routine inspections of all areas in which chemicals are used, to determine compliance with University policies and safety guidelines. (5) This position serves as the technical expert for hazardous materials response as it relates to hazardous chemicals.

Knowledge of containment standards and engineering is highly desirable.

The successful candidate should be able to build a cohesive leadership team, demonstrate strong coalition building and collaboration skills, and have a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and collaborative decision making in the workplace.