Building Safety Manager

About the Opportunity

JOB SUMMARY

The Building Safety Manager (BSM) serves as an embedded lab safety professional who provides environmental health and safety guidance, oversight, and support for research and teaching laboratories within their assigned buildings on the Northeastern Boston campus. The BSM advises Principal Investigators, lab personnel, Department Safety Officers (DSOs), and College Safety Officers (CSOs) on safe laboratory practices and regulatory compliance across chemical, biological, and radiation safety. Through regular building walkthroughs, lab inspections, and ongoing relationship-building with research groups, the BSM identifies hazards, recommends corrective actions, and helps labs understand and meet applicable city, state, and federal safety regulations. This can include supporting the appropriate management of hazardous material inventories within defined control areas, in coordination with lab personnel and Facilities. The BSM is a key point of contact for their local research community. The BSM also participates in building-level emergency planning, incident response, and coordinates with Northeastern's ECOS (Environmental Compliance and Occupational Safety) team on hazardous waste handling when needed. The role requires strong interpersonal skills, sound judgment to build trust with research groups, the ability to communicate risk clearly, and promote a collaborative, non-punitive safety culture rather than a purely enforcement-driven one.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in a physical science, life science, environmental science, engineering, occupational safety, or other applicable area
• Minimum of five years demonstrated work experience in meeting EHS 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 and safety compliance in research laboratories

Necessary Skills:

• Working knowledge of the regulatory landscape governing laboratory operations (OSHA, RCRA, Massachusetts DEP, NFPA, and related standards), with the ability to translate regulatory requirements into practical, actionable guidance for lab personnel
• Experience conducting laboratory inspections, hazard and risk assessments, and tracking corrective actions to closure
• Ability to effectively negotiate and influence the safety behavior of PIs and research, building credibility and trust
• Experience fostering a collaborative, non-punitive safety culture across research groups with varying levels of safety maturity
• Experience with laboratory safety data management and tracking platforms
• Ability to coordinate across multiple internal stakeholders such 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 with emergency responders
• Ability to assist with hazardous material emergencies and post-event remediation
• Ability to operate instrumentation used to monitor personnel chemical exposures and evaluate monitoring results
• Excellent time, organizational, and project management skills, including planning, prioritizing, and scheduling multiple ongoing projects to work independently and with the BSM team
• Demonstrated ability to work with a diverse population and foster a collaborative work environment

• Be medically qualified to wear respiratory protection and other personal protective equipment
• Lift up to 50 lbs and move up to 500 lbs of materials using rolling 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 perform other technical or administrative duties as directed. Pursue ongoing professional development through conferences, training, and certifications.

Position Type

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 benefit eligible employees. This includesmedical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well 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:

Expected Hiring Range:

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.