Assistant Director Research and Shop Safety

Overview

Job Title: Assistant Director Research and Shop Safety

Department: Risk, Safety, and Resilience

Classification: Administrative Faculty

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Manassas, VA

Workplace Type: On Site Required

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

Motor Vehicle Records Check: Yes

Risk, Safety, & Resilience (RSR) provides overall strategic oversight of the University s risk profile and management efforts, and leadership to sustain a safe and healthful environment for the community. RSR manages enterprise and operational risk, health, safety, environmental, and emergency management programs in collaboration with partners and stakeholders.

The Assistant Director of Research and Shop Safety serves as a key leader within George Mason University s Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) team. This position is for an experienced EHS professional with a proven ability to independently develop, implement, and manage safety programs, and supervise and mentor staff.

The Assistant Director supports safe and compliant research and engineering activities across multiple campuses (Fairfax, Manassas, Arlington). Responsibilities include leading shop and field safety programs, overseeing engineering controls such as local exhaust ventilation, conducting inspections, developing and delivering training, supporting safety reviews for facility design and renovation projects, and assisting the Director of EHS in short- and long-term organizational planning and management.

The role requires collaboration with faculty, researchers, students, and EHS colleagues to identify emerging risks and apply practical safety solutions in environments such as 3D printing, robotics, drones, autonomous systems, field research, and specialized shops. The Assistant Director works with other safety program areas (fire safety, occupational safety, biosafety, risk management) to ensure consistent standards and a proactive safety culture.

• Develops and maintains safety programs around 3D printing, instructional and research shop safety, marine safety, autonomous vehicles and drones, robotics and field research, heat safety, and local exhaust ventilation; develops other safety trainings as assigned.
• Provides on-site and written safety assessments to ensure compliance with safety standards; conducts inspections of research and teaching spaces, prepares inspection reports, provides corrective actions, and follows up with stakeholders to ensure completion; conducts safety reviews of proposed new construction and renovations in teaching and research shop spaces.
• Serves as a programmatic liaison between research and instructional shops and other EHS team members; functions as the EHS liaison for engineering and research shop activities; collaborates with Risk Management and other EHS units to coordinate overlapping program areas in engineering (fire safety, industrial hygiene, radiation and chemical safety, travel-related risk management).
• Creates and implements goals, performance metrics, and project plans to support program management; oversees research and shop programs and services for university personnel across multiple campuses; serves as primary contact for faculty, staff, and students regarding program inquiries and acts as liaison with regulatory agencies on safety matters.
• Serves on university committees; assigns and conducts document reviews for research and shop materials and training programs; reviews EFROA submissions, incident reports, and data, implementing corrective actions as needed.
• Compiles and submits data for the Annual Report; collaborates with other RSR units; ensures timely notification regarding emergencies, high-risk issues, regulatory notifications, inspections, and significant safety concerns involving investigators, contractors, students, employees, visitors, or off-campus threats; addresses related personnel matters as needed.
• Performs administrative functions for oversight of the research and shop program; supervises staff, oversees performance management, professional development, leave and workload planning, and training compliance.

• Master's degree in public health, science, safety, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience (an unrelated degree may be accepted with equivalent safety training/experience).
• Significant relevant work experience including technical and program management responsibilities.
• Supervisory experience with professional development and performance planning.
• Experience developing and editing safety compliance plans and associated documents.
• Experience developing and presenting safety training programs.
• CPR and First Aid certification or ability to obtain within 60 days.
• Knowledge of engineering and/or shop safety needs and program areas; familiarity with applicable…