Environmental Health & Safety Manager, Reactive Chemistry

Our client is an AI and physical sciences company running a high-throughput materials lab, where hazardous and air-sensitive chemistry, high-temperature and high-pressure processing, and thin-film deposition run around the clock, much of it autonomously overnight. With reactive chemistry as the lab’s primary hazard and new lab space coming online, they’re looking for a senior, hands‑on process safety expert who can work through the details with scientists while building the review processes a growing team depends on.

Along the way, you’ll also help teach the company’s AI to reason about hazards as it plans experiments.

What you’ll do:

• Run hazard analysis for new chemistries and processes. This includes HAZOPs, PHAs, FMEAs and reactivity assessments, from lab scale through scale-up.
• Build the safety review pipeline: how scientists, engineers and technicians submit work for review, with enough time and flow to analyze it properly.
• Set up readiness for autonomous operation: pre‑startup safety reviews, commissioning, alarm rationalization and equipment inspections.
• Design and review life safety systems with the controls and automation teams. That covers toxic gas detection, interlocks, e‑stops, fire suppression, scrubbers, safety PLCs and robotics safety.
• Extend the existing EHS program (permitting, chemical inventory, hazard communication, inspections) to new lab spaces.
• Work with ML engineers to teach a model to reason about process hazards and safety constraints.
• Be visible in the lab and build a safety culture that the scientists buy into.

Must-haves:

• Deep expertise in reactive chemistry and chemical hazards. You have spent years judging whether a new chemistry or process can run safely.
• Senior experience in process safety, EHS or chemical operations in a lab, pilot plant or manufacturing setting.
• Hands‑on experience leading HAZOPs, FMEAs or similar risk assessments.
• Experience designing or reviewing functional safety systems.
• You want to work in the field, on site, in a lab with a changing hazard profile.

Nice‑to‑haves:

• Membership on an NFPA, OSHA or IEC standards or technical committee.
• CSP or CIH certification.
• Experience with solid‑state chemistry, materials processing or lab automation.
• Experience with a new lab build‑out, including permitting and safety design alongside construction.
• Experience with, or strong interest in, AI/ML tools for risk assessment or experiment planning.
• People leadership experience.

Location: Menlo Park, CA (on‑site, in the lab)

Employment type: Full‑time

Salary: $250,000 – $325,000 per year, plus equity