Senior Safety Specialist

Job Summary

Senior Safety Specialist for Occupational Health provides technical expertise and guidance on occupational health and safety to faculty, staff, and students, supporting programs that minimize risk associated with workplace and campus-wide hazards. This role promotes a proactive safety culture and ensures compliance with University policies, as well as federal, state, and local regulations. The position reports to the Assistant Director of Occupational Health & Safety.

Senior Safety Specialist develops, implements, and maintains occupational health and safety programs, including industrial hygiene initiatives and baseline exposure assessments, across research and academic laboratories, student affairs, and facilities operations and construction teams. This role anticipates changes in work processes, applies management-of-change principles, and evaluates hazards to prevent work-related injury, illness, or exposure concerns.

Additionally, Senior Safety Specialist designs and delivers safety awareness training, prepares outreach materials, and provides guidance on safe work practices. Strong communication skills and the ability to build collaborative relationships across the campus community are essential. This position serves as a technical expert in occupational health and actively supports broader University health and safety programs.

MS in a related field. Five (5) or more years of occupational health & safety experience or a combination of education and experience. Should have the ability to carry 50 lbs. and walk extensively. Must possess and maintain a valid Texas Driver's License and acceptable driving record.

• Qualifications as an Associate Safety Professional (ASP), Certified Safety Professional (CSP), or Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) are highly desirable.
• Familiarity with Lean Six Sigma methodology for collaborative process improvement.
• Bilingual proficiency highly desirable, with the ability to speak and write fluently in English and Spanish, including applied experience developing and delivering professional safety information and training in both languages.
• Experience promoting and implementing safety programs within a university setting.

• Knowledge of environmental health and occupational safety principles, with the ability to understand and interpret complex written regulations and technical reports.
• Experience with OSHA requirements and best management practices for training employees and students on safe work practices involving hazardous materials or equipment.
• Experience developing and implementing comprehensive safety programs, with expertise in areas including worker exposure assessment, vehicle safety, electrical safety, hazard communication, personal protective equipment (PPE), fall prevention, and fire prevention.
• Strong coordination and communication skills to effectively influence and guide personnel and students toward best-practice safety behaviors.
• Proficiency with standard computer software, including Microsoft Excel, Word, Power
  
  BI, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Office 365, TEAMS, and Outlook.
• Excellent customer service skills for interacting with senior managers across multiple academic and administrative departments.
• Strong time and project management skills, including the ability to plan, prioritize, and manage multiple concurrent projects.

To the extent this position requires the holder to research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Section 117.001(2) of the Texas Business and Commerce Code, the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the critical infrastructure is a minimum qualification to be hired and to continue to be employed in the position.

• Provide technical support and guidance for University health and safety programs across research and academic programs, Facilities Management, and Student Affairs.
• Receive, evaluate, and respond to reports of potential occupational hazards; assess conditions and implement solutions to mitigate risk.
• Serve as an embedded professional within the University Safety Team to ensure continuity of safety programming across campus.
• Participate in post-incident assessments and evaluations.
• Conduct Job Hazard Assessments (JHAs) and PPE Hazard Assessments in collaboration with Departmental Supervisors.
• Provide guidance on corrective measures for safety and health exposure issues across research, academic, housing, and facility operations.
• Perform exposure monitoring using standard and advanced techniques, procedures, equipment, and instrumentation, particularly for chemical and noise hazards.
• Collaborate with University departments to implement risk management strategies, including engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment.
• Develop and implement training programs on safe work practices, ergonomics, and hazard…