Intermediate Specialist, Laboratory Safety

University of Ottawa•Lexington, MA

About The Position

The Office of the Chief Risk Officer offers a rewarding journey where your skills and passion for risk management will play a key role in shaping the future of the University of Ottawa. Our Office oversees Operational and Enterprise Risk Management, Insurance, Internal Audit, Protection Services, Emergency Management, and Health, Safety and Environmental Management. Our team is dedicated to ensuring the resilience and continuity of our operations. With a commitment to excellence, you'll have the opportunity to contribute significantly to promoting risk culture within our institution. We strive to be a valued partner and key player in advising and supporting University leadership, faculties, and staff, helping to foster a culture of informed decision-making. Join us in building a resilient future for the University of Ottawa and become part of our collaborative and forward-thinking team. Position Purpose The incumbent plays a critical role in advancing research safety and chemical hazard management with a special focus on the Faculties of Health Sciences (FHS), Social Sciences (FSS), Education (EDU), Arts (ARTS) and Animal Care and Veterinary Services (ACVS). This position also oversees institutional chemical inventory systems, provides subject matter expertise in chemical hazard identification, assessment and mitigation, and supports laboratory design and infrastructure planning. The incumbent ensures harmonized safety practices and regulatory compliance across diverse research environments. The incumbent advances institutional laboratory safety programs, procedures, standards and emergency protocols, offers tailored laboratory safety consultations, and performs lower order industrial hygiene monitoring.

Requirements

Post secondary education (e.g., bachelor’s or master’s degree) in occupational health and safety, environmental sciences, chemical engineering, - occupational hygiene, - or acceptable related field (such as chemistry, biochemistry etc.).
Minimum of 5 years progressive experience in occupational health and safety, environmental management, risk management, occupational hygiene, regulatory/consulting field emphasizing health, safety and/or environmental programs.
Successful completion of required security clearance(s) (e.g., Contract Security Program, Controlled Goods Program, etc.)
Demonstrated understanding of risk management, and occupational health and safety legislation, and their applicability in a highly specialized and complex research-based laboratory environment.
Experience and knowledge in strategic plan development applying municipal, provincial and federal standards related to occupational health and safety.
Experience in developing, implementing, and auditing comprehensive safety management systems aligned with organizational goals and legislative requirements.
Ability to apply structured decision-making and advanced analytical techniques to diagnose root causes and develop evidence-based, risk-informed solutions.
Experience in assessing regulatory requirements and writing policy, as well as methods and procedures for ensuring compliance and reducing risk
Experience in developing and implementing risk management or health and safety programs
Superior communication and interpersonal skills to be able to work with management, academic, and support personnel, as well as student populations (graduate and undergraduate)
Ability to build trusting and collaborative relationships with the Faculty and other stakeholders
Demonstrated ability to lead incident response and crisis management initiatives, including risk mitigation, stakeholder communication, and post-incident analysis.
Ability to plan, organize and prioritize workload and work in a fast-paced and complex environment
Experience in designing and delivering OHS training programs using adult education principles and evaluating training effectiveness.
Demonstrated initiative and autonomy in leading safety initiatives and driving continuous improvement.
Ability to apply quality management principles to enhance safety systems and ensure continuous improvement
Bilingual, French and English (spoken and written)

Nice To Haves

Experience in a research, academic or related workplace an asset.
Experience in a supervisory/management capacity as asset.
Professional designation CRSP (Canadian Registered Safety Professional), CRST (Canadian Registered Safety Technician), ROH (Registered Occupational Hygienist) or ROHT (Registered Occupational Hygiene Technician) an asset.

Responsibilities

Chemical Inventory Management: Maintains and manages the institutional chemical inventory system – including vendor management, cataloguing, training, etc. to ensure a robust framework and system is in place for the institution. Conducts periodic audits and reconciles discrepancies to support research laboratories. Offers a professional service that enables Faculties and researchers to manage autonomously their hazardous materials and equipment data for regulatory, security, emergency and safety purposes.
Chemical Hazards Subject Matter Expertise: Serves as a resource for members of the portfolio for chemical hazard identification, risk assessment, and mitigation strategies providing expert guidance on the safe handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous chemicals in compliance with regulatory and institutional standards.
Laboratory Design and Support: Participates in laboratory design consultations for the portfolio to support the integration of safety principles and mitigations in new, and renovated research spaces. Supports by advising on safety infrastructure and compliance requirements. Regularly monitors the external environment for changes to laboratory health and safety requirements and best practices to incorporate into laboratory design standards.
Health, Safety and Risk Management Support: Provides specialized health, safety and risk management support across the portfolio. Works collaboratively with other health, safety, and risk management team members to provide interdisciplinary and consistent support of the University’s occupational health and safety management system. Systematically monitors, measures, and evaluates Faculty health and safety performance for regulatory/institutional compliance, to identify risks, effectiveness of institutional and Faculty systems, and recommend areas for improvement to Faculty senior management.
Industrial Hygiene and Monitoring: Performs lower order occupational hygiene interventions and monitoring including preliminary investigations, noise monitoring, air sampling, etc. For more complex issues, coordinates industrial hygiene studies with an Industrial Hygienist. Observes, analyzes, and recommends control and mitigations to minimize occupational health risks in laboratory environments.
Laboratory Safety Consultations: Offers tailored safety consultations to researchers, faculty, and staff on laboratory practices, equipment use, and emergency preparedness. Reviews and advises on standard operating procedures (SOPs) for higher-risk activities. Collaborates with other health and safety specialists on topics such as laser, radiation and biosafety.
Program and Protocol Support: Maintains the OHSMS Chemical Management program, working in collaboration with the various Faculties and Services, implementing regulatory requirements as well as best practices. Assists in the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of laboratory safety programs and procedures. Supports the laboratory decommissioning processes, ensuring safe removal and disposal of hazardous materials. Contributes to the development and execution of emergency response protocols for chemical spills, exposures, and other incidents.

Benefits

The University of Ottawa offers a generous pay and benefits package that includes a competitive salary, a defined benefit pension plan, group insurance coverage and an employee and family assistance program.

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