Environmental Health and Safety Manager

Position overview

Department: Estates (Operations)

Location: Campus-based, London

Benefits

Generous benefits package including 25 days holiday allowance pro rata (excl. Bank holidays), group life assurance, group income protection, pension schemes and private healthcare (optional)

Start: January 2025

The EHS Manager is a full-time on-site position for the Northeastern University London campus reports to the Head of Estates and Facilities in London, with a dotted line to the Associate Vice Provost of Education and Research Safety (AVPERS) on the Boston campus.

This role is responsible for ensuring full compliance of Environmental, Health and Safety standards set both by the Health and Safety Executive (UK) and the policies and practices of Northeastern University, supporting strategies for continuous improvement and supporting a positive and proactive safety culture.

The postholder will lead the development, oversight and implementation of programs and practices that ensure that the university’s estates, teaching laboratories and other activities that require handling of hazardous materials or machinery adhere to all relevant national and local regulations. The postholder will be the lead on carrying out regular audits that assure compliance, support faculty to create and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) on all routine activities, risk assessment on new and proposed activities and evaluate the effectiveness of Health and Safety policies and programmes.

The EHS Manager will work proactively with all London NU faculty, professional staff and students to establish and maintain a culture of safer working practices across the university. The postholder will provide EHS expertise across estates and academic programmes, identify supplemental expert technical support for novel activity outside the typical scope of EHS oversight as needed, work collaboratively with faculty and staff, and support risk assessments for extra-curricular activities and events.

About the University

Founded in 2012, Northeastern University London (formerly known as New College of the Humanities) has established itself as a prestigious higher education institution based in the heart of London. After becoming part of Northeastern University’s global network in early 2019, the University has undergone a period of rapid growth, having been granted Taught Degree Awarding Powers in February 2020 and moved to a new, state-of-the-art campus in 2021. The University has an ambitious growth plan by 2025, the London campus will span over 150,000 square feet of estates, made up of teaching classrooms, administrative spaces, student social areas and newly fitted undergraduate wet and dry labs. The student population is anticipated to grow to circa 4,000 in the next few years.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead on the development and review of the overall health and safety strategy, policies , and procedures In accordance with UK laws and standards.
• Develop and lead the University’s EHS risk assessment programme.
• Manage London NU laboratory profiles in the Northeastern laboratory risk management platform, SciShield. Support teaching faculty and principal investigators, where relevant, to manage up-to-date lab profiles in this platform.
• Implement and modify, as needed, the laboratory and makerspace training programmes in coordination with Northeastern University expectations.
• Responsible for the fire safety programme, including the range of services supporting compliance with the various fire regulations, fire risk assessments, training, and maintenance of fire safety equipment.
• Primary contact with relevant regulatory bodies, including the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Fire and Emergency Services, the Environment Agency and any other regulatory body relevant to this role.
• Lead the incident/recording and reporting process, including making all reports to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under RIDDOR, and to Northeastern University Global Research Safety office. Assure that all investigations are complete with root cause analyses and appropriate follow-up.
• Work closely with the NU London Lab Manager to maintain and monitor the laboratory safety programme, compliance activities associated with hazardous materials, high risk equipment, and maintenance of safety-related laboratory fixtures and fittings within the Estates responsibility.
• Perform safety audits of all work locations to include labs and other applicable locations, develop and distribute a report of findings, development of strategy in conjunction with stakeholders, and track corrective action progress through completion.
• Manage hazardous/regulated waste as required by local regulations to include but not limited to chemicals, biological, radioactive, and universal wastes across all London campus locations and activities.
• Provide safety and regulatory compliance support for occupational safety, indoor air quality concerns, and industrial hygiene monitoring requirements to include exposure monitoring, where relevant.
• Maintain all associated EHS records as well as prepare and submit all required reports and documents as mandated by local regulatory agencies, the London campus regulations and the wider Northeastern University policies.
• Monitor and review records of maintenance and statutory inspections (where necessary) of safety controls within the London campus, incl. lab equipment (e.g. fume cupboards, safety cabinets) and testing of standard laboratory safety equipment (eyewash stations, safety showers, etc).
• Budget management responsibilities in line with university protocols.
• Responsibility for the appointment and oversight of third party expert consultants and their work, who may be engaged as needed to perform and/or support specialized safety assessment or programs.
• Stay current on safety and environmental technical and regulatory issues associated with current activities and in advance of new activities associated with university growth.
• Foster a positive work environment with a good team spirit and collaborative collegiate demeanour, with a high standard of student and staff experience at the forefront of all efforts.
• Any other duties commensurate with the level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the necessary experience and/or training and as instructed by the university.
• Be able to perform the occasional requirement of working on weekends outside of normal office hours.

Person Specification

Requirements

Candidates/post holders will be expected to demonstrate the following:

Essential (E) / Desirable (D)

Education / Qualifications

Diploma in COSHH at QLS Level 4 E

NEBOSH General Certificate E

Diploma of Professional Competence in Occupational Hygiene (DipOH) D

Bachelor and/or Master’s degree in one of the physical sciences, life sciences, environmental science, engineering, applied health science or other applicable degree; or relevant work experience required E

Experience

Extensive demonstrated EHS compliance experience, preferably at a higher education institution, with increasing responsibility for developing and implementing EHS compliance programs at the institutional level E

Demonstrated experience in laboratory activities and the safe use of hazardous materials, equipment, and process E

Knowledge of engineering process safety controls utilized to reduce risk in laboratories and other high-risk settings E

Technical agility to learn online platforms in use by NU to manage risk and track laboratory requirements. E

Skills & Abilities 

Strong interpersonal and intercultural communication skills as well as a positive attitude E

The ability to adapt to changing circumstances and environments, demonstrating agility and flexibility E

An ability to work calmly and accurately whilst meeting deadlines E

Excellent time and project management skills, including planning, prioritising, and scheduling multiple ongoing projects E

Please note that job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, and the post-holder may be required to undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.

Additional Information

Enquiries

Informal enquiries may be made to Lesley Cawthra - lesley.cawthra@nulondon.ac.uk However, all applications must be made in accordance with the application process specified

Application process

Applications should be made via the ‘Apply’ button above by 5 December 2024.

Participation in the equal opportunities section is encouraged but voluntary.

Applications must include a covering letter of no more than one page that addresses the criteria for the role and a full Curriculum Vitae.

Things to consider

For staff’s own wellbeing, for part time roles, the expectation is if you have multiple roles, they should not exceed full time (37.5 hours per week), and for full time roles, the expectation is that this will be your only role (apart from intermittent roles such as exam invigilator etc).

Please note this role may require a basic or enhanced DBS check. Please note this role may require a basic or enhanced DBS check. Our organisation acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard, protect and promote the welfare of our students and staff, and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice and Ofsted requirements. You must adhere to the above if you are offered a role with NU London.

Applications are welcome from all sections of the community and will be judged on merit alone. We welcome applications from all underrepresented groups, including the Global Majority. Candidates must be able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.