Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Manager

About the role

Position Title: Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Manager
Department: Facilities
Reports To: Executive Director, Real Estate & Facilities
Location: South San Francisco, CA – On-site 4 days per week (Mon to Thurs)

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Model a pragmatic, solutions-oriented approach to safety—balancing speed and scientific progress with risk awareness; enabling teams to “do the work safely” rather than acting as a gatekeeper.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve Kardigan's EHS program across our South San Francisco and Princeton sites, with an emphasis on laboratory and biotech R&D operations.
• Serve as Kardigan's subject matter expert on environmental, health, biosafety, and chemical hygiene matters, advising scientific and operational leadership.
• Develop and maintain a Chemical Hygiene Plan, Biosafety Manual, Hazard Communication Program, Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP), and other Cal/OSHA and federal OSHA-required written programs.
• Lead biosafety oversight for BSL-1 and BSL-2 work, including risk assessments, SOP review, biological agent registrations, and support for any future activities.
• Manage hazardous, biohazardous, chemical, and universal waste programs in compliance with EPA, DTSC, Cal/OSHA, local fire code, and DOT/IATA shipping requirements for biological and chemical materials.
• Oversee laboratory safety programs including chemical inventory management, fume hood and biosafety cabinet certifications, compressed gas and cryogen safety, and controlled substance compliance where applicable.
• Lead incident reporting, investigation, and incident learning process; track corrective and preventive actions and report metrics to leadership.
• Ensure delivery of EHS training for lab and office staff, including new hire orientation, lab safety, bloodborne pathogens, hazard communication, ergonomics, emergency response, and shipping of dangerous goods.
• Partner with Facilities and Lab Operations on facility build-outs, equipment installations, and move-management to ensure safety is designed in from day one.
• Maintain emergency preparedness and business continuity plans, including evacuation, medical response, spill response, earthquake preparedness, and after-hours response protocols.
• Manage relationships with regulatory agencies, landlords, building management, EHS vendors, occupational health providers, and waste haulers; serve as Kardigan's primary EHS point of contact during outside agency inspections and audits.
• Track and report EHS metrics, OSHA recordkeeping (300/300A logs), and sustainability indicators
• Support a proactive, science-forward safety decisions that supports rapid drug development without compromising on safety or compliance.

Qualifications & Preferred Skills

• Comfortable operating in ambiguity; able to build structure without over-engineering early solutions
• Strong judgment on when to implement “right-sized” processes vs. fully scaled systems
• Minimum of 5-7 years of progressive EHS experience in biotech, pharmaceutical, life sciences, or academic research environments, with at least 2-3 years in a lead or management capacity.
• Experience leveraging digital tools, including emerging AI/LLM-based solutions, to improve EHS program efficiency (e.g., SOP generation, audit readiness, incident analysis, training delivery, or data trend analysis).
• Working knowledge of Cal/OSHA, federal OSHA, EPA, DTSC, DOT, IATA, and CDC/NIH BMBL guidelines as they apply to laboratory and R&D operations.
• Hands-on experience managing chemical hygiene, biosafety (BSL-1/BSL-2), hazardous and biohazardous waste, and lab commissioning activities.
• Professional certification preferred (e.g., CSP, ASP, CIH, CHMM, RBP, or CBSP).
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage credibly with bench scientists, executives, and external partners.
• Strong organizational and project management skills; comfortable operating with autonomy in a fast-moving environment.
• Proficiency with EHS software, Microsoft Office, and electronic chemical inventory or waste tracking systems.
• Experience standing up or scaling EHS programs at an early- or growth-stage biotech is highly desirable.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment

Primarily on-site role based in South San Francisco, CA, with regular travel to Kardigan's Princeton, NJ and other operational sites as needed (approximately 15–20%).
Available to respond to EHS incidents and emergencies outside of standard business hours when required.

Pay

Exact Compensation may vary based on skills, experience and location.
Pay range: $131,000 - $171,000 USD