Managing Consultant, Health & Safety (Biosafety Focus)
About the role
Shape the future of laboratory biosafety and enterprise health & safety performance in complex, high-risk environments. At ERM, as a Managing Consultant, Health & Safety (Biosafety Focus) based in Ewing, New Jersey, you will step into a highly visible, strategic role at the intersection of science, operations, and risk management.
Responsibilities
Lead and mature biosafety programs for BSL-1 and BSL-2 laboratories, with strong preference for experience in BSL-3 laboratory programs, including operations oversight, commissioning/operational readiness, or governance.
Develop, deploy, and manage biosafety management systems, including policies, standards, procedures, risk assessments, agent-specific risk reviews, exposure control plans, and biological spill response protocols.
Support and participate in Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBCs) (e.g., member, administrator/secretary, or chair support), including protocol review, NIH Guidelines compliance, and governance cadence.
Build and deliver role-based training for laboratory staff, principal investigators, facilities and maintenance teams, waste handlers, and first responders; coach leaders to embed biosafety into daily operations.
Conduct biosafety and laboratory safety audits, gap analyses, and maturity assessments; develop corrective actions and verify effectiveness.
Oversee program interfaces such as equipment certification coordination, laboratory design and operational readiness reviews, waste management, occupational health linkages (vaccines and medical surveillance), and contractor controls.
Design and implement broader Health & Safety and Technical Risk programs, including compliance auditing, ISO 45001-aligned management systems, risk management, contractor management, and Serious Injury & Fatality (SIF) prevention.
Lead incident investigations, root cause analyses, corrective action development, and control verification while driving organizational learning.
Support safety culture and leadership initiatives, including coaching, field engagement, and capability building.
Manage complex consulting projects and programs, ensuring scope, schedule, budget, and quality expectations are met while exceeding client expectations.
Serve as a visible subject matter leader in biosafety and general Health & Safety; contribute to ERM best practices and knowledge sharing.
Mentor and lead consultants, supporting recruiting, onboarding, performance coaching, and team development.
Qualifications
Required: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Biosafety, Microbiology, Biology, Public Health, Industrial Hygiene, Safety Engineering, or a related discipline or equivalent experience.
4+ years of relevant EHS experience, including substantive biosafety leadership in BSL-1 and BSL-2 laboratory environments.
Strong preference for experience with BSL-3 laboratory programs, including operations oversight, commissioning/operational readiness, or governance.
Proven experience developing, deploying, and managing biosafety and Health & Safety programs (not just participating), including standards, procedures, training, metrics, and assurance.
Experience supporting or serving on Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBCs) with familiarity in protocol review processes and committee governance.
2+ years of consulting experience preferred, or an internal client-facing role with equivalent scope, including proposal support and relationship management.
Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to translate complex technical risk into clear, actionable plans for stakeholders at all levels.
Willingness to travel up to 70% based on client needs.
Preferred
Professional credentials such as RBP/CBSP (ABSA), CIH, CSP, or PE.
Experience working in biotech, pharmaceutical, high-tech, chemical, academic research, or government environments.
Demonstrated success building multi-year roadmaps, KPIs and metrics, governance dashboards, and management review mechanisms.
Experience interfacing with allied programs, including waste management, industrial hygiene monitoring, facilities/engineering, select agent awareness, and contractor controls in laboratory environments.