Dir-Environmental Health & Safety
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Summary
The Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Director provides leadership and operational oversight for a comprehensive EHS program, including biological, chemical, radiation, and general safety services across St. Jude. Reporting to the EHS Senior Director, this role helps lead EHS operations, compliance initiatives, and safety programs that support a safe, compliant, and productive work environment.
Job description
Job Responsibilities
- Lead and manage multiple large/critical complex safety areas/teams.
- Contribute to the overall quality and safety strategy and roadmap and drive implementation in line with institutional objectives.
- Drive resource planning and process development in line with strategic priorities and support the quality and safety leadership teams.
- Establish and maintain relationships with stakeholders at multiple levels in the organization to drive results.
- Influence external stakeholders strategically through proactive engagement.
- Look at the pipeline of talent within safety area as an organizational pool, investing in future skills, spending time giving feedback, coaching, and challenging high-potential members with different assignments.
- Accountable for budget management for own area.
- Perform other duties as assigned to meet the goals and objectives of the department and institution.
- Maintains regular and predictable attendance.
Additional Responsibilities
- Participates with the EHS Senior Director in planning, improving, coordinating and implementing Environmental Health and Safety services for St. Jude.
- Develops and implements delegated systems that includes measuring progress, effectiveness and quality of EHS Services and refining systems based on those findings.
- Monitors effectiveness and revises accordingly the policies and procedures that guide and support the provision of EHS services subject to the approval of the EHS Senior Director.
- Assists EHS Senior Director and EHS Administration Team to ensure regulatory and compliance records for EHS programs are organized, complete and current.
- Responsible for managing these records so that they are readily accessible for applications including inspections, regulatory reports and institutional requests.
- Manages the institutional-wide assessment of hazards in work areas.
- Regularly manages, revises and analyzes the EHS hazard assessments and inspection programs.
- Works together with stakeholders to ensure all relevant safety hazards and compliance risks are captured and assessed in the specific work environments of St. Jude employees.
- Organizes, conducts and documents surveys and focused safety inspections to ensure ongoing compliance.
- Identifies and implements mitigation measures based on risk findings.
- Develops and analyzes reports relating to hazard assessments, inspections and mitigation measures.
- Contributes as a member of the EHS Administration Team to develop goals and objectives for EHS.
- Oversees operation of effective programs to meet regulatory compliance issues relevant to Federal, State and local regulations as well as applicable accreditation standards to include, but not limited to AAALAC, CAP, and DNV.
- Corrects issues of non-compliance.
- Collaborates with Design and Construction and Facilities Operations and Maintenance departments to ensure EHS issues in new construction are compliant with safety regulations and best practices.
- Supervises, mentors and develops designated EHS personnel.
- Completes performance evaluations and provides ongoing feedback regarding performance and productivity.
- Coordinates the selection of purchased services required to meet the objectives of the safety divisions.
- Reviews and recommends requisitions and purchases to support safety division operations.
- Prepares reports and periodic budgetary projections for the EHS Senior Director.
- Ensures the department achieves budgetary goals by monitoring and reporting expenses to the EHS Senior Director.
- Ensures electronic or printed records and documents relevant to EHS operations and those that demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements are properly maintained and stored.
- Serves as a regular member and participates in the activities of standing and ad hoc committees or task forces as assigned.
- Provides oversight for the EHS SharePoint site.
- Directs periodic updating of site content.
- Manages the Department Safety Coordinator program.
- Schedules and leads DSC meetings.
- Manages the EHS Event Investigation program.
- Identifies events requiring investigation and directs EHS responses to employee injury events.
Minimum Education and/or Training
Bachelor's degree in relevant technical field (e.g., science, health physics, chemistry, physics, engineering, industrial hygiene, nursing). Master's degree preferred.
Minimum Experience
10+ years of experience in a relevant safety area (e.g., industrial hygiene, infection prevention, radiation safety) or other related scientific discipline, including experience managing mid-large teams with focus on both achievement of objectives as well as critical skill-building. 5+ years of experience in EHS program management preferred. Experience having led large-scale programs/processes through to implementation. Experience with operational management, budget planning, and vendor & resource management. Prior experience in building external connections with peers, emerging institutional and patient safety communities, and vendor networks. Proven performance in earlier role/comparable role.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in relevant technical field (e.g., science, health physics, chemistry, physics, engineering, industrial hygiene, nursing)
- 10+ years of experience in a relevant safety area (e.g., industrial hygiene, infection prevention, radiation safety) or other related scientific discipline
- Experience managing mid-large teams with focus on achievement of objectives and critical skill-building
- Experience having led large-scale programs/processes through to implementation
- Experience with operational management, budget planning, and vendor & resource management
- Prior experience in building external connections with peers, emerging institutional and patient safety communities, and vendor networks
- Proven performance in earlier role/comparable role
- Master's degree preferred
- 5+ years of experience in EHS program management preferred
Company overview
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a world-renowned pediatric research and treatment institution headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, dedicated to advancing cures for childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded in 1962 by entertainer Danny Thomas, it stands as the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted exclusively to children. The hospital operates on a unique funding model where families never receive bills for treatment, travel, housing, or food, with costs exceeding $2 billion annually primarily supported by donations through its fundraising organization ALSAC. St. Jude treats approximately 8,600 patients each year from all 50 states and around the world, with a focus on acute lymphoblastic leukemia, brain tumors, sickle cell disease, and infectious diseases. The institution employs over 7,000 staff members and maintains eight affiliate clinics across the United States. Through its St. Jude Global initiative, the hospital shares research and treatment protocols internationally, partnering with more than 350 institutions in over 90 countries. St. Jude has been instrumental in increasing childhood cancer survival rates from 20% in 1962 to over 80% today, while maintaining a robust research program that includes gene therapy, bone marrow transplantation, and precision medicine approaches.