Biological Safety Specialist

WHY UT SOUTHWESTERN?
With over 75 years of excellence in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, UT Southwestern is committed to excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. As a world-renowned medical and research center, we strive to provide the best possible care, resources, and benefits for our valued employees. Ranked as the number 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth according to U.S. News & World Report, we invest in you with opportunities for career growth and development to align with your future goals. Our highly competitive benefits package offers healthcare, PTO and paid holidays, on-site childcare, wage, merit increases and so much more. We invite you to be a part of the UT Southwestern team where you'll discover a culture of teamwork, professionalism, and a rewarding career! 

BENEFITS
UT Southwestern is proud to offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our benefits are designed to support your overall wellbeing, and include:

• PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage
• 100% coverage for preventive healthcare-no copay
• Paid Time Off, available day one
• Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
• Paid Parental Leave Benefit
• Wellness programs
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer
• Learn more about these and other UTSW employee benefits!

JOB SUMMARY
UT Southwestern is seeking a Biological Safety Specialist to support and strengthen our biological safety program across research and healthcare environments. We are looking for someone with a bachelor's degree in a safety-related field, microbiology, biology, biomedical science, or a related environmental health science field, strong communication and presentation skills, the ability to train large diverse audiences, excellent documentation, time management, and attention to detail, and the confidence to work safely in laboratory, healthcare, and other environments involving biological and hazardous materials. The ideal candidate is comfortable traveling between UT Southwestern locations, operating safety vehicles/large trucks as needed, and responding professionally in environments where exposure to biological hazards and human specimens occur; works with bio/hazardous/morgue/anatomy lab and responds to urine/feces/all bodily fluids hazards.

As a Biological Safety Specialist, you will be responsible for ensuring regulatory compliance, conducting laboratory inspections, delivering safety training, supporting Institutional Biosafety Committee activities, and providing expert guidance on biological safety practices; works under minimal supervision to provide knowledge and expertise in operation and support of biological safety programs and compliance with regulatory agencies and national guidelines.

Work Location: Dallas Campus; travel to and from other UTSW locations as needed.

Shift Requirement: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday; requires availability for on-call coverage and/or emergency response situations.

***INCLUDE ALL RELEVANT EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION ON UPDATED RESUME WITH APPLICATION SUBMISSION***

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Required

• Education
  Bachelor's Degree in safety related field 
   

JOB DUTIES

• Reviews research projects submitted to the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC); denotes safety deficiencies and assists with monthly IBC meeting planning.
• Performs surveys of laboratories and facilities to ensure adherence to safety regulations and procedures; responsible for monthly laboratory and follow-up surveys; responsible for annual validation of safety related equipment.
• Identifies potential biological safety hazards, prepares reports on conditions, and takes actions to mitigate identified deficiencies: this may be in response to pointed requests from academic/research or healthcare personnel, as well as when issues are identified during other courses of business.
• Delivers safety training with a focus on biological and lab safety content to all departments on campus. Aids in creating safety training and updates safety training content.
• Ensures employee health and safety standards related to biological safety are met in all areas of the organization.
• Develops safety guidance, assists with SOPs, and other educational documents in response to identifications of deficiency areas with departments.
• This position is designated as essential. Individual may be on call or emergency situation may require individual to report to work outside of set work schedule in order to sustain institutional services or protect assets.
• Ensures proper hazardous materials management for both the research enterprise and health system to include inventory management, use, security, and disposal.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

SECURITY AND EEO STATEMENT

Security
This position is security-sensitive and subject to Texas Education Code 51.215, which authorizes UT Southwestern to obtain criminal history record information. To the extent this position requires the holder to research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Section 117.001(2) of the Texas Business and Commerce Code, the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the critical infrastructure is a minimum qualification to be hired and to continue to be employed in the position.

EEO
UT Southwestern Medical Center is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. As an equal opportunity employer, UT Southwestern prohibits unlawful discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or veteran status.