Senior Health & Safety Officer

About this position

EMBL's Health and Safety Office is concerned with all work-related aspects of health and safety, laboratory as well as general and occupational safety, at all EMBL sites. Amongst its tasks are registration procedures with the national authorities, inspections of laboratories and workplaces, hazardous waste management and conducting safety training. In order to provide safe and healthy working conditions to all EMBL staff and visitors, and to support them in carrying out their duties smoothly and safely, the team sets a high value on preventive measures.

Your role

In this role, you will be responsible for day-to-day operational tasks at the headquarters in Heidelberg, including but not limited to:

• Being in charge of all biological safety aspects including notification and approval procedures with the competent German authorities
• Being in charge of matters of open radioactivity and X-rays, in particular notification and approval procedures with the competent German authorities
• Ensuring that appropriate safety regulations and documents are in place and that staff are informed about, trained in and complying with these regulations
• Providing regular safety training to laboratory staff, non-lab-based staff and contractors
• Providing advice, maintaining and monitoring safe working conditions
• Performing inspections to ensure that laboratories and staff comply with appropriate internal and national regulations
• Managing the procedure of hazardous waste disposal
• Additional tasks as assigned by the supervisor

The Senior Health and Safety Officer reports to the Head of the Health & Safety Office.

You have

A university degree in biology or biochemistry with good knowledge of molecular biology is required, as is a proven solid work experience. Qualification and experience as a biological safety officer or project leader in line with the German genetic engineering act (GenTSV) is required as well. Profound knowledge of hazardous substances is essential.

The ability to work accurately, independently as well as in a team is a must for this role. Very good interpersonal and communication skills along with fluency in German and English language are essential in order to effectively communicate both internally and externally. We expect strong customer service oriented attitude and excellent organisational skills. Proficiency in MS office applications and experience working with various databases is needed.

You might also have

Training as a safety engineer (“Fachkraft fuer Arbeitssicherheit”), dangerous goods advisor (“Gefahrgutbeauftragter”) and/or radiation protection officer (“Strahlenschutzbeauftragter”) would be advantageous but is not stringently required.

Why join us

EMBL is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer offering attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation with a very collegial and family friendly working environment. The remuneration package comprises a competitive salary, a comprehensive pension scheme, medical, educational and other social benefits, as well as financial support for relocation and installation, including your family and the availability of an excellent child care facility on campus.

What else you need to know

We are Europe’s flagship research laboratory for the life sciences – an intergovernmental organisation performing scientific research in disciplines including molecular biology, physics, chemistry and computer science. We are an international, innovative and interdisciplinary laboratory with more than 1700 employees from many nations, operating across six sites, in Heidelberg (HQ), Barcelona, Hinxton near Cambridge, Hamburg, Grenoble and Rome.

Please note that appointments on fixed term contracts can be renewed, depending on circumstances at the time of the review.

If you feel you have the right skills and experience, please apply online submitting your CV and cover letter.