SAFETY SPECIALIST/QUALITY COORDINATOR

Salary:

Minimum $60,000 ANNUAL (12 months)
Depending on Qualifications

Job Summary:

This position is a Health & Safety Specialist that will oversee the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVDL) Safety Programs. This position leads the development, implementation, maintenance, evaluation and continuous improvement of the laboratory safety programs in order to support a safe work environment and maintain compliance with mandated requirements. This person in this position will provide program leadership, training, and guidance to staff throughout WVDL, promote effective cross-functional collaboration and support a culture of safety and quality throughout the organization.

As Health & Safety Specialist, this position is responsible for maintaining WVDL Safety programs and policies and acts as an approver for safety related documents. This position will lead the WVDL Safety Team, facilitate safety audits and drills (internal and external) and related findings, assist supervisors in ensuring vaccination policies, injury related accident documentation or other related activities are completed for personnel, facilitate safety equipment management and training including lab wide safety equipment maintenance and calibration activities, manage safety related reporting and trend tracking for safety related events, provide reports of safety related trends and activities to WVDL Administration, provide collaboration between Safety Team, Section Heads, and employees to share information and implement safety related activities, act as a liaison between WVDL and external agencies including University of Wisconsin Madison EH&S, OBS and IBC.

While the primary role is safety, this position will also serve as a Quality Coordinator. As Quality Coordinator, this position will support the Quality Management System throughout WVDL, serve as a member of the Quality Management Team to plan and review of activities related to continuous improvement of the WVDL Quality Management System, participate in the WVDL Quality Team and act as a liaison between the Quality Manager, Quality Team, Section Heads, Supervisors and employees to share information and implement quality program related activities, actively participate in the annual Management Review of the Quality System, act as Document Controller as assigned, support equipment management, assist the Quality Manager in training employees, assist in quality related activities related to new employee set up, orientation, staff changes and termination of staff, participate in all aspects of internal and external auditing events as assigned, and facilitate system level quality programs as assigned.

This position will also acknowledge documents, perform document reviews, and write or revise documents as assigned, complete and acknowledge training as required, perform laboratory equipment duties such as calibration, preventative maintenance, cleaning and function checks and associated documentation as assigned, initiate non-conformances, participate in Corrective Action Reports (CAR)/Preventative Action Reports (PAR) activities and problem solve as part of the improvement process, complete quality control activities and maintain records for duties assigned.

This position will report to the WVDL Quality Manager.

Responsibilities:

Directs and leads the development and implementation of the program to address safety issues, provides consultation, and provides direction and resource recommendations for cases in a specific area of specialty so all work, recreation, and research can be performed safely and in compliance will all applicable federal, state, and local regulations and standards. Makes recommendations for the control of identified hazards and assesses hazards using relevant regulatory methodologies.

• 15% Provides expert knowledge and guidance to internal and external stakeholders including leadership in a specialized area of safety such biosafety, chemical, hazardous materials, agriculture, lake, radiation, and Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
• 40% Manages the logistics of a safety program and is responsible for its implementation and operational success
• 10% Reviews industry updates and directs the development of safety communications and associated staff
• 10% Accurately documents violations and regulation changes and effectively communicates necessary findings to the appropriate authorities
• 5% Leads the day-to-day activities of a health and safety work unit
• 20% WVDL Quality Coordinator.

Tasks:

• Support, model and encourage safe work practices and safety programs throughout WVDL.
• Leads the development, implementation, maintenance, evaluation and continuous improvement of the laboratory safety programs in order to support a safe work environment and maintain compliance with mandated requirements.
• Lead the WVDL Safety Team. Direct and oversee the tasks completed by the WVDL Safety Team and Chemical Hygiene Officer.
• Facilitate safety training for WVDL staff to include new employee orientation, routine training and training as needed for new and updated procedures/policies.
• Participate in all aspects of internal and external auditing events as necessary, including the OBS and AAVLD accreditation site visits.
• Act as a liaison between WVDL and external agencies including University of Wisconsin Madison EH&S, OBS and IBC.
• Manage safety related reporting and trend tracking for safety related events, provide reports of safety related trends and activities to WVDL Administration.
• Support, model and encourage the Quality Management System throughout WVDL.
• Assist in evaluation, determination and implementation of new programs and modification of existing programs to improve the Quality Management System.
• Participate in Quality Management Team and Quality Team and act as a liaison between the Quality Assurance Manager, Quality Team, Section Heads, and employees to share information and implement quality program related activities.
• Participate in the annual Management Review of the Quality System.
• Act as Document Controller for documents including SOPs, forms, and cross-functional documents, as assigned.
• Support equipment management including equipment records and facilitation of lab wide equipment programs including maintenance and calibration related activities.
• Assist the Quality Manager in training employees in quality principles through lab-wide, small group and one-on-one sessions.

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Education:

Required
Bachelor's Degree
Bachelor's degree in industrial relations, life science, business administration, or related field is required for this position.

Qualifications:

2 years of health & safety program experience, including advanced knowledge of and experience with principles of laboratory safety, implementation of laboratory safety programs, and biosafety and chemical hazard analysis in a laboratory or other similar professional setting is required. Experience working with LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) and quality
management software, and knowledge of a laboratory setting is preferred.
Successful candidates will have experience working with sensitive information, have effective organizational skills, be able to manage shifting priorities, be able to manage difficult situations, and be able to interpret safety related regulations/requirements and implement relevant programs. Successful candidates will also have excellent written and oral communications skills and possess proficient computer skills including word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation programs.

COVID-19 Considerations:

UW-Madison continues to follow necessary health and safety protocols to protect our campus from COVID-19. All employees remain subject to the COVID-19 Workplace Safety Policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-5086 . Please visit https://covidresponse.wisc.edu for the most up-to-date information.

Work Type:

Full Time: 100%

This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.

Appointment Type, Duration:

Ongoing/Renewable


Additional Information:

Occasional travel for safety audits and check-ins will be required between our Barron facility and Madison facility.

How to Apply:

Salary will be assigned within the appropriate range, to align with the candidate's qualifications and experience. An excellent benefits package is also included. Anticipated start date on or after May 23, 2022. Successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.

To apply, please complete the online application process and attach a cover letter referencing your qualifications and experience related to safety responsibilities, a resume as well as the current contact information for three professional references including one current or former supervisor. All application materials will be reviewed by our search committee.

All applicants will be notified once a final selection has been made and the search has been completed.

NOTE: Unless confidentiality is requested in your online application, information regarding the names of applicants must be released upon request. Finalists cannot be guaranteed confidentiality.

Special Note: UW-Madison conducts criminal background checks for final candidate(s).

The WVDL is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect, integrity, trust and accountability where employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. The WVDL believes that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success as a lab, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. We strive for continuous improvement by setting our goals high and expecting high standards using our core values.

UW-Madison is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

Contact:

Jordan Allen
jordan.allen@wvdl.wisc.edu
608-262-6779
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1 (out-of-state: TTY: 800.947.3529, STS: 800.833.7637) and above Phone number (See RELAY_SERVICE for further information. )

Official Title:

Env Health & Safe Spec III(CP006)

Department(s):

A882140-WIS VET DIAGNOSTIC LAB/QUALITY ASSURANCE

Employment Class:

Academic Staff-Renewable

Job Number:

256851-AS



The University of Wisconsin is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability, you can find information about how to make a request at the following website: https://employeedisabilities.wisc.edu/disability-accommodation-information-for-applicants/

Employment will require a criminal background check. It will also require you and your references to answer questions regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department .

Applications Open: Apr 28 2022 Central Daylight Time
Applications Close: Aug 12 2022 11:55 PM Central Daylight Time