At Vanderbilt University , our work - regardless of title or role - is in service to an important and noble mission in which every member of our community serves in advancing knowledge and transforming lives on a daily basis. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, on a 330+ acre campus and arboretum dating back to 1873, Vanderbilt is proud to have been named as one of “America’s Best Large Employers” as well as a top employer in Tennessee and the Nashville metropolitan area by Forbes for several years running. We welcome those who are interested in learning and growing professionally with an employer that strives to create, foster and sustain opportunities as an employer of choice.
We understand you have a choice when choosing where to work and pursue a career. We understand you are unique and have a story. We want to hear it. We encourage you to apply today so that you might become a part of our story.
Position Summary:
The Senior Safety Officer is part of the Environmental Health, Safety, and Sustainability (EHSS) organization at Vanderbilt University. The Senior Safety Officer will support the Vanderbilt Community regarding all existing and developing aspects of the comprehensive university-wide EHSS program related to their field of expertise in Occupational Safety. Under the direction of an Assistant Director, the Senior Safety Officer will support the implementation of EHSS programmatic goals and initiatives primarily related to occupational safety programs in support of maintenance and operations, building services, grounds, powerhouse, various shops, and construction activities. This includes policy, program, and training development, safety auditing, and safety and health consultation. This position will also assist the Assistant Director with other occupational and campus safety programs and initiatives, including after-hours and weekend emergency response activities and occasional travel to network campuses and facilities across the U.S.. This position will assist in establishing and maintaining strong, collaborative relationships with Vanderbilt’s staff, faculty, students, and leadership and will identify additional ways to be of service and ensure customer satisfaction. They will support the success of a high-performing organization by helping to champion and drive efficiency and effectiveness using safety informatics and metrics, databases, software, and instructional technology.
About the Work Unit:
Environmental Health, Safety, and Sustainability is part of the Real Estate, Facilities and Development (REFD) division and consists of occupational and research-centric safety services and university sustainability leadership. EHSS is a 20+-member team that supports a top-20 world-class research university with a community of 27,000 faculty, staff and students on 12 million square feet of academic, administrative, residential, and recreational space on 330 acres in downtown Nashville, TN as well as a number of network campuses across the U.S.
Key Job Responsibilities:
Develop and maintain training modules, educational materials, and job aides based on the latest standards of practice endorsed by Vanderbilt University. Deliver live trainings as needed
• Contribute to the development of policy and procedural documents intended to address existing and emerging EHSS safety and security needs.
• Develop and implement safety programs in accordance with all relevant OSHA and TN OSHA requirements.
• Job hazard analysis development for job tasks, prioritizing high risk/high frequency work.
• Support and facilitate maintenance, building services, and other Facilities staff-focused Safety Committees.
• Investigating employee injuries and near-miss incidents to determine corrective actions.
• Performing worksite inspections to ensure a safe work environment
• Maintain a budget for safety costs related to their customer base.
• Assist the Assistant Director with other occupational and campus safety programs and initiatives including after-hours, weekend, and holiday emergency response activities:
• Adhere to service standards to meet customer and administrative expectations.
• Drive efficiency and effectiveness using safety informatics and metrics, databases, software and instructional technology.
• Additional job responsibilities as needed and specific to area of expertise and focus in EHSS.
Supervisory Relationships:
This position will not have initial supervisory responsibilities. May supervise student interns.
Experience and Education:
• A bachelor’s degree in occupational safety and health or a related field is required. A master’s degree is preferred.
• Ability to obtain professional certification is required. Certified Safety Professional designation is preferred.
• Minimum 5 years’ related work experience in occupational safety and health with a bachelor’s degree is required or 3 years with a master’s degree. An equivalent combination of education and experience is acceptable.
• Extensive knowledge of OSHA general industry and construction regulations is required.
• Ability to respond outside of normal working hours to emergencies as well as occasional travel to network campuses and facilities across the U.S.
• Completion of OSHA 501 trainer course for occupational safety and health standards for general industry is preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills including the ability to develop engaging online and in-person training materials, presentations, programmatic documents, procedures, and reports. Strong ability to deliver training and program-specific presentations in an efficient, effective, engaging, and innovative manner.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft and Adobe products such as TEAMS, PowerPoint, excel, and Word are necessary. Articulate, Oracle, Tableau, web programming, social media, or database skills a plus.
• Experience with EHS Assist software from Onsite Systems preferred.
• Advanced data management, analytical, quantitative, technical, and problem-solving skills required.
• Ability to quickly learn and adapt is required. Ability to quickly and effectively respond to emergencies is required.
• Ability to successfully plan and execute multi-task and multi-project requirements and deliverables to meet objectives and deadlines strongly preferred.
• Must have strong interpersonal communication and customer service skills.
• Ability to build and maintain effective respectful and working relationships in a service-oriented environment with a diverse range of people and understand their needs and goals. Exhibit sensitivity, tact, inclusion, and respect for diversity.
• Ability to work effectively with others as a team as opposed to working separately or competitively is necessary. Ability to understand and appreciate different and opposing perspectives on an issue is required.
Pre-employment Screening
Please note, all candidates selected for an offer of employment are subject to pre-employment background checks, which may include but are not limited to, based on the role for which they have been selected: criminal history, education verification, social media review, motor vehicle records, credit history, and professional license verification.