Title: Associate Director/Director of Environment, Health & SafetyLocation: South San Francisco, CA (Onsite)
Position Type: Full-Time
Salary Range: $175,000 - $230,000
POSITION OVERVIEWNeurona Therapeutics is a clinical stage biotechnology company based in South San Francisco focused on the development of neuronal cell-based therapies for intractable neurological diseases.
We are seeking a dynamic, strategic, and forward-thinking Director of Environment, Health, & Safety (EHS) to lead our comprehensive health & safety, compliance, and environmental stewardship programs. Building upon a strong foundation of regulatory management across the life sciences, healthcare, and industrial sectors, the EHS Director will set the strategic vision for workplace health and safety while driving comprehensive environmental sustainability initiatives.
This role requires a visible, field-oriented leader who can balance rigorous regulatory oversight (OSHA, EPA, DOT) with a prevention-led Health & Safety strategy and credible environmental programs. As a key advisor to executive leadership and client stakeholders, the Director will strengthen leadership accountability, ensure effective control of critical risks, promote learning from incidents and near misses, and build a culture in which safe work and environmental responsibility are integral to operational performance.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Leadership & Program Governance- EHS Strategy & Governance: Define and deliver short- and long-term EHS roadmaps aligned with business priorities, client expectations, regulatory requirements, and environmental commitments; establish clear accountabilities, standards, assurance processes, and performance reviews.
- Executive Advisory & Performance: Act as the primary EHS advisor to senior leaders, translating risk and compliance information into decisions, setting meaningful leading and lagging indicators, and ensuring timely escalation of material risks and overdue actions.
- Safety Culture & Leadership: Build a proactive, just, and learning-focused culture through visible field engagement, leader coaching, employee participation, effective training, and recognition of safe behaviors and risk reduction.
Environmental Sustainability Initiatives- Corporate Sustainability Roadmap: Lead the design and execution of environmental stewardship programs, focusing on carbon reduction, water conservation, energy efficiency, and waste minimization and zero-waste to landfill.
- EHS Reporting: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to track, measure, and report on environmental impact metrics (GHG emissions, resource consumption, chemical waste reduction, water), including need of external reporting.
- Sustainable Supply Chain & Operations: Collaborate with procurement and operations teams to integrate green technologies, sustainable materials, and non-toxic chemical alternatives into daily workflows.
Occupational Health, Safety & Risk Mitigation- Critical Risk & Occupational Health: Lead the identification, assessment, and control of risks with serious-injury or fatality potential and oversee industrial hygiene, ergonomics, machine safety, ventilation, and exposure-control programs for biological, chemical, physical, and process hazards.
- Incident Learning & Corrective Action: Ensure prompt reporting and robust investigation of incidents, occupational illnesses, high-potential near misses, and environmental releases; identify systemic causes, share learning, and verify the effectiveness and timely closure of corrective and preventive actions.
- Operational Control, Compliance & Preparedness: Maintain compliance with applicable OSHA, EPA, Cal/OSHA, DOT, DTSC, and IATA requirements, and embed EHS controls into contractor activities, permit-to-work, maintenance, projects, management of change, and pre-startup reviews. Maintain effective emergency-response plans, drills, and coordination with client teams and public authorities.
Team Management- Team & Capability Leadership: Build, lead, and develop a high-performing EHS team; clarify roles and accountabilities; strengthen technical capability and succession plans; and coach operational leaders to own EHS performance.
- Stakeholder & Client Partnership: Build high-trust relationships with executives, operational leaders, employees, client representatives, regulators, emergency responders, and industry partners, constructively challenging decisions when health or safety may be compromised.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS- Education: Bachelor's degree in Environmental Health & Safety, Occupational Safety, Environmental Engineering, or a related scientific discipline.
- Experience: 6-8+ years of progressive EHS experience in complex, regulated operations, including at least 2-3 years leading teams or programs and influencing senior leaders across multi-site or client-based operations.
- Health & Safety Leadership: Demonstrated success improving safety culture and performance through critical-risk management, serious-injury prevention, operational control, incident learning, and effective corrective-action governance.
- Technical EHS Capability: Strong working knowledge of EHS management systems, industrial hygiene, ergonomics, contractor safety, emergency preparedness, management of change, and controls for biological, chemical, physical, and process-related hazards.
- Sector Expertise: Proven track record in regulated, technical environments such as life sciences, biotechnology, healthcare, or higher education.
- Environmental Expertise: Demonstrated experience designing and executing measurable sustainability or environmental programs (e.g., waste reduction, LEED certification support, carbon accounting).
- Licensure & Driving: Valid driver's license and willingness to travel locally across the South San Francisco Bay Area.
- Work Authorization: Must be authorized to work in the US without sponsorship.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS- Professional Certifications: Certified Safety Professional (CSP) strongly preferred; Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), or another recognized EHS credential is an advantage, depending on the candidate's technical specialization.
- California and US Regulatory Expertise: Strong practical knowledge of Cal/OSHA Title 8, Injury and Illness Prevention Program requirements, OSHA, EPA, DTSC, CUPA/CERS, hazardous materials and hazardous waste requirements, and applicable air, wastewater, and environmental permitting obligations. Experience supporting regulatory inspections and agency interactions in the San Francisco Bay Area is preferred.
- Life-Sciences Technical Expertise: Demonstrated experience managing industrial hygiene, biosafety, laboratory safety, chemical safety, occupational exposure controls, and other biological, chemical, physical, or process hazards in life-sciences or similarly regulated operations.
- Risk and Operational Control: Experience with critical-risk management, serious-injury prevention, management of change, contractor safety, emergency preparedness, and incident investigation and corrective-action governance.
- Management Systems: Experience implementing and auditing EHS management systems, including ISO 45001 and ISO 14001; recognized internal- or lead-auditor training is an advantage.
- Specialized Technical Training: Relevant training or certification in areas such as HAZWOPER, DOT/IATA hazardous materials transportation, emergency response, biosafety, process safety, or OSHA 30-Hour.
- Environmental Capability: Experience with environmental compliance, performance programs, and reporting, including greenhouse-gas emissions, energy, water, waste reduction, pollution prevention, and environmental permitting.
- Leadership Profile: Credible and pragmatic field leader with strong executive communication, sound judgement, calm crisis leadership, the confidence to challenge constructively, and the ability to influence across organizational and client boundaries.
