Harvard University Managing Director of Environmental Health and Safety

Transcription

1 Harvard University Managing Director of Environmental Health and Safety Cambridge, MA Position Specification December 2015

2 The Opportunity Harvard University (the University ), an internationally renowned and prestigious academic institution, seeks an experienced, strategic leader for Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) for its Cambridge and Boston-based campus. This highly visible, senior leadership role provides strategic direction to all aspects of environmental health and safety on campus, ranging from student residential life to biosafety in research labs and emergency preparedness. The new leader will work collaboratively with other staff and leaders across the eleven academic units and has the opportunity to create a legacy around EH&S institutional best practices in higher education. The Organization Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, is a world-class research university known for its global leadership in education, scholarship, and ground-breaking research. The University consists of eleven academic units plus an Extension School, including world-renowned graduate schools of medicine, public health, business, government, design, divinity, education, law, engineering, and dental, and the Harvard College Faculty of Arts and Sciences educating top-tier undergraduates. In addition to the academic units, the University houses several premier museums of art, natural history, science and more. Recent renovation and expansion of the art museums, led by famed Italian architect Renzo Piano following the University s sustainability initiative, achieved the LEED Gold certification by incorporating green building technologies. The main campus is located along the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts while the medical, dental, and public health schools are located in Boston at the heart of the Longwood Medical Area. Unlike many other major universities, the Harvard-affiliated medical centers, including the Massachusetts General Hospital, the Brigham and Women s Hospital, Beth Israel Medical Center, Boston Children s Hospital and others, are independent organizations not owned or operated by the University. Over 21,000 students are enrolled at the University 6,700 undergraduates and 14,500 graduate students. There are approximately 2,400 faculty members and more than 10,400 academic appointments, many at the affiliated medical centers. The campus consists of over 600 buildings with approximately 26 million square feet of space. Harvard research and scholarship is world-renowned. The University boasts 47 Nobel Laureates and 48 Pulitzer prizes. Additionally, of note, 32 heads of states around the world have been educated at Harvard. The University is the fifth largest employer in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, employing over 18,000 individuals. In short, the University and its affiliated Medical Centers are an economic engine for the Commonwealth. In addition, the University is an important partner with the cities of Boston and Cambridge. Recently, the University launched a ten-year development plan in Allston, a neighborhood in Boston adjacent to the Business School, and is working closely with city and state regulators in those redevelopment efforts. The plan contains 1.4 million square feet of new construction and 500,000 square feet of renovated space. 2

3 Campus Services Campus Services is the largest division within Harvard University s Central Administration, comprised of nearly 1,600 employees across ten service units including Dining, Housing, Energy & Facilities, Environmental Health & Safety, Harvard International Office, and Real Estate. The Vice President for Campus Services reports to the Executive Vice President, the University s Chief Administrative, Business, and Operating Officer. Environmental Health and Safety EH&S supports the University s mission of teaching and research by promoting and ensuring a culture of safety, health, environmental protection, and emergency preparedness. Its customers include students, faculty, and staff, as well as the broader community and environment. The Department structure is organized to meet the University s needs in four primary areas Buildings & Facilities, Laboratories, Emergency Management, and Project Support. EH&S has over 60 staff consisting of professionals, including masters prepared individuals and several PhDs, technicians, and management. EH&S has approximately an $8 million budget, most of the operating income is generated through fees-for-service relationships with the customer business units, with a lesser allocation of University provided corefunding. Key components of the management structure include an Environmental Safety and Compliance Committee, chaired by the Managing Director of EH&S and comprised of senior administrators from major schools and departments, EH&S, and a network of Environmental and Safety Compliance Officers (ESCOs). ESCOs are appointed by the dean or vice-president of each operating unit to implement, manage and enforce environmental and safety programs. ESCOs act as the primary point of contact with EH&S and work closely with EH&S staff to identify local priorities and coordinate EH&S service delivery. In the University s decentralized operating model, each operating unit is accountable for safety and regulatory compliance, including any fines or penalties resulting from noncompliance, a model supported by the deans and University administration. The challenge and opportunity for EH&S is to develop strong partnering relationships with each unit to provide services in a cross-functional and consultative way, finding creative ways to provide service excellence and ensure compliance with laws, regulations, and University policies. To that end, EH&S has embedded resources in schools, departments and laboratories to serve as single point of contacts for compliance and safety issues. This model makes customer service delivery simpler and more effective. Buildings and Facilities This team of 20 individuals, led by the Director of Operations and Compliance, is responsible for Occupational Safety, Facilities/Physical Plant Safety, Environmental Compliance and Environmental Public Health across the campus. Facilities and Occupational Safety: anticipates and plans for occupational and facility safety risks in planned and unplanned events at Harvard. The team s focus is on the operation and maintenance of Harvard facilities, the safety of Harvard personnel and students, and the protection and compliance of buildings and facilities. The group provides technical expertise, management, and compliance information on OSHA, NFPA and other standards to ensure the safety of all personnel. The group also educates and 3

4 heightens the awareness of students, staff, and facility managers about the importance of day-to-day safety and fire prevention measures. Environmental Compliance: provides University-wide regulatory support for research operations, building managers, and campus services, including programs to reduce air emissions, monitor waste water, manage hazardous waste, and maintain the regulatory permits and compliance reports. In addition, the team works closely with the Office for Sustainability to continue Harvard s excellent compliance record and further reduce the University s environmental footprint. Environmental Public Health: provides regulatory compliance services, education and prompt, expert guidance to all schools and departments at Harvard for urgent and routine environmental public health matters. Programs ensure that Harvard is a safe and healthy place to study, work and live. The food safety services support over 700 staff in 36 campus locations. Students, faculty, staff and visitors benefit from the work that EPH does to ensure high-quality, sustainable drinking water, environments free from harmful pests, and quality swimming pool and spa environments. EPH partners with University Health Services to provide environmental investigation and control measures for community-acquired communicable diseases in campus residential, academic and commercial environments. Laboratory Safety The Laboratory Safety group of 29 professionals provides services to support the University in proactively managing biological, chemical, physical, and radiological hazards in the academic and research laboratories. Their goal is to increase the University s capacity to safely perform research and academic study. They work cooperatively with faculty, scientists, and students to understand, identify, mitigate, and manage hazards and risks encountered in the laboratory environment. Emergency Management Emergency Management team of three professionals works with central departments, including the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD), Harvard Public Affairs & Communications (HPAC), University Health Services (UHS), and others to coordinate the University s emergency mitigation, planning, preparedness, response and recovery efforts. Emergency Management provides direct support to Harvard s schools and departments in planning for and responding to emergencies. The Emergency Management team designed an emergency structure that is scalable to the needs of the emergency. It consists of school and department Local Emergency Management Teams, central administration Emergency Support Functions, and a University-wide Crisis Management Team. In addition, this team works across the campus to support business continuity planning. Project Support The Project Support Services group of six professionals provides a range of construction support services to project and facility managers undertaking building renovation and demolition projects. The support gives project managers access to the technical expertise necessary in planning, design, bidding, and construction activities. The group provides detailed construction safety, as well as environmental and regulatory permitting support, to ensure the execution of safe projects, proper management of hazardous materials, and timely environmental permitting. These efforts minimize cost and schedule impacts and reduces risk to the University. 4

5 The Position The Managing Director of Environmental Health and Safety reports to the Vice President of Campus Services and is a key member of the Vice President s senior management team. S/he leads a team of over 60 professionals responsible to assess the environmental and occupational health and safety risk, and to ensure the University s compliance with all applicable regulations. The Managing Director also oversees the campus crisis and emergency management planning functions with a focus on mitigating exposure and risk at all levels of the University. In addition, the Managing Director serves on or leads several important campus Committees, including the Incident Report Team, Risk Management (led by the EVP), Lab Safety, Environmental Safety and Compliance, Fire Safety, Sustainability, and others. The decentralized operating structure at Harvard University, in which each academic unit leader is responsible for its regulatory compliance, shifts the paradigm from a more traditional regulatory relationship with customers to one of professional collaboration and support and of professional credibility and respect. In such an environment, a top/down approach would not be effective; EH&S must establish collaborative, collegial relationships based on professional credibility to be successful in assuring that safety and environmental protection regulations in each operating unit are met and sustained. Ultimate success will be achieved through influence, collaboration and the establishment of effective partnership relationships. Key Accountabilities 1. Directs all Operations and Services for Emergency Management and Planning, Occupational and Construction Safety, Fire and Life Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Laboratory Safety, Radiation Safety, Biosafety and Environmental Compliance groups within the department, including leadership of professional, administrative and technical staff in providing expertise and specialized services to the schools and departments of the University. Sets department-wide goals and objectives and manages staff performance and development. 2. Oversees the management of Emergency Preparedness and Response Activities for the University community. Works closely with Local Emergency Management Teams, the Incident Support Team and the Crisis Management Team to ensure consistent programs, training, drills and University response to incidents and crises. S/he is the incident commander during large scale emergencies. 3. Oversees and responsible for the University's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and Business Continuity Plans. 4. Works closely with University faculty, staff and students to create Emergency Management and EH&S programs that meet the academic, research and operational needs of the schools and departments. 5. Oversees the management of Environmental and Safety programs for the University community working closely with University Compliance Officers in each of the schools and departments. 6. Represents the University to the community, regulatory authorities and responding agencies. Evaluates and advises the University on current and pending regulatory and 5

6 legislative issues. Works closely with legal, government affairs, risk management and sustainability offices to develop appropriate strategies for the University. 7. Works closely with the Harvard Public Affairs and Communications Office to provide leadership and effective communications with the community, area business, identified public safety entities (fire, police, hospitals, etc.) during emergencies. 8. Responsible for all financial planning, operations and results for the Department. Manages resources to ensure stable and balanced financial performance and evaluates programs for cost-effectiveness. 9. Leads Compliance Operations including: Inspections, Audits and Compliance Reviews, Record Keeping, Hazardous Waste Management, Permitting, Compliance Training and Project Support. 10. Serves as a member of the Campus Services senior management team. Leads, facilitates and advises Campus Services business units in designing risk management (emergency and business continuity planning) within their own departments and coordinates all risk management activities for Campus Services. The Candidate The ideal candidate for the Managing Director of EH&S will be a mature and experienced strategic leader with a deep understanding health, safety and risk mitigation, who has a broad understanding of the diverse content areas within the EH&S profile. S/he will have a record of accomplishment within large, complex organizations, managing large health and safety teams and establishing strong and effective working partnerships with key stakeholders within the organization. In addition, s/he will have also developed and maintained effective relationships with external regulatory agencies. The candidate will be customer focused with significant experience designing, implementing, and evaluating a full range of EH&S and Emergency Management programs within large, complex organizations. The candidate should have substantial leadership experience in a comparably complex university or similar setting. Leadership experience in industry and or a very large research-oriented enterprise would be advantageous, though not a substitute for the academic setting. Specific Attributes 1. Strong leader who obtains results through influence and professional credibility with University customers. Ability to develop a strategic vision for the EH&S team and to articulate that vision to university leadership and stakeholder across campus. 2. Experienced manager who has effectively managed large groups of professional and technical staff and run a major organization within a large, complex environment. 3. Success and professional satisfaction as a leader who can create high-performing teams and build a culture of safety and service. Experience mentoring professional staff and managers to achieve strategic objectives. 4. Proven ability to develop strong relationships with multiple stakeholders to achieve alignment on important safety issues. Responsive and customer-focused while balancing institutional risk mitigation with departmental and research needs. 5. Broad knowledge of the health, safety and compliance issues facing major research universities with specific content knowledge in several of the disciplines. 6. Sophisticated knowledge of the work of a major research university and able to effectively interact and communicate with faculty, leadership and staff. 6

7 7. Financial acumen to effectively manage EH&S and stakeholder resources and needs. Critical Success Factors Measures of success in the first six to twelve months for the new Managing Director will include: Developed excellent relationships with EH&S team members and have become a contributing member of the University EH&S and Campus Services teams. Gained a command of the mission and the complexity of the University. Invested necessary time and attention to developing excellent relationships with key departmental and school customers through a culture of partnership; gained respect through responsiveness and professional credibility. Built on the strength of the EH&S team and articulated a vision for the team going forward. Developed a risk assessment of the University s health, safety and compliance as well as of emergency preparedness. Education and Requirements The candidate will have a Master s Degree in a relevant scientific discipline and a minimum of ten years of senior leadership experience in a university or analogous setting. In addition, the candidate will have expertise in all regulations applicable to a major academic institution including, a comprehensive knowledge of legislative and regulatory processes and experience in the compliance, enforcement and auditing processes of regulatory agencies. Compensation A compensation package will reflect a senior leadership position on campus, including relocation assistance, and will be competitive and commensurate with the individual s qualifications. For More Information Referral of networking sources or prospective candidates is welcome. Interested parties can submit a resume and cover letter to HarvardManDirEHS2150@ZurickDavis.com. For additional questions, please contact Julie DeSorgher (Julie@ZurickDavis.com) at or Jacqueline Rosenthal (jrosenthal@zurickdavis.com ) at All contact with ZurickDavis will remain confidential. Harvard University is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by law. 7