Assistant Director Research and Shop Safety

Department: Risk, Safety, and Resilience (RSR)

Classification: Administrative Faculty

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Manassas, VA

Workplace Type: On Site Required

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

Motor Vehicle Records Check: Yes

About the Department:

Risk, Safety, & Resilience (RSR) provides overall strategic oversight of the University's risk profile and management efforts, as well as provides leadership to sustain a safe and healthful environment for our community to learn, work, live, and thrive. RSR serves the university by managing enterprise and operational risk, health, safety, environmental, emergency management programs in collaboration with our partners and stakeholders.

About the Position:

The Assistant Director of Research and Shop Safety is a key member of George Mason University’s Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) team, primarily dedicated to supporting safety and compliance of research and engineering activities within a large R1 Research Institution. This position is responsible for leading the development, implementation, and maintenance of comprehensive safety programs that support innovative research and teaching activities across a broad range of environments and at multiple campuses, including George Mason's Fairfax, Manassas, and Arlington campuses.

This position leads efforts to build new safety initiatives from the ground up while expanding existing programs to ensure regulatory compliance, reduce risk, and foster a strong culture of safety. The role requires close collaboration with faculty, staff, students, direct reports, and other EHS professionals to proactively identify emerging risks and addressing safety needs unique to engineering research and instruction—including 3D printing, robotics, drones, autonomous vehicles, field research, marine safety, and specialized shop activities.

Key responsibilities include the development and implementation of shop and field safety programs, oversight of local exhaust ventilation and other engineering controls, conducting inspections, developing training, and participating in the safety review of facility design and renovation projects. The Assistant Director collaborates across disciplines to align efforts with other safety programs such as fire safety, occupational safety, biosafety, employee health and well-being, and risk management.

Responsibilities:

• Develops and maintains safety programs around 3D Printing, Instructional and Research Shop Safety, Marine Safety, Autonomous Vehicles and Drones, Robotics and Blimps Field Research and Heat Safety (risk assessments, written guidance documents, and training modules), and Local Exhaust Ventilation. Develops other safety trainings as assigned. 
• Provides both on-site and written safety assessments to ensure compliance with safety standards. Performs inspections of research and teaching spaces and prepares inspection reports, provides corrective actions, and follows up with stakeholders to ensure corrective actions are completed. Conducts safety reviews of proposed new construction and renovations in teaching and research shop spaces. 
• Serves as a programmatic liaison between research and instructional shops and other Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) team members as needed. Functions as the EHS liaison for engineering and research shop activities. Maintains general knowledge and understanding of EHS requirements outside of direct responsibilities and consults with EHS colleagues and subject matter experts when necessary. Collaborates with Risk Management and other EHS team members to coordinate overlapping program areas in engineering, such as fire safety, industrial hygiene, radiation and chemical safety, and travel-related risk management. 
• Creates and implements goals, performance metrics, and project plans to support program management. This includes developing, implementing, and overseeing research and shop programs and services for university personnel across multiple campuses, in alignment with regulatory and external agency requirements. Serves as the primary point of contact for faculty, staff, and students regarding research and shop program inqu