Associate Director - Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS)

Department: 63 - Facilities

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Redwood City, CA

Reporting To: Neill Bickel

Description

Codexis, a biotechnology company based in Redwood City, CA, is looking to hire an Associate Director - Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS).
 Codexis is a leading enzyme engineering company leveraging its proprietary CodeEvolver® technology platform to discover, develop and enhance novel, high-performance enzymes and other classes of proteins. Codexis enzymes solve for real-world challenges associated with small molecule pharmaceuticals manufacturing and nucleic acid synthesis. The Company is currently developing its proprietary ECO Synthesis™ platform to enable the scaled manufacture of RNAi therapeutics through an enzymatic route. Codexis enzymes can drive improvements, such as higher yields, reduced energy usage and waste generation, improve efficiency in manufacturing and greater sensitivity in genomic and diagnostic applications.  

To meet the goals we’ve set for ourselves, we look for individuals who are driven, eager to grow and ready to embrace meaningful challenges. We empower employees to be authentic, ambitious, agile and have the courage to take action where they can make a positive impact. 

Come join us on this journey to transform the enzyme engineering landscape for the betterment of human health.


About the Opportunity: The Associate Director, EHS is responsible for developing, implementing and oversight of the EHS compliance programs for Codexis laboratories, offices, GMP facilities, including general lab safety, regulatory compliance, training, and ergonomics. The Associate Director EHS is a critical point of contact for lab and office personnel, addressing safety questions and concerns, and helping to drive and maintain a culture of safety and compliance. This role will be based in Redwood City. 

 If any of the below describes you, we would love to meet you!

• Confident and proactive leadership style able to positively influence change.
• Coaching, mentoring, and collaborative management style that develops rapport at all levels.
• Continuous improvement mentality with ability to strategically design and scale complex EHS programs.

In this role you will be responsible for:

• Lead the strategy, development, and execution of scalable EHS programs to support evolving laboratory and GMP operations, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements, business growth, and long-term sustainability goals.
• Oversee all EHS functional areas, including Emergency Response, Emergency Action Planning (EAP), Respiratory Protection (RPP), Injury and Illness Prevention (IIPP), Ergonomics, Hearing Conservation, Medical Waste, Biological Safety, Chemical Hygiene, Hazard Communication, and Exposure Control.
• Lead the Crisis Management Team (CMT) and Emergency Response Team (ERT), ensuring readiness, training, and coordinated response capabilities.
• Drive a comprehensive Process Safety Management program, integrating technical, procedural, and managerial controls to proactively identify and mitigate hazards.
• Develop and implement risk assessment protocols for chemical handling, SDS management, and operational activities to ensure regulatory compliance and employee safety.
• Establish and lead a cross-functional safety committee to coordinate safety initiatives, promote compliance, and drive continuous improvement across the organization.
• Oversee incident investigation processes, analyze trends, and lead the development of corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs) to strengthen safety performance.
• Design and maintain compliant waste management programs, including hazardous and medical waste collection, storage, and disposal, in accordance with evolving regulations and operational needs.

The essential requirements of the job include:

• Bachelor’s degree in science or engineering related discipline. 
• Minimum 12 years of progressive experience in laboratory operations experience managing and scaling lab operations in a biotechnology or pharmaceutical research environment. Ten (10) years with a master’s degree. Other combinations of education and/or experience may be considered. 
• Customer service oriented and has a track record of anticipating the needs of all customers, including bench scientists and office employees. 
• Proficient in GMP, GLP, and GDP processes and procedures. 
• Ability to collaborate cross functionally and align stakeholders to a common problem or solution. 

Additional experience that would be