Director, Environmental & Chemical Regulatory

Position Function:

The Director of Environmental and Chemical Regulatory serves as the senior scientific and operational leader for the Chemical Regulatory Division of the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory (MSCL) and reports directly to the State Chemist. The Director provides strategic, technical, and administrative oversight of regulatory and fee-for-service laboratory programs to ensure compliance with applicable state and federal requirements while advancing service quality, operational efficiency, and scientific excellence.

This position supervises laboratory programs responsible for chemical and environmental testing related to animal feeds, pet foods, human foods, agricultural liming materials, fertilizers, soil, pesticide formulations, environmental samples, and other regulated products sold in Mississippi to ensure compliance with state specifications, labeling requirements, and applicable standards.

Salary Grade:  17

Please see Staff Compensation Structure or Skilled Crafts and Service Maintenance Compensation Schedule for salary ranges.  For salary grade UC, these positions are "Unclassified" and salary ranges are determined by the hiring department.

Department Profile:

The Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory (MSCL) is a state-appropriated regulatory agency for the State of Mississippi as well as a fee-for-service laboratory located on the campus of Mississippi State University. MSCL is dedicated to ensuring the quality and safety of fertilizers, pesticides, animal feeds, petroleum products, and manufactured and retail food. It provides fast, defensible, and reliable analytical data to:
1. The State’s regulatory agencies, including MDAC Bureau of Plant Industry.
2. The State’s federations and councils, such as the MS Farm Bureau and Delta Council.
3. The State’s industries, including Poultry, Catfish, and Manufacturing.
4. The State’s citizens.
The MSCL adheres to the highest professional standards and provides quality analytical services in a timely manner.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Provides scientific and operational leadership for the Chemical Regulatory Division; develops and implements long-range strategic plans for facilities, instrumentation, staffing, and program growth; supports development and implementation of MSCL policies; and promotes a culture of scientific integrity, accountability, and continuous improvement aligned with the mission of MSCL.
2. Ensures division compliance with applicable federal and state laws, regulations, accreditation standards, and MSCL policies; serves as a subject matter expert in feed, fertilizer, agricultural liming materials, pesticide formulations and related regulatory testing programs; provides technical leadership in analytical methods, specifications development, and interpretation or revision of state law and regulations; ensures analytical results are accurate, defensible, and legally sound.
3. Supervises and directs laboratory operations; oversees sample analysis, data review, and reporting processes to ensure accuracy, defensibility, and timeliness of results; monitors workflow and operational performance metrics; improves efficiency and turnaround times; and optimizes use of personnel, laboratory space, and instrumentation and promotes cost-effective use of supplies, consumables, and equipment maintenance resources.
4. Directly supervises divisional managers and staff; performs hiring, training, mentoring, performance evaluation, workforce development, leave approval, and resolution of personnel concerns; and fosters a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing work environment.
5. Maintains and strengthens the division’s quality management system in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025 by overseeing audits, documentation control and corrective and preventive actions, proficiency testing, and continuous improvement initiatives.
6. Assists with budget planning and fiscal oversight for division operations; promotes cost-effective use of supplies, consumables, and equipment maintenance resources; and supports sustainable allocation of laboratory resources.
7. Assists in seeking external funding opportunities, including grants, contracts, and expanded fee-for-service activities to support program sustainability and growth; provides technical guidance and responsive customer service within scope of authority; and represents the division in interactions with regulatory