Position Description
Reporting to the Laboratory Director, the Associate Laboratory Director (ALD) for Environment, Safety & Health (ES&H) provides institutional leadership and oversight for the safe and environmentally responsible operation of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), encompassing approximately 3,000 employees and a 5,000-acre site.
The ALD leads the Environment, Safety & Health Directorate, providing overall leadership, strategic direction, staff development, technical expertise, and oversight to ensure effective implementation of ES&H programs, systems, and requirements across the Laboratory. The ALD serves as steward of Laboratory-wide ES&H management systems and partners with scientific, technical, and operational leadership to enable BNL's mission while advancing operational excellence and a strong safety culture.
As a member of the BNL Leadership Team, the ALD participates in key Laboratory councils and committees and serves as a senior advisor to Laboratory and Directorate leadership on environmental, safety, health, nuclear safety, radiation protection, and related regulatory matters.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Provide institutional leadership for environmental stewardship and worker safety and health programs across the Laboratory.
- Lead the activities of the ES&H Directorate, including providing strategic direction and developing and implementing Directorate goals and objectives with clear, measurable targets for safety performance, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.
- Partner with Laboratory and Directorate Leadership to develop and implement institution-wide environmental management, safety, and health strategies and initiatives that support the Laboratory's mission and operational priorities.
- Work in close partnership with the other Associate Laboratory Directors to ensure their organizations’ operations are supported in advancing operational excellence, continuous improvement, and effective integration of ES&H considerations into mission delivery.
- Ensure the optimal deployment of ES&H services and expertise across the Laboratory to support effective and consistent implementation of ES&H systems, programs, and requirements.
- Manage the organizational performance of a diverse technical directorate of approximately 130 employees with budget responsibility of approximately $15–20 million, with a focus on operational excellence, organizational effectiveness, and continuous improvement of the Laboratory's safety culture.
- Establish and maintain collaborative relationships across Laboratory organizations and with key external stakeholders, including the Department of Energy's Brookhaven Site Office (BHSO), DOE Office of Science, union staff and officers, external subcontractors, regulatory agencies, and peers and leadership at other National Laboratories.
- Ensure effective, responsive, and solutions-oriented delivery of the enabling services provided by the ES&H Directorate in support of Laboratory customers and mission objectives.
- Lead organizational change and continuous improvement efforts within the Directorate and across institutional ES&H programs.
- Serve as BNL's lead technical authority on radiation protection, nuclear safety, and regulatory interpretation of ES&H requirements.
- Provide exceptional leadership and support for solutions-oriented ES&H service delivery and training that enables the scientific and operational mission of the Laboratory.
- Partner and collaborate with the DOE Site Office and external regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Suffolk County Department of Health Services, and other applicable authorities, to address matters associated with BNL ES&H plans, programs, and implementation.
- Serve as a key advocate and senior leader for the development and execution of a strong Safety Culture Work Environment (SCWE) across BNL organizational boundaries.
Application Note: For full consideration, candidates are encouraged to apply by October 30, 2026. The application period may be extended based on the needs of the search.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Bachelor's degree in a related technical discipline plus a minimum of 15 years of relevant experience in progressively responsible positions, including 10 years of executive management/leadership experience.
- Significant leadership experience in environmental, safety, and health management within a complex scientific, technical, industrial, nuclear, or similarly regulated environment.
- Demonstrated ability to provide strategic leadership for large, multidisciplinary technical organizations and successfully lead a diverse employee population.
- Proven leadership capabilities in team building, organizational development, innovation, employee engagement, and motivating teams to achieve operational excellence and organizational objectives.
- Demonstrated ability to build trusted, productive partnerships with leaders across the laboratory; influence decisions and outcomes across diverse directorates; and balance institutional ES&H responsibilities with mission and operational needs.
- Demonstrated ability to develop, articulate, and execute a strategic vision while translating institutional priorities into measurable organizational goals and results.
- Strong performance management, financial management, strategic planning, risk assessment, and decision-making capabilities.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and achieve results within a complex matrixed organization and effectively balance mission, operational, safety, regulatory, and stakeholder priorities.
- Exceptional interpersonal, communication, collaboration, negotiation, and conflict-resolution skills, with demonstrated ability to influence effectively across organizational boundaries and at senior leadership levels.
- Demonstrated commitment to customer-focused, solutions-oriented service delivery while maintaining rigorous ES&H standards and requirements.
- Experience implementing recognized national or international voluntary standards or management systems, such as OSHA VPP, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 or comparable standards, preferably within a research, scientific, technical, or similarly complex environment.
- Experience working effectively with regulatory agencies such as the EPA, OSHA, New York State or comparable state regulatory authorities.
Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Master's degree in a related technical, scientific, engineering, safety, environmental, or management discipline.
- Professional certification(s) in safety, environmental, health, nuclear, radiation protection, engineering, or related operational disciplines.
- Experience working in a nuclear facility environment, including commercial nuclear power and/or DOE Hazard Category I, II, or III facilities.
- Experience within the Department of Energy complex, a DOE Office of Science National Laboratory, or a comparable highly regulated research environment.
- Experience leading organizational transformation, continuous improvement, and safety-culture initiatives within a large, technically complex organization.
Environmental, Health & Safety Requirements
The incumbent is expected to demonstrate visible leadership and personal accountability for environment, safety, and health; actively promote a strong safety culture; and ensure that ES&H considerations are effectively integrated into organizational planning, decision-making, and execution.
Other Information
- Occasional travel is required.
- This is a Testing Designated Position. Employees in DOE-defined Testing Designated Positions (TDPs) are subject to drug testing, including pre-placement, random, reasonable suspicion, occurrence, post-accident, and follow-up drug testing.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE security clearance, as required.
- This position is based onsite and is not eligible for remote or hybrid work arrangements.
Application Note: For full consideration, candidates are encouraged to apply by October 30, 2026. The application period may be extended based on the needs of the search.
Brookhaven National Laboratory is committed to employee success and we believe that a comprehensive employee benefits program is an important and meaningful part of the compensation employees receive. Review more information at BNL | Benefits Program
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About Us
Brookhaven National Laboratory (www.bnl.gov) delivers discovery science and transformative technology to power and secure the nation’s future. Brookhaven Lab is a multidisciplinary laboratory with seven Nobel Prize-winning discoveries, 37 R&D 100 Awards, and more than 70 years of pioneering research. The Lab is primarily supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science. Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA) operates and manages the Laboratory for DOE. BSA is a partnership between Battelle and The Research Foundation for the State University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University. BSA salutes our veterans and active military members with careers that leverage the skills and unique experience they gained while serving our country, learn more at BNL | Opportunities for Veterans at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
Guided by our core values of integrity, responsibility, innovation, respect, and teamwork, Brookhaven Science Associates is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer-Vets/Disabled. We are committed to fostering a respectful and collaborative environment that fuels scientific discovery. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to any characteristic protected by law. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. We ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. *VEVRAA Federal Contractor
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