Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Manager

Position Title: Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Manager

Department: Facilities 

Reports To: Executive Director, Real Estate & Facilities 

Location: South San Francisco, CA – On-site 4 days per week (Mon to Thurs) 

Job Overview

As Kardigan grows our laboratory, clinical operations, and office footprint, we are hiring an experienced Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) professional to build and mature our EHS program. Reporting to the Executive Director, Real Estate & Facilities, this role will focus on building on that foundation—operationalizing, scaling, and continuously improving EHS programs as the company grows. This is a hands-on role for a leader who can translate established frameworks into effective day-to-day execution across a dynamic R&D environment.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Model a pragmatic, solutions-oriented approach to safety—balancing speed and scientific progress with risk awareness; enabling teams to “do the work safely” rather than acting as a gatekeeper.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve Kardigan's EHS program across our South San Francisco and Princeton sites, with an emphasis on laboratory and biotech R&D operations.
• Serve as Kardigan's subject matter expert on environmental, health, biosafety, and chemical hygiene matters, advising scientific and operational leadership.
• Develop and maintain a Chemical Hygiene Plan, Biosafety Manual, Hazard Communication Program, Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP), and other Cal/OSHA and federal OSHA-required written programs.
• Lead biosafety oversight for BSL-1 and BSL-2 work, including risk assessments, SOP review, biological agent registrations, and support for any future activities.
• Manage hazardous, biohazardous, chemical, and universal waste programs in compliance with EPA, DTSC, Cal/OSHA, local fire code, and DOT/IATA shipping requirements for biological and chemical materials.
• Oversee laboratory safety programs including chemical inventory management, fume hood and biosafety cabinet certifications, compressed gas and cryogen safety, and controlled substance compliance where applicable.
• Lead incident reporting, investigation, and incident learning process; track corrective and preventive actions and report metrics to leadership.
• Ensure delivery of EHS training for lab and office staff, including new hire orientation, lab safety, bloodborne pathogens, hazard communication, ergonomics, emergency response, and shipping of dangerous goods.
• Partner with Facilities and Lab Operations on facility build-outs, equipment installations, and move-management to ensure safety is designed in from day one.
• Maintain emergency preparedness and business continuity plans, including evacuation, medical response, spill response, earthquake preparedness, and after-hours response protocols.
• Manage relationships with regulatory agencies, landlords, building management, EHS vendors, occupational health providers, and waste haulers; serve as Kardigan's primary EHS point of contact during outside agency inspections and audits.
• Track and report EHS metrics, OSHA recordkeeping (300/300A logs), and sustainability indicators
• Support a proactive, science-forward safety decisions that supports rapid drug development without compromising on safety or compliance.

Qualifications & Preferred Skills

• Comfortable operating in ambiguity; able to build structure without over-engineering early solutions
• Strong judgment on when to implement “right-sized” processes vs. fully scaled systems
• Minimum of 5-7 years of progressive EHS experience in biotech, pharmaceutical, life sciences, or academic research environments, with at least 2-3 years in a lead or management capacity.
• Experience leveraging digital tools, including emerging AI/LLM-based solutions, to improve EHS program efficiency (e.g., SOP generation, audit readiness, incident analysis, training delivery, or data trend analysis).
• Working knowledge of Cal/OSHA, federal OSHA, EPA, DTSC, DOT, IATA, and CDC/NIH BMBL guidelines as they apply to laboratory and R&D operations.
• Hands-on experience managing chemical hygiene, biosafety (BSL-1/BSL-2), hazardous and biohazardous waste, and lab commissioning activities.
• Professional certification preferred (e.g., CSP, ASP, CIH, CHMM, RBP, or CBSP).
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage credibly with bench scientists, executives, and external partners.
• Strong organizational and project management skills; comfortable operating with autonomy in a fast-moving environment.
• Proficiency with EHS software, Microsoft Office, and electronic chemical inventory or waste tracking systems.
• Experience standing up or scaling EHS programs at an early- or growth-stage biotech is highly desirable.
• Physical Requirements and Work Environment
  • Primarily on-site role based in South San Francisco, CA, with regular travel to Kardigan's Princeton, NJ and other operational sites as needed (approximately 15–20%).
  • Available to respond to EHS incidents and emergencies outside of standard business hours when required.