Biosafety & Containment Officer
Independent authority for containment compliance, audit, and incident command across GCL-1 through GCL-4 operations.
Role Summary
The Biosafety & Containment Officer (BCO) holds independent authority to inspect, halt, and remediate any operation that threatens containment integrity. The BCO maintains the facility's biosafety program — the graded containment standards, the audit schedule, the incident-command structure — and is the designated authority for classifying and responding to containment events. The role carries stop-work authority: the BCO may suspend any activity, in any bay, regardless of the seniority of those conducting it, when containment is at risk. This independence is structural, not advisory. The BCO reports operationally to the Director of Containment but escalates unresolved safety findings directly to the Office of the CBO.
Key Responsibilities
- Own and maintain the graded containment standard, including SOP-VC-CONT-0301 (GCL-4 Containment), and approve all changes to containment-relevant procedure.
- Plan and conduct the facility audit program — scheduled, for-cause, and surprise audits of bays, vaults, PPE compliance, and chain-of-custody — and publish findings with corrective-action deadlines.
- Classify every containment event (near-miss, deviation, breach) and serve as Incident Commander for GCL-3/GCL-4 events until stand-down.
- Exercise stop-work authority where containment is at risk and document each invocation in the incident register.
- Administer personnel GCL clearance: review training currency against the Certification Matrix and suspend badge access for any lapsed safety-critical credential.
- Coordinate with Legal & Compliance on regulatory notification, external inspection, and seizure/recovery legal posture.
- Oversee the toxin-exposure biomonitoring program with HR Wellness; review exposure trends and mandate controls.
- Direct facility-wide containment drills and the emergency-response calendar; grade performance and require remediation.
- Maintain the biosafety risk register and report containment KPIs to the Directorate monthly.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's or higher in biosafety, microbiology, toxicology, botany, or a related discipline; 7+ years in containment or biosafety, including 3+ at a senior level.
- Current GCL-4 Containment, Emergency Response — Advanced, and Toxin Handling Tier 3 certification.
- Demonstrated audit program ownership and incident-command experience.
- Mastery of the facility SOP framework and regulatory landscape for engineered and hazardous flora.
Preferred Qualifications
- Registered Biosafety Professional credential or equivalent.
- Experience drafting containment regulation or interfacing with external regulators.
- Root-cause analysis / human-factors investigation training.
Certifications Required
| Certification | Status at Hire | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| GCL-4 Containment | Required | Annual |
| Emergency Response — Advanced | Required | Annual |
| Toxin Handling Tier 3 | Required | Annual |
| Lead Auditor — Containment | Required ≤90d | 36 months |
Physical & Hazard Requirements
- Don full encapsulating PPE and SCBA on short notice; tolerate event-duration deployment.
- Pass GCL-4 medical fitness and maintain monthly biomonitoring.
- On-call availability for incident command outside standard hours.
Compensation Band
Career Path
The BCO (O4) advances to Director of Containment (VC-HR-J005, O5) and, at the executive level, into the Directorate's containment leadership. The role is a recognized feeder into the Office of the CBO for safety governance.