Manager – Process Safety Lab

Manager, Process Safety Laboratory – Albany, NY

Build your future at Curia, where our work has the power to save lives.

The Manager, Process Safety Laboratory role is responsible for managing Curia's Process Safety Laboratory to liaise and support project process safety activities at different Curia sites; this includes new business opportunities, development projects, and production activities at manufacturing sites. The role works closely with the Corporate Process Safety Team on daily and strategic items.

This supervisory role involves coordinating day-to-day lab activities, performing and overseeing process safety experiments, writing/reviewing process safety reports, and providing technical feedback and guidance on a program’s potential reactive chemical hazards as well as strategic lab development (e.g., instrument and program). Typical experiments include: reaction calorimetry, thermal stability, and explosivity screening and to perform related auxiliary tasks in the support thereof. 

Curia is a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with over 30 years of experience partnering with pharmaceutical and biotech companies to provide life-saving treatments to patients. At Curia, we are on a mission to advance our customers’ therapies from curiosity to cure and ultimately to improve patients’ lives.

We proudly offer

• Generous benefit options (eligible first day of employment) 
• Paid training, vacation and holidays (vacation accrual begins on first day of employment)
• Career advancement opportunities 
• Education reimbursement
• 401K program with matching contributions
• Learning platform
• And more!

Responsibilities 

• Perform desktop-based review of current projects and new business opportunities, providing feedback on potential hazards and necessary testing to technical & bid writing teams
• Conduct literature searches for relevant process safety information (e.g., hazardous properties of materials)
• As necessary, design tailored testing protocols for unique reactive chemical hazards
• Perform and/or direct experiments internally (or externally as appropriate)
• Interpret results through application of process safety principles (e.g., explosive properties, TMR, Stoessel’s Criticality Index, dust explosivity)
• Infer safe chemical handling conditions to address physical hazards based on experimental results
• Propose risk-reduction measures to control identified hazards to acceptable levels
• Author, review, and communicate test reports to project teams
• Manage data collection to ensure accessibility across Curia
• Occasionally participate in PHAs (or educate the core team) as a reactive chemical hazards SME
• Work with the Corporate PS team to further develop guidance and to work with sites to implement
• Develop and deliver training packages pertinent to the process safety program
• Manage and prioritize multiple projects effectively to ensure that testing and reports are completed on a timely basis
• Work with Corporate Process Safety to develop and implement a long-term laboratory improvement plan to support evolving business needs
• Perform other related duties as may be reasonably assigned in the course of business
• Ensure that all laboratory operations are conducted in a safe manner in accordance with the Chemical Hygiene Plan

Supervisory responsibilities

This position will involve supervisory responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Degree in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering 
• Ph.D. with at least 1-2 years of experience with an emphasis on process safety
• M.S. with at least 2-3 years of experience with an emphasis on in process safety
• B.S. with at least 3-5 years of experience with an emphasis on in process safety

Other Skills and Abilities

• Hands-on experience with: Thermal stability (e.g., DSC, ARC), calorimetry (e.g., RC1), and gas generation 
• Knowledge of chemical explosivity screening (e.g., transport regulations), of dust explosivity testing (e.g., MIE), of flammability (e.g., Flash Point, LEL/UEL), and of electrical conductivity
• Experience with applying process safety data within a chemical batch scale-up environment
• Knowledge of synthetic chemistry and pharmaceutical development is highly advantageous
• Ability to contribute to PHAs (e.g., HazOp, FMEA, What-If) is advantageous
• Management/leadership experience and knowledge of business operations is preferred

Pay Range: $104,000-$130,250

Education, experience, location and tenure may be considered along with internal equity when job offers are extended.

We do not accept unsolicited assistance from any headhunters or recruitment firms for any of our job openings. All resumes or profiles submitted by search firms to any employee at Curia, in any form without a valid, signed search agreement by an authorized signatory in place for the specific position, approved by Talent Acquisition, will be deemed the sole property of Curia. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Curia because of the unsolicited referral.

All interested applicants must apply online. Please be aware of scammers. Curia will only send offer letters and requests for sensitive personal information from a curiaglobal.com email address. Curia is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. Curia is an E-Verify employer.

#LI-AC1