Conservation Director Jobs in Minnesota (NOW HIRING)

By joining Bio-Techne, you'll join a company with a powerful and positive purpose of enabling cutting-edge research in Life Sciences and Clinical Diagnostics. Bio-Techne, and all of its brands, provides tools for researchers to further treat and prevent disease worldwide.

Pay Range:

Position Summary

The Director, Enterprise Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) is responsible for establishing and leading the company's enterprise-wide EH&S strategy, governance framework, and core programs across global operations. This role develops the standards, systems, and capabilities necessary to protect employees, support business objectives, and ensure compliance with applicable environmental, occupational health, and safety regulations.

Serving as the enterprise functional leader for EH&S, the Director provides strategic direction and technical guidance to site-level EH&S leaders through a matrix organization while directly managing external consultants and specialized resources supporting enterprise initiatives. The role partners closely with leaders across Operations, Facilities, Research and Development, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Human Resources, Legal, and Sustainability to drive consistency, strengthen risk management practices, and foster a culture of safety and accountability throughout the organization.

This position requires deep expertise in complex EH&S programs common to biotechnology and life sciences organizations, including chemical safety, industrial hygiene, laboratory safety, biosafety, bloodborne pathogen programs, ergonomics, product stewardship, hazard communication, Safety Data Sheet (SDS) management, and global product labeling requirements, including Classification, Labeling and Packaging (CLP) regulations.

Key Accountabilities

Enterprise EH&S Strategy and Governance

• Develop and execute the enterprise EH&S strategy aligned with organizational priorities and business objectives.
• Establish and maintain the global EH&S governance framework, including enterprise standards, policies, procedures, and performance expectations.
• Identify, assess, and prioritize enterprise EH&S risks and develop mitigation strategies to reduce organizational exposure.
• Provide strategic counsel to executive leadership regarding EH&S performance, emerging risks, regulatory developments, and resource requirements.
• Lead enterprise EH&S governance committees and facilitate cross-functional decision-making related to EH&S priorities.
• Foster a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.

Enterprise Program Leadership

Develop, implement, and continuously improve enterprise programs and standards related to:

• Chemical safety and hazardous materials management.
• Industrial hygiene programs, including occupational exposure assessment, risk characterization, and exposure control strategies.
• Laboratory safety programs supporting research and development activities.
• Biosafety programs supporting laboratory and clinical operations, including biological hazard assessments and containment practices.
• Bloodborne pathogen exposure control programs.
• Ergonomics and musculoskeletal injury prevention initiatives.
• Hazard communication programs.
• Safety Data Sheet (SDS) authoring, maintenance, and governance.
• Product stewardship programs, including hazard classification, regulatory intelligence, and support for product development and commercialization activities.
• Global product classification and labeling requirements, including CLP and other applicable international regulations.
• Incident reporting, investigation, root cause analysis, and corrective action processes.
• Contractor and third-party EH&S governance, including qualification requirements, performance expectations, and oversight processes.
• Emergency preparedness and response standards.
• Environmental compliance programs, including waste management, pollution prevention, and resource conservation initiatives.
• Enterprise EH&S audit and assurance programs designed to verify compliance and evaluate program effectiveness.

Regulatory Compliance and Technical Leadership

• Monitor and interpret applicable federal, state, local, and international EH&S regulations and assess organizational impacts.
• Ensure enterprise standards and programs align with regulatory requirements and recognized best practices.
• Serve as the organization's senior technical resource for complex EH&S matters, emerging risks, and evolving regulatory expectations.
• Develop exposure assessment strategies and risk-based controls for chemical, biological, and physical hazards.
• Support regulatory inspections, audits, and interactions with governmental agencies as needed.
• Partner with Legal, Regulatory Affairs, Quality, and business leaders to address EH&S implications associated with operational and strategic initiatives.

Functional Leadership and Collaboration

• Provide functional leadership and subject matter expertise to site-level EH&S leaders through a dotted-line reporting relationship to support consistent implementation of enterprise standards and programs.
• Establish mechanisms to share best practices, lessons learned, and emerging regulatory requirements across locations.
• Build strong partnerships with site leadership teams to strengthen EH&S capability and maturity throughout the organization.
• Direct and oversee the work of external consultants and specialized technical resources supporting enterprise EH&S initiatives.
• Influence and build alignment across diverse stakeholder groups within a matrixed, global environment.
• Identify organizational capability needs and recommend resource strategies to support enterprise EH&S objectives.

Integration with Business Operations

• Partner with Research and Development teams to proactively identify EH&S considerations associated with emerging technologies, novel materials, new laboratory activities, and evolving business needs.
• Establish processes to evaluate EH&S impacts associated with organizational changes, including new facilities, laboratory activities, equipment, materials, and business initiatives.
• Collaborate with Facilities, Engineering, Operations, and Quality teams to ensure EH&S requirements are integrated into projects, operational changes, and capital initiatives.
• Support the organization's sustainability objectives through collaboration on initiatives related to environmental stewardship and responsible resource management.

Systems, Metrics, and Continuous Improvement

• Develop and maintain enterprise EH&S standards, procedures, and supporting documentation.
• Design enterprise training strategies and partner with sites to ensure effective implementation and competency development.
• Establish enterprise EH&S performance indicators, including leading and lagging metrics, to assess organizational effectiveness, identify emerging risks, and drive accountability.
• Develop reporting processes and dashboards to communicate EH&S performance and program effectiveness to leaders at all levels of the organization.
• Advance the use of EH&S management systems, digital tools, and data analytics to improve organizational performance and decision-making.
• Lead assessments of EH&S program maturity and identify opportunities for continual improvement.
• Support alignment with applicable management system frameworks, including ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 principles.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Occupational Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Public Health, Chemistry, Biology, or a related technical discipline.
• Ten (10) or more years of progressive EH&S experience, including responsibility for enterprise, regional, or multi-site EH&S programs.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing enterprise EH&S standards, policies, governance processes, and risk management programs.
• Experience supporting laboratory, research, manufacturing, or other regulated environments within biotechnology, life sciences, healthcare, or related industries.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. OSHA requirements and environmental regulations, with familiarity navigating international EH&S requirements.
• Experience leading through influence in matrixed organizations and working effectively with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success driving organizational change and fostering a culture of safety and accountability.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Occupational Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Health, Engineering, or a related field.
• Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), or equivalent professional certification.
• Experience within biotechnology, life sciences, pharmaceutical, medical device, or similarly regulated industries.
• Demonstrated expertise in chemical safety, industrial hygiene, laboratory safety, biosafety, and biological hazard control programs.
• Experience with product stewardship programs, SDS management, and global hazard communication requirements, including CLP regulations.
• Familiarity with REACH and other international product compliance frameworks.
• Experience supporting ISO 14001 and/or ISO 45001 management systems.
• Experience developing enterprise audit programs and leading regulatory inspections.
• Experience managing external consultants and technical service providers.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Deep technical expertise across environmental, health, and safety disciplines, with particular strength in chemical safety, industrial hygiene, and laboratory environments.
• Strong understanding of occupational exposure assessment methodologies and risk-based control strategies.
• Ability to interpret complex regulatory requirements and translate them into practical, scalable business processes and enterprise standards.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority and build effective partnerships across organizational levels and geographic regions.
• Strong strategic thinking, sound judgment, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, including experience communicating effectively with executive audiences.
• Ability to balance regulatory compliance, operational effectiveness, scientific innovation, and business objectives.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Commitment to continuous improvement and the advancement of a positive safety culture.

Working Conditions

• Hybrid or on-site work arrangement based on business needs.
• Domestic and international travel of approximately 20-30% to support global operations.
• Occasional work outside standard business hours to support global teams and respond to urgent EH&S matters.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to conduct facility walkthroughs, inspections, and assessments in office, laboratory, and operational environments.
• Ability to travel between domestic and international locations.
• Prolonged periods of sitting and working at a computer.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 25 pounds on an occasional basis.

Why Join Bio-Techne:

• We offer competitive insurance benefits starting on day one: medical, dental, vision, life, short-term disability, long-term disability, pet, and legal and ID shield.
• We invest in our employees' financial futures through 401k plans, an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), Health Saving Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), and Dependent Care FSA.
• We empower our employees develop their careers through mentorship, promotional opportunities, training and development, tuition reimbursement, internship programs, and more.
• We offer employee resource groups, volunteer paid time off, employee events, and charity drives to build a culture of caring and belonging.
• We offer an accrued leave policy with paid holidays, paid time off, and paid parental leave.
• We foster a culture of empowerment and innovation, where employees feel valued and encouraged to bring their new ideas to the table.

Bio-Techne is an E-Verify Employer in the United States.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

To protect the interests of all, Bio-Techne will not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than a candidate application. Any unsolicited resumes sent to Bio-Techne will be considered Bio-Techne property.

If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete an application, participate in an interview, or take part in any other stage of the recruitment process, please contact hr@bio-techne.com for assistance.