Manager, Sustainable Labs

UVA Health is hiring a Manager, Sustainable Labs to oversee the Green Labs outreach program and participate in Smart Labs initiatives. The role involves managing projects related to sustainability, including lab ventilation assessments and engaging with stakeholders. The position requires strong project management skills and is part of the Office for Sustainability at the University of Virginia. While workplace flexibility is supported, 100% remote work is not possible.
The University of Virginia’s Office for Sustainability is seeking a Manager, Sustainable Labs. Reporting to the Associate Director, Sustainability; manages the Green Labs outreach program and is a key participant in the Smart Labs ventilation risk assessment and HVAC retro-commissioning program. These two programs combined yield a Sustainable Lab.

UVA launched a Green Labs outreach and engagement program in 2015. Introducing Smart Labs in 2019 advanced sustainability through lab LED lighting retrofits, building HVAC audits, and comprehensive ventilation risk assessments resulting in subsequent air change reductions. In addition, Sustainable Labs has bundled Green Labs outreach and education initiatives with Smart Labs projects to capitalize on the many safety and sustainability opportunities found in labs. In FY25 the program will save over $1.6M in just two buildings.

Sustainability at the University is interdisciplinary, multi-faceted and highly collaborative, encompassing academics, research, and operations and a range of topics, including greenhouse gases, energy, water, waste, food, and student/faculty/staff engagement. This role is a core member of the University of Virginia's Office for Sustainability team and will contribute to developing solutions to meet university-wide goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and overall environmental stewardship.

We support workplace flexibility when appropriate, but 100% remote work is not possible. The department will not sponsor applicants for employment visas.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Working with the Associate Director, Sustainability; set strategic direction for the Sustainable Labs Program:

Manage Green Labs Program:
• Supervise the Green Labs Outreach and Engagement Specialist
• General Green Labs engagement (Certification, Freezer Challenge, Shut the Sash)
• Tabling, Planning Events, Print & Social Media
• Building-specific engagement for Green Labs projects
• Student Employees and Programming

Participate in the Smart Labs Team:
• Manage the Smart Labs Project Associate.
• Project Kickoff, generating project documents, meeting facilitation, facilitation for building budget.
• Lab Ventilation Risk Assessments / Lab Ventilation Management .Plan / Risk Control Band Change Management.
• Occupied Lab Access, scheduling work in labs.
• Updating and maintaining project documents.
• Budget and schedule tracking.
• Project Closeout, finalizing project documents, paying contractors and vendors, reviewing lessons learned.
• Manage relationships with building occupants, schedules.
• Organize and conduct periodic project progress meetings with customers and stakeholders.
• Document progress and collaborate with stakeholders on initiatives and projects.
• Coordinate with staff, stakeholders and contractors to minimize occupant disruption during construction.
• Serve as customer’s point of contact for receiving project feedback, concerns, or technical issues.
• Organize relevant project documents in central electronic project directory.

Required Skills:

Successful candidates will have demonstrated experience in project management, change management, knowledge of sustainability issues, and strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience working in a professional setting managing several projects at once, working independently and as part of a team.
• Keen eye for lab safety, quality control, and attention to detail.
• Experience working in or around laboratories with an appreciation for and understanding of lab environments.
• Strong organizational skills to ensure all deliverables are high quality, submitted on time, and appropriately stored or historized.
• Excellent oral and written communication in daily interactions.
• Proven ability to clearly articulate specific information.
• Collaborative, innovative and solutions oriented, with a demonstrated enthusiasm for visiting laboratories and working directly with researchers, space managers, engineers, safety specialists, and more, to implement Smart Labs and Green Labs projects and initiatives.
• Ability to navigate and interpret data analytics tools and reports, such as Tableau.

Required Education and Experience:
• Bachelor’s degree
• A minimum of seven years of professional experience in the fields of research science, health and safety, sustainability, project management, engineering, architecture, change management, construction management, or other relevant field.

Preferred Experience:
• Advanced degree preferred
• Experience supervising direct reports

Anticipated Compensation: $85,000-95,000; based on education and experience. These are full-time, 40 hour per week exempt positions with UVA benefits.

Physical Demands: This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers, however, regular visits to inspect existing buildings will be required. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings and programs.

To Apply:

Please apply online, and search for “R0071865.” Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile by searching “Find UVA Jobs.” Complete an application online with the following documents:
• CV/Resume
• Cover letter

Upload all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission. Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration.

The selected applicant will be required to complete a background check prior to their first day of employment per University policy.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Click here to read more about UVA’s commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment.