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Job Description

The Radiation Safety section of the Department of Environmental Health & Safety has an outstanding opportunity for a Health Physicist to join their team.

Reporting to Radiation Safety Manager, the Health Physicist provides professional level program administration and management with substantial responsibility for directing and controlling program operations for assigned programs. The Health Physicist utilizes specialized knowledge of radiation safety principles and practices to establish policies, methods, and procedures for assigned programs. The Health Physicist ensures assigned programs conform to federal and state regulations and University and EH&S policies. As such, the Health Physicist is accountable for program results and success.

The Health Physicist will be involved in strategic planning, program development, and process improvement. This position works closely with internal and external clients and partners to collaborate regarding regulatory compliance issues, training, policy analysis, and reporting to ensure the success of each program. The Health Physicist will directly contribute to and be accountable for creating and sustaining a culture of service, quality, accountability and excellence within Radiation Safety and UW Environmental Health and Safety.

This is a full-time, hybrid position with a planned telework schedule of 3 days onsite, 2 days remote.

Key Responsibilities

This position manages the following radiation safety programs:

Radioactive Material Shipping and Receiving Program (20%)

• Manage and administer the safety program that ensures the shipment and receipt of packages containing radioactive material is conducted in accordance with industry standards and regulatory, license, and institutional requirements.
• Update the radioactive material shipping and receiving program as needed to maintain compliance with these requirements and to improve efficiency of operations.
• Maintain policies and Radiation Safety Operating Procedures (RSOPs) for the shipping and receiving program.
• Incorporate quality assurance (QA) checks into shipping and receiving operations and procedures.
• Identify, compile, and analyze data needed to monitor radioactive materials received and shipped.
• Provide data needed for reports, audits, and inspections, and provide recommendations to supervisors regarding necessary resources and actions to maintain a compliant and effective radioactive materials shipping and receiving program.
• Assure records associated with the receipt and shipment of radioactive materials are complete, current, and managed according to the UW record retention schedules, and established departmental policies and procedures. This includes documentation of receipt inspections and surveys, required shipping papers, records of billing for shipping services, and other required documentation.
• Address discrepancies identified during inspections and audits of the shipping and receiving program and recommend corrective actions to supervisors.
• Ensure a qualified individual is designated and available on-site during University business hours to properly receive and survey packages containing radioactive material.
• Investigate packages that do not pass the required receipt surveys and inspections, determine the necessary follow-up actions and notifications, and ensure they are completed in a timely manner.
• Receive customer shipment requests, schedule shipments, and notify appropriate personnel to ensure timely delivery or shipment of radioactive material.
• Coordinate and perform deliveries of radioactive packages using a UW vehicle to UW facilities, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Harborview Medical Center, and other locations in the local area.
• Prepare radioactive material packages for shipment pursuant to all Federal, State, and international regulations.
• Coordinate and perform shipments of radioactive material transported by FedEx or another carrier.
• Optimize deliveries of packages to offsite locations to coincide with other scheduled activities to improve efficiency and minimize travel time and expenses.
• Provide customer service interactions including shipping requests and scheduling changes, delivery notifications, recharges for shipping services, and answering questions related to packaging and shipping logistics and costs within scope of training and experience.

Radiation Detection Instrument Calibration Program (20%)

• Manage and administer the safety program that ensures the calibration of radiation detection instruments is conducted in accordance with industry standards and regulatory, license, and institutional requirements.
• Update the instrument calibration program as needed to maintain compliance with these requirements and to improve efficiency of operations.
• Maintain policies and RSOPs to ensure the calibration of radiation detection instrumentation is conducted in accordance with industry standards and regulatory and institutional requirements.
• Incorporate quality assurance (QA) checks into instrument calibration operations and procedures.
• Coordinate and perform calibration of radiation detection instrumentation including Geiger Mueller and scintillation detectors, ion chambers and other exposure rate instruments, liquid scintillation counters (LSC), etc.
• Coordinate and perform quarterly dose calibrator checks for nuclear medicine clinics and radiochemistry hot labs.
• Optimize monthly instrument calibration schedule to increase efficiency and minimize travel to offsite facilities.
• Investigate radiation instruments that do not pass calibration. Perform minor repairs on radiation instruments and/or send them to the manufacturer for repair.
• Identify, compile, and analyze data needed to monitor the instrument calibration program.
• Provide data needed for reports, audits, and inspections, and provide recommendations to supervisors regarding necessary resources and actions to maintain a compliant and effective instrument calibration program.
• Assure records associated with the calibration of radiation detection instruments are complete, current, and managed according to the UW record retention schedules, and established departmental policies and procedures.
• Address discrepancies identified during inspections and audits of the instrument calibration program and recommend corrective actions to supervisors.
• Provide customer service interactions including notification and retrieval of instruments for calibration, recommendations for repair or replacement, answering questions and providing basic hands-on radiation instrumentation training within scope of training and experience.

Radioactive Material Survey and Inspection Program (20%)

• Manage and administer the safety program that ensures that radiological surveys and inspections are conducted in accordance with industry standards and regulatory, license, and institutional requirements.
• Update the survey and inspection program as needed to maintain compliance with these requirements and to improve efficiency of operations.
• Maintain policies and RSOPs to ensure the monitoring of areas where radioactive material is used and stored is conducted in accordance with industry standards and regulatory and institutional requirements. Collaborate with the other staff members to ensure consistent requirements across Radiation Safety Programs.
• Incorporate quality assurance (QA) checks into survey and inspections operations and procedures.
• Coordinate and conduct surveys and inspections of areas authorized (or previously authorized) for work with unsealed radioactive material or sealed radioactive sources.
• Optimize monthly survey and inspection schedule to increase efficiency, coordinate with schedule inspections, and minimize travel to offsite facilities.
• Assure records associated with the survey and inspection program are complete, current, and managed according to the UW record retention schedules, and established departmental policies and procedures.
• Identify, compile, and analyze data needed for reports, audits, and inspections, and provide recommendations to supervisors regarding necessary resources and actions to maintain the survey and inspection program.
• Provide data needed for reports, audits, and inspections, and provide recommendations to supervisors regarding necessary resources and actions to maintain a compliant and effective survey and inspection program.
• Investigate instances when contamination is found in unauthorized areas, notify area personnel and the RMCM, and ensure actions are taken to clean the contamination or control the area until it can be cleaned.
• Address discrepancies identified during inspections and audits of the survey and inspection program and recommend corrective actions to supervisors.
• Provide customer service interactions including scheduling surveys, notification of contamination, recommendations for/assistance with decontamination, answering questions, and providing basic radiation/lab safety training to lab personnel within scope of training and experience.

Radiation Producing Machine Survey and Inspection Program (20%)

• Manage and administer the safety program that ensures radiation producing machines and dental x-ray devices surveys and inspections are conducted in accordance with industry standards and regulatory, license, and institutional requirements.
• Update the program as needed to maintain compliance with these requirements and to improve efficiency of operations.
• Maintain policies and RSOPs to ensure the monitoring of areas where radiation producing machines and dental x-ray devices are used is conducted in accordance with industry standards and institutional requirements. Collaborate with staff members to ensure consistent requirements across Radiation Safety Programs.
• Maintain an inventory (and state registration) of all radiation producing machines including analytical and cabinet x-ray machines, electron microscopes, and all dental x-ray devices.
• Coordinate and perform surveys and inspections of radiation producing machines and dental x-ray devices.
• Optimize monthly survey and inspection schedule to increase efficiency and minimize travel to offsite facilities.
• Review practices, interlocks, procedures, and take measurements on analytical, cabinet, and dental x-ray machines to evaluate adequacy of safeguards.
• Identify, compile, and analyze data needed to monitor the radiation producing machines survey and inspection program.
• Provide data needed for reports, audits, and inspections, and provide recommendations to supervisors regarding necessary resources and actions to maintain a compliant and effective survey and inspection program.
• Ensure operators of radiation producing machines are trained (or being supervised) and able to perform safe operation of the x-ray equipment and are doing so in accordance with regulatory and institutional requirements.
• If items are found during the inspection that violate compliance requirements, follow up with the device owners and the RMCM to ensure corrective actions are performed.
• Document surveys and inspections performed, including any violations found, in accordance with institutional requirements.
• Identify, compile, and analyze data needed for reports, audits, and inspections, and provide recommendations to supervisors regarding necessary resources and actions to maintain the survey and inspection program.
• Maintain environmental monitors for radiation producing machines and dental x-ray devices to assure compliance with exposure limits to scatter radiation from radiation generating equipment.
• Address discrepancies identified during surveys and inspections as well as audits of the radiation producing machine survey and inspection program and recommend corrective actions to supervisors.
• Provide customer service interactions including scheduling surveys/inspections, notification of deficiencies, answering questions, and providing basic radiation/lab safety training to lab personnel within scope of training and experience.

This position supports the following:

Radiation Safety Section Support (15%)

• Cross train in other Radiation Safety programs to provide support that ensures continuity of services during the absence of other Health Physicists.
• Perform semi-annual sealed source leak tests as assigned.
• Collaborate with other Radiation Safety staff to conduct an annual audit of the Radiation Protection program.
• Attend Radiation Safety section meetings, work on special projects.
• Other duties and projects as assigned.

EH& S Department Support and other duties as assigned (5%)

• Collaborate with other EH&S technical groups as part of the larger integrated EH&S program.
• Comply with regulations and University and departmental policies and procedures regarding health and safety.
• Incorporate strategic planning initiatives from the EH&S Strategic plan into routine work. Support data gathering for metrics and performance monitoring of programs to ensure organizational efficiencies and desired outcomes are met and program goals are reached.
• Attend EH&S departmental and team meetings, serve on committees, work on special projects, other duties/projects as assigned.

Required Qualifications

To be considered for this opportunity your application must demonstrate you meet both the minimum qualifications and additional qualifications listed below. Equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license, certification, and/or registration.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in health physics, engineering, or science
• 4 years of professional experience in radiation safety, health physics, or related field.

Applicants who do not meet these qualifications will not be forwarded to the Hiring Department.

Additional Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to make professional judgments based on radiation safety principles and practices.
• Familiarity with various types of ionizing radiation sources including unsealed radioactive materials and sealed sources.
• Technical proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite software.
• Demonstrated strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree(s) in Health Physics, Engineering, or Science
• Radiation safety experience in a university setting.

Working Environment

This position requires working in environments that contain radioactive and other hazardous materials and/or radiation emitting equipment. The misuse or malfunction of these radiation sources can result in injury or illness. When assessing incidents and accidents, the Health Physicist must be technically knowledgeable and able to respond to inquiries regarding radiation exposure at University locations.

Conditions of Employment

• A satisfactory outcome of a fingerprint check and FBI criminal background verification.
• Licensed to operate a motor vehicle in the state of Washington.
• Position requires frequent travel within the main UW Seattle campus to client offices and facilities, and occasional travel to various UW decentralized offices and labs.

Compensation, Benefits and Position Details

Pay Range Minimum:

$80,004.00 annual

Pay Range Maximum:

$110,004.00 annual

Other Compensation:

Benefits:

For information about benefits for this position, visit https://www.washington.edu/jobs/benefits-for-uw-staff/

Shift:

First Shift (United States of America)

Temporary or Regular?

This is a regular position

FTE (Full-Time Equivalent):

100.00%

Union/Bargaining Unit:

Not Applicable

About the UW

Working at the University of Washington provides a unique opportunity to change lives – on our campuses, in our state and around the world.

UW employees bring their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to building stronger minds and a healthier world. In return, they enjoy outstanding benefits, opportunities for professional growth and the chance to work in an environment known for its diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

Our Commitment

The University of Washington is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful and welcoming community for all. As an equal opportunity employer, the University considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or veteran status consistent with UW Executive Order No. 81.

To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu.

Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law.