ACL-3 Facility Manager - 140436

University of California San Diego; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

University of California, San Diego is seeking an experienced Facility Manager to operate and maintain a high‑containment ACL‑3 suite. You will oversee compliance with federal and state regulations, coordinate with EH&S, and ensure audit‑ready records while managing budgets and supplier contracts.

The role demands advanced expertise in containment practices, biosafety protocols, and safety program development, with responsibility for training, certification tracking, and incident response

Qualifications

• Doctorate in biological sciences, entomology, microbiology, or a closely related field required.
• Advanced knowledge of administrative, budgetary, human resources and financial principles and practices, preferred.
• Advanced knowledge of ACL-2/ACL-3 arthropod containment practices, BSL-2/BSL-3 biosafety protocols, and federal regulatory frameworks governing high‑containment biological research.
• Advanced oral and written communication skills with diverse stakeholders.
• Strategic thinking to diagnose facility problems and develop practical solutions under time pressure.
• Strong collaboration across research groups, regulatory agencies, and institutional departments.
• Experience partnering with EH&S, Physical Facilities, Animal Care, IBC, USDA, CDC and others to ensure compliance.
• Experience managing BSL-3 or ACL-2/ACL-3 containment facilities or equivalent.
• Knowledge of federal permit management: USDA APHIS, CDC, CDFA.
• Ability to develop and implement safety manuals, SOPs, and training programs.
• Experience training personnel in biosafety, PPE management, fit testing, and documentation tracking.
• Experience managing purchasing, vendor relations, and budgets in a research setting.
• Proficiency with computer systems and software for record‑keeping; Google Workspace preferred.
• Commitment to UC San Diego's Principles of Community.

Responsibilities

• Operate a recommissioned ACL‑3 suite with strict separation, containment, and access control.
• Maintain compliance with USDA ACL‑3 regulations and coordinate with regulatory agencies.
• Develop and update safety manuals, SOPs, and training programs; track certifications.
• Oversee ACL‑3 PPE inventory, distribution, and respiratory protection standards.
• Coordinate annual facility shutdowns, verify HVAC, biosafety cabinets, autoclaves, and containment.
• Serve as primary liaison with EH&S and UC Police; report to federal agencies as needed.
• Manage budgeting, purchasing, and vendor contracts for facility operations.

Skills

ACL-3 containment

Regulatory liaison

Emergency response

Training delivery

Budgeting & purchasing

Cross-functional collaboration

Safety documentation

PPE management

Education

Doctorate in biological sciences

Tools

Google Workspace

Job description

#140436 ACL-3 Facility Manager

Filing Deadline: Wed 7/22/2026

DESCRIPTION

The Facility Manager operates a recommissioned, high‑containment ACL‑3 suite containing two distinct areas, with strict separation maintained through room assignment, containment procedures, decontamination protocols, personnel flow, and access control. This position reports to the Associate Dean of Research in the School of Biological Sciences.

The Facility Manager ensures safe, compliant, and efficient operation under USDA ACL‑3 regulations—among the most heavily regulated biological research environments globally, subject to regular USDA, CDC, and California Department of Food and Agriculture oversight and unannounced inspections. Core responsibilities include maintaining continuous compliance, administering federal permits, serving as the primary liaison with regulatory agencies, and preserving audit‑ready records.

The role encompasses annual facility shutdown coordination, verifying HVAC systems, biosafety cabinets, autoclaves, and secondary containment integrity; aligning different ABSL‑3 users to prevent resource conflicts; and managing facility access and documentation. The manager develops and continually updates a comprehensive safety manual and standard operating procedures for containment, decontamination, and emergency response; designs and delivers biosafety training with certification tracking; oversees specialized ACL‑3 PPE inventory, distribution, and respiratory‑protection standards; and creates emergency response plans for containment breaches, spills, and personnel exposures, serving as the principal contact with EH&S and UC Police during incidents and coordinating timely reporting to federal agencies such as the CDC and USDA.

Expected outcomes include zero regulatory violations, successful annual certifications with minimal research disruption, consistent training compliance, and prompt incident response. The Facility Manager will collaborate directly with the Dean’s Office of the School of Biological Sciences, Abkari lab researchers, and the principal faculty investigator(s) to refine and expand the functional scope of the position.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Doctorate in biological sciences, entomology, microbiology, or a closely related field required.
• Advanced knowledge of administrative, budgetary, human resources and financial principles and practices, preferred.
• Advanced knowledge of ACL‑2/ACL‑3 arthropod containment practices, BSL‑2/BSL‑3 biosafety protocols, and the federal regulatory frameworks governing high‑containment biological research.
• Advanced oral and written communication skills. Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders, including researchers, regulatory agency representatives, institutional safety officers, and facility users at all levels.
• Advanced ability to think creatively and independently on concepts requiring advanced analytical skills. Demonstrated ability to independently diagnose facility operational problems, assess compliance risks, and develop practical solutions under time pressure and with minimal supervision.
• Advanced interpersonal skills and ability to work with diverse groups to achieve results. Demonstrated ability to coordinate effectively across multiple research groups, federal agency representatives, institutional departments, and visiting scholars.
• Advanced ability to work collaboratively with internal and external peers and managers. Demonstrated experience partnering with EH&S, Physical Facilities, Animal Care, IBC, USDA, CDC, and other institutional and federal partners to achieve compliance and operational outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience managing BSL‑3 or ACL‑2/ACL‑3 containment facilities, or equivalent high‑containment biological research environments.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal permit management processes for regulated organisms, including USDA APHIS, CDC, and California Department of Food and Agriculture permitting.
• Proven ability to develop and implement comprehensive safety manuals, SOPs, and training programs, including for high‑containment research facilities.
• Experience training personnel for biosafety and containment protocols, including PPE management, fit testing, and training documentation tracking.
• Experience managing laboratory or facility purchasing, vendor relationships, equipment maintenance contracts, and operational budgets in a research environment.
• Proficiency with computer systems and software for record‑keeping, scheduling, inventory management, and regulatory documentation. Familiarity with Google Workspace (Drive, Sheets, Calendar) preferred.
• Willingness and ability to embrace and practice UC San Diego's Principles of Community, including a commitment to maintaining a climate of fairness, cooperation, and professionalism.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

• Must be willing and able to work with live arthropods and biological materials at ACL‑3 containment levels.
• Must have no disqualifying allergies or medical conditions that preclude working in high‑containment biological research environments.
• Must be willing and able to obtain and maintain all required biosafety certifications, federal permits, and training authorizations required for ACL‑3 facility operations, including USDA and CDC credentialing as applicable.
• Must pass all required background checks and security clearances associated with work involving USDA‑regulated organisms and select agent‑adjacent containment requirements.
• Must be willing and able to work a flexible schedule, including occasional evenings and weekends as required by facility operations, inspection schedules, or incident response.
• Must be able to perform fit testing and comply with all respiratory protection program requirements for ACL‑3 PPE.
• Job offer is contingent upon satisfactory clearance based on Background Check results.

METRICS & BENEFITS

Annual Full Pay Range: Unclassified – No data available (will be prorated if the appointment percentage is less than 100%). Factors determining compensation include experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs.

POLICY & EEO

If employed by the University of California, you will be required to comply with our Policy on Vaccination Programs, which may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

To foster the best possible working and learning environment, UC San Diego strives to cultivate a rich and diverse environment, inclusive and supportive of all students, faculty, staff and visitors. For more information, please visit UC San Diego Principles of Community.

The University of California 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, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts an offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer.

Mandatory mandatory: The University of California 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, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.