Facilities and Maintenance Manager

Debut Biotech; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Debut Biotech in California is seeking a Facilities and Maintenance Manager to oversee facility and laboratory maintenance, safety training, and support shipping/receiving. The role requires managing maintenance records, working with outside vendors, and supervising inventory of reagents and labware.

You will lead preventive maintenance, calibrations, and upgrades, monitor utilities such as DI water, electrical, HVAC, and ensure compliance with EH&S standards while coordinating lab changes and

Qualifications

• BS or MS degree with 5+ years' experience in a biotechnology setting.
• Wet lab experience and broad knowledge of lab/facility equipment.
• Experience maintaining inventory, ordering supplies, and ensuring a clean, safe environment.
• Knowledge of EH&S regulations for laboratory safety.

Responsibilities

• Organizes preventive maintenance and minimizes downtime while ensuring safety and compliance.
• Manages equipment inventory, spare parts, and preventive maintenance schedules (CMMS MaintainX preferred).
• Oversees ordering, shipping/receiving, and maintenance of lab supplies, labware, and instruments.
• Controls calibration, maintenance, repairs, and service contracts; plans equipment upgrades.
• Monitors critical utility systems (DI water, electrical, HVAC) for optimal performance.
• Develops relationships with external vendors and coordinates lab changes or expansions.
• Responds to lab emergencies and enforces EHS standards and PPE policy.

Skills

Facility maintenance

Vendor relations

CMMS

Laboratory safety training

Inventory management

Education

BS or MS in a biotech/related field

Tools

MaintainX

Job description

Debut is the unconventional innovation lab spearheading the next generation of big business. Only Debut has a scalable, integrated, climate-positive creation model powered by biotechnology that puts human wellbeing at the center of everything we do—setting the new standard for profitable business and a new pace for an ever-changing world. Our hybrid biotechnology approaches unlock latent markets, providing access to sustainably produced, natural ingredients with health benefits that cannot be obtained through other methods. We are committed to traversing the entire process, from ingredient discovery to the scaling of these products, for consumer markets. If you are passionate, enjoy fast-paced innovation and collaborative teams, then Debut is for you.

Facilities and Maintenance Manager

Summary

As our Facilities and Maintenance Manager, you will perform facility and laboratory maintenance and safety training, support shipping / receiving operations, and act as the EHS point of contact. Your duties will include purchasing supplies, inspecting, and performing preventative and corrective maintenance while maintaining accurate maintenance records. This role requires working with outside vendors, keeping an inventory of reagents and supplies, governing the waste management program, and guiding lab personnel in research safety training.

Essential Functions

• Organizes, prioritizes and executes preventive maintenance initiatives to minimize downtime and extend equipment life, adhering to safety and compliance standards.
• Develops, implements, and manages the organization and inventory of equipment, spare parts, and preventive maintenance schedules using a CMMS (working knowledge of MaintainX is a plus)
• Ordering, shipping/receiving and maintenance of supplies, labware, and instruments essential to the operation of the lab
• Managing all lab‑related calibration, preventative maintenance, repairs, service contract renewal, and equipment upgrades
• Independently monitors critical utility systems, including DI water supply, electrical infrastructure, and HVAC, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.
• Establish relationships with external vendors
• Plan and coordinate large‑scale facility changes, including lab reorganizations and/or expansion
• Anticipate, troubleshoot, and resolve problems associated with work within the laboratory setting, including occasional off‑hours responses to laboratory emergencies
• Function as EHS point of contact for inspections and waste handling services.

Education and Experience

• BS or MS degree with 5+ years' experience in a biotechnology setting
• The ideal candidate will have wet lab experience and a broad knowledge of standard lab and facility equipment (plumbing, electrical, HVAC)
• Has proven experience in laboratory housekeeping procedures, including maintaining inventory and equipment, ordering supplies, and maintaining a clean and safe laboratory environment
• Experience in maintenance and rebuilding of valves, mechanical seals, pumps, boilers, chillers, compressors, fermenters, and similar equipment and machinery is preferred
• Knowledge of EH&S regulations and requirements for laboratory safety, including methods for handling, cleaning, and disposal of waste
• Excellent interpersonal skills and customer service to effectively deal with a diverse workforce

Essential Physical Characteristics

The physical characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of a job, on a case‑by‑case basis.

• Continuous upward and downward flexion of the neck.
• Frequent: sitting, repetitive use of hands to operate computers, printers and copiers.
• Frequently uses hands to feel objects or control tools (e.g. pipetting). Laboratory operations require dexterity and care to perform studies as required.
• Frequent: walking, standing, climbing stairs, bending and twisting of neck, bending and twisting of waist, squatting, simple grasping, reaching above and below shoulder level, and occasional lifting and carrying of files or material weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Must be willing to work with biohazardous agents (up to BSL2).
• The R&D laboratory will result in exposure to hot and cold temperatures, noise, fumes, limited dust, and oily coolants.
• The performance of this position will present exposure to an industrial environment and requires support and compliance with the published Company PPE policy including but not limited to the use of personal protective equipment such as safety glasses with side shields, appropriate attire, safety shoes, hard hat, hearing protection, etc.

Condition of Employment

As part of Debut's pre‑employment process, prospective candidates will undergo a background check prior to beginning employment. Additional types of background investigations may be conducted based on the job‑related activities of the position.

Debut is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

Voluntary Self‑Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Debut Biotech's Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.