Lab Equipment Lead

GlaxoSmithKline; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 139,000 - 232,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Job summary

GSK seeks an Lab Equipment Lead to drive equipment lifecycle management in Cambridge R&D Labs, ensuring availability and reliability for high-quality experiments. You will lead a team, coordinate with internal partners, and maintain compliance with quality systems.

The role emphasizes ownership of CAPEX processes, budgeting, and continuous improvement, while collaborating with scientists and cross-functional teams to accelerate the vaccine and medicine pipeline.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, or related technical field.
• Minimum 5 years managing laboratory equipment projects.
• 2+ years leading technical teams.
• 2+ years managing budgets, vendor relationships.
• Experience implementing EHS requirements in R&D labs.
• PMP or other project management certification.

Responsibilities

• Oversee equipment life cycle management for Cambridge R&D Labs.
• Embed Good Scientific Practices and Quality System in labs.
• Lead Lab Equipment Lifecyle Management (LCM) program with partners.
• Support CAPEX planning, project proposals, and budgeting.
• Ensure KPI-driven service delivery and issue resolution.
• Collaborate with internal/external stakeholders on CAPEX delivery.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Budget management

Problem-solving

Quality compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or science

Advanced engineering degree

PMP certification

Tools

CMMS

Job description

Lab Equipment Lead At GSK

At GSK, we have bold ambitions for patients, aiming to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade. Our R&D focuses on discovering and delivering vaccines and medicines, combining our understanding of the immune system with cutting‑edge technology to transform people’s lives. GSK fosters a culture ambitious for patients, accountable for impact, and committed to doing the right thing, making sure that we focus our efforts on accelerating significant assets that meet patients’ needs and have the highest probability of success. We’re uniting science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together.

Our approach to R&D Lab Equipment team within Lab Operations organization is co-located with scientists in the Cambridge R&D Labs, working very closely on a day‑to‑day basis to drive operational excellence in order to ensure smooth running of the equipment within the labs to maximize scientific productivity and safety of lab personnel.

The Lab Equipment Lead will lead a team of operations professionals through service partner model to ensure equipment used in the labs are available and functional and scientists have what they need when they need it to conduct high quality experiments to deliver the R&D project pipeline.

The role involves overseeing equipment commissioning, upgrades, qualification and decommissioning.

The Equipment lead will work closely with scientific leads and representatives and other stakeholders to drive operational excellence, ensure compliance with quality standards and regulations, and support continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Accountable for Equipment life cycle management for equipment in Cambridge R&D Labs (from URS definition, equipment installation and life cycle management to equipment decommissioning, including inventory update and documentation management)
• Ensure Good Scientific Practices and fit for purpose Quality System are embedded within the labs for the proper management of equipment (including quality standards, research practices, documentation, etc.) and labs are designed and setup for optimized use.
• Implements and oversees Lab Equipment Lifecyle Management (LCM) program ensuring effective support/coordination within Lab Operations, by internal service partners (e.g. EHS, Facilities & Engineering, Procurement, Lab Systems/Tech, Quality), and external service providers.
• Support the business for Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) demand collection for annual 3-year plan, individual Project Investment Proposals (PIPs), and execution oversight (including budget tracking and invoice forecast).
• Overall accountable for equipment life cycle management service delivery per KPI targets and problem / issue resolution concerning equipment life‑cycle management
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to implement a fit for purpose CAPEX delivery process.
• Drives employee engagement within the Cambridge, MA Lab Operations team with emphasis on clear responsibilities & expectations, people development, enriching roles, effective recognition, and open & honest conversations.
• Serve as Local Business Owner / Subject Matter Expert for key lab operations processes/systems concerning equipment life‑cycle management and propose/lead improvement opportunities in the Vaccines R&D laboratories.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience managing laboratory equipment projects, commissioning, validation, or maintenance within a research environment.
• Two or more years of experience leading technical teams, including coaching, performance management, and employee development.
• Two or more years of experience leading complex projects within a matrixed environment, collaborating effectively with Quality, Operations, Procurement, Finance, and scientific stakeholders.
• Two or more years of implementing EHS requirements, risk assessment practices, and equipment qualification standards within R&D laboratory environments.
• Two or more years of experience managing budgets, vendor relationships, and procurement activities for technical equipment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in an engineering discipline, such as mechanical, electrical, or biomedical engineering, or equivalent technical training.
• PMP or other Project Management Certification.
• At least 8 years of experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or highly complex research laboratory environments.
• Strong problem‑solving, communication, and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Demonstrated project management expertise, including the ability to prioritize team objectives and deliver outcomes aligned with organizational goals.
• Experience implementing equipment qualification approaches, including IQ, OQ, and PQ, and developing compliance‑ready documentation.
• Experience with preventive maintenance programs, CMMS systems, or asset management tools.
• Experience driving continuous improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies.
• Prior hands‑on experience as a scientist within an R&D laboratory environment.

Skills

Communication, Cross‑Departmental Collaboration, Decision Making, Financial Acumen, Innovation, Leadership, Project Controls, Project Management, Project Management Governance, Project Planning, Project Tracking, Risk Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Leadership

Salary and Benefits

If you are based in Cambridge, MA; Waltham, MA; Rockville, MD; or San Francisco, CA, the annual base salary for new hires in this position ranges $139,425 to $232,375. The US salary ranges take into account a number of factors including work location within the US market, the candidate’s skills, experience, education level and the market rate for the role.

In addition, this position offers an annual bonus and eligibility to participate in our share based long term incentive program which is dependent on the level of the role. Available benefits include health care and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, paid holidays, vacation, and paid caregiver/parental and medical leave. If salary ranges are not displayed in the job posting for a specific country, the relevant compensation will be discussed during the recruitment process. Please visit GSK US Benefits Summary to learn more about the comprehensive benefits program GSK offers US employees.

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale. People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most.

Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

Equal Opportunity Statement

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.

Important Notice to Employment Businesses/Agencies

GSK does not accept referrals from employment businesses and/or employment agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site. All employment businesses/agencies are required to contact GSK's commercial and general procurement/human resources department to obtain prior written authorization before referring any candidates to GSK. The obtaining of prior written authorization is a condition precedent to any agreement (verbal or written) between the employment business/ agency and GSK. In the absence of such written authorization being obtained any actions undertaken by the employment business/agency shall be deemed to have been performed without the consent or contractual agreement of GSK. GSK shall therefore not be liable for any fees arising from such actions or any fees arising from any referrals by employment businesses/agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site.

Additional Information

For more information, please visit the Circuits for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/ We are a global biopharma company with a special purpose – to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together – so we can positively impact the health of billions of people and deliver stronger, more sustainable shareholder returns – as an organisation where people can thrive. Getting ahead means preventing disease as well as treating it, and we aim to impact the health of 2.5 billion people around the world in the next 10 years. Our success absolutely depends on our people. While getting ahead of disease together is about our ambition for patients and shareholders, it’s also about making GSK a place where people can thrive. We want GSK to be a place where people feel inspired, encouraged and challenged to be the best they can be. A place where they can be themselves – feeling welcome, valued and included. Where they can keep growing and look after their wellbeing. So, if you share our ambition, join us at this exciting moment in our journey to get Ahead Together.

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