Lab/Operations Manager

Columbia University; New York (NY); On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Columbia University in New York seeks a Lab & Operations Manager to lead laboratory operations, safety, compliance, and staff supervision. The role oversees research operations and provides administrative support to the PI and lab members, ensuring efficiency and long-term sustainability of activities.

The position requires strong organizational skills, budgeting experience, and the ability to coordinate cross-functionally in a fast-paced lab environment.

Qualifications

• Requires a bachelor's degree or equivalent in education and experience, plus three years of related experience.
• PhD or Master's degree strongly preferred.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel) and Adobe Acrobat.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills.
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Must be able to write in a clear, concise, professional manner.
• Ability to work independently and multi-task.

Responsibilities

• Establish, implement, and maintain comprehensive safety and compliance programs.
• Supervise laboratory personnel to ensure adherence to regulations.
• Maintain up-to-date safety documentation, incident reports, and training certifications.
• Serve as the primary contact for EH&S inspections and compliance audits.
• Oversee and coordinate all research activities within the PI’s laboratory.
• Ensure compliance with optimized experimental protocols.
• Manage the histology facilities, including equipment, reagents, and training.
• Provide scientific and technical support to postdoctoral researchers, students, and staff.
• Manage data sharing in accordance with NIH guidelines.
• Maintain lab notebooks and contribute to publications, reports, and grants.

Skills

Time management

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Independent work

Staff supervision

Budgeting

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in education and experience

PhD or Master’s degree strongly preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

Adobe Acrobat

Job description

• Job Type: Officer of Administration


• Bargaining Unit:


• Regular/Temporary: Regular


• End Date if Temporary:


• Hours Per Week: 35


• Standard Work Schedule:


• Building:


• Salary Range: $80,000-$90,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

The Lab & Operations Manager provides strategic, technical, and administrative leadership for the laboratory operations. This position is responsible for overseeing all aspects of laboratory management, research operations, safety, compliance, and staff supervision. The position will also require administrative support for the principal investigator and the laboratory members. The role requires a highly organized and proactive individual capable of ensuring the efficiency, compliance, and long-term sustainability of research and operational activities.

Responsibilities

Laboratory Safety & Compliance

• Establish, implement, and maintain comprehensive safety and compliance programs, including laboratory safety, radiation safety, biosafety, and chemical hygiene.


• Supervise laboratory personnel to ensure adherence to institutional and federal regulations.


• Maintain up-to-date safety documentation, incident reports, and training certifications for all personnel.


• Serve as the primary contact for Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) inspections and compliance audits.

Research & Technical Oversight

• Oversee and coordinate all research activities within the PI’s laboratory.


• Ensure compliance with optimized experimental protocols.


• Manage the histology facilities, including equipment, reagents, and training of new users.


• Provide scientific and technical support to postdoctoral researchers, students, and staff.


• Manages all data sharing in accordance with NIH guidelines


• Ensure that laboratory personnel maintain accurate and detailed lab notebooks and contribute to publications, reports, and grant applications.

Operational Management

• Ensure smooth daily operations of the lab, including scheduling, equipment maintenance, and shared resource management.


• Manage laboratory inventories, ordering of supplies, and vendor relations.


• Arrange equipment service contracts and schedule preventive maintenance visits.


• Oversee P-card purchases and reconciliation of expenses in compliance with university policies.


• Responsible for spending allocations on grants in collaboration with the post-award core.


• Maintain accurate and detailed lab notebooks and contribute to publications, reports, and grant applications.


• Identify opportunities for process improvement, sustainability initiatives, and technological innovation in laboratory operations.

Budgetary and Financial Coordination

• Partner with the Department Administrator and finance team to monitor research budgets.


• Assist in preparing quarterly financial reports and forecasting models for lab and discretionary funds.


• Track grant expenditures and ensure compliance with funding agency guidelines.


• Coordinate procurement, service agreements, and cost-sharing arrangements for shared departmental equipment.

Personnel Management & Training

• Supervise lab personnel including research assistants, students, support staff, and staff associates.


• Coordinate onboarding and offboarding processes, including account setup, lab access, and safety training.


• Foster a collaborative lab culture.


• Manage timesheets for biweekly staff, monthly officers, and federal work study students, and ensure timely submission to HR.

Communication & Policy Implementation

• Disseminate critical updates on institutional policies, safety procedures, and operational changes to all lab members.


• Serve as liaison between the laboratory, department, and university entities.


• Ensure clarity and compliance with evolving institutional procedures (e.g., during pandemic-related transitions).

Administrative Support:

• Organize meetings, special seminars, and conferences.


• Arrange travel for the PI and laboratory members


• Assist in preparation of grant applications.


• Process human resources requisitions, travel expense reports.


• Receive and review correspondence coming into the office and responding to general inquiries, drafting correspondence.


• Assist with preparation of reports and presentations.


• Collaborate with the PI on strategic initiatives to enhance research infrastructure, operational efficiency, and safety culture.


• Identify opportunities for process improvement, sustainability initiatives, and technological innovation in laboratory operations

Other Duties

• Perform additional responsibilities as assigned by the PI or Department Administrator to support the mission of the laboratory.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires a bachelor's degree or equivalent in education and experience, plus three years of related experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD or Master’s degree strongly preferred


• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel,) and Adobe Acrobat.


• Excellent time management and organizational skills.


• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills.


• Must be able to write in a clear, concise, informative, and professional manner.


• Must have proven ability to take initiative and meet deadlines.


• Ability to work independently and multi-task.


• Be highly organized, detail-oriented, and highly proactive.


• Must possess excellent interpersonal skills and be able to interact well with a broad spectrum of people, including students, faculty, and administrators.

Other Requirements

• Ability to manage staff and students.


• Knowledge of how to interpret and forecast for quarterly budget reports.


• Knowledge of general molecular/cell biology techniques.


• Experience managing a biology laboratory.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.