Lab Research Supervisor

UCLA Health; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 81,000 - 169,000; Full time

Job summary

UCLA Health in Los Angeles seeks an experienced Lab Research Supervisor to lead laboratory operations and supervise a team of skilled technical staff, reporting to the Laboratory Director and PI. You will ensure a compliant, efficient, high-performing research lab environment.

You'll oversee staffing, onboarding, performance management, procurement, inventory, and equipment maintenance, while advancing research initiatives and implementing new techniques and protocols.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience in a relevant lab field.
• 3–5 years of hands-on technical laboratory experience in the area of focus.
• Technical know-how of specialized equipment and lab techniques.
• Ability to lead, plan work, and manage priorities under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Lead laboratory operations and supervise a team of technical staff.
• Oversee staffing, onboarding, and performance management.
• Drive safety, regulatory compliance, and quality standards.
• Manage procurement, inventory, and equipment maintenance.
• Advance research initiatives and implement new techniques.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Team supervision

Regulatory compliance

Multi-tasking

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's Degree in applicable field of laboratory focus

Tools

Laboratory equipment

Inventory management

Procurement

Job description

Work Schedule

Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm

Salary Range

Salary Range: $80700.00 - 168500.00 Annually

Employment Type

Indefinite

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

The Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine is seeking an experienced Lab Research Supervisor to lead laboratory operations within a dynamic research division. Reporting to the Laboratory Director (Principal Investigator) and/or Laboratory Manager, you will provide direct supervision to a team of skilled technical staff, ensuring the smooth, compliant, and efficient functioning of a high-performing research laboratory.

As a key operational partner to the Principal Investigator, you'll oversee staffing, onboarding, and performance management, drive safety and regulatory compliance, manage procurement and inventory, and maintain equipment and quality standards. You'll also play a vital role in advancing research initiatives and implementing new scientific techniques and protocols.

This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated leader to make a meaningful impact on cutting-edge research, support a growing laboratory, and help build a collaborative, high-performing team culture.

Annual range: $80,700.00-$168,500.00

Job Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's Degree in applicable field of laboratory focus or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3-5 years' experience in hands on technical laboratory experience in area of laboratory focus.
• Technical know-how of specialized equipment and laboratory techniques routinely used in the laboratory.
• Focus of knowledge and skills dependent on area of specialty (laboratory research or instructional/experimental design).
• Ability to create an environment that promotes positive attitudes, effective communications, trust, collaboration, creativity, and optimal productivity.
• Developed interpersonal skills, service orientation, ability to multi-task effectively in a varied, high-volume environment, judgment and decision-making, reasoning and effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Solid interpersonal skills to effectively communicate information in a timely, professional manner and establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with students, staff, faculty, external collaborators and administration and to work as a member of a team.
• Ability to follow defined priorities and complete ongoing tasks with competing deadlines, with frequent interruptions, to meet the programmatic and financial needs of PIs and the department, while complying with University policies.
• Demonstrated experience and ability to collaborate effectively with all levels of staff; technical, students, faculty and administrators.
• Close attention to detail to ensure accuracy in a fast-paced, fluctuating workload environment.
• Demonstrated ability to be an effective team leader and supervisor.
• Demonstrated knowledge of safety and regulatory compliance.
• High level of ethics, integrity, discretion and confidentiality.
• Skill in reading technical and scientific documents.
• Ability to conduct and report on scientific experiments and findings.
• Ability to evaluate performance and competency and recommend corrective action.
• Leadership skills associated with planning work assignments, establishing priorities and scheduling instructional space. (Required)
• Knowledge of data acquisition and analysis techniques.
• Advanced knowledge of research discipline or instructional design to collaborate effectively with faculty and function as a resource to research and instructional associates.
• Knowledge of necessary lab safety procedures and requirements, as well as chemical disposal guidelines.

Preferred:

• Master's degree or PhD in applicable field of laboratory focus.
• 2+ years' experience of supervising laboratory personnel and operations.
• Ability to contribute to scientific writing.
• Working knowledge of procurement and inventory management best practices.
• Ability to successfully recruit and retain laboratory personnel.
• Organizational skills to create and maintain an organized laboratory environment as well as independently balance the various tasks to ensure deadlines are met.

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. Current/former UC employees are subject to a personnel file review.