Lab Support Specialist

Avantor; Vacaville (CA); On-site; USD 77,366,000 - 83,097,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

Paid Time Off

401(k) and educational assistance

Commuter benefits

Stock purchase plan

Tuition assistance

Insurance (various types)

Recognition program

Job summary

Avantor’s Vacaville site is hiring for a Laboratory/Production Services support role. You will join a 1,500+ strong team delivering mission-based lab work and research protocols to customers, reporting to the Site Services Supervisor.

The position focuses on coordinating workflows, maintaining equipment, managing materials, and ensuring safe, compliant operations in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in laboratory operations, customer service, or related operations within a research or laboratory environment.
• Working knowledge of LIMS and inventory platforms.
• Intermediate Microsoft Excel skills.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating workflows or directing daily team activity.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate daily laboratory support workflows across the customer site, including glassware processing, media preparation, sample logistics, and equipment monitoring.
• Direct team cadence by setting priorities, sequencing tasks, and balancing workload across shifts and team members.
• Manage laboratory consumables, chemicals, reagents, and customer-supplied materials, including documenting movement and fulfilling customer reporting requirements.
• Coordinate routine instrument maintenance and calibration schedules; escalate complex issues to specialists or vendors.
• Provide daily customer service functions and communicate with customer scientists and points of contact regarding lab operations and service requests.
• Manage purchasing and receiving functions for laboratory consumables and supplies, including order entry, expediting, and resolution of pricing or delivery issues.
• Coordinate sample logistics including receipt, storage, distribution, and shipping in compliance with applicable regulations.
• Handle hazardous materials and prepare shipping documentation in compliance with applicable regulations.
• Utilize Avantor and customer computer systems (LIMS, ChemSW, customer-specific systems) to fulfill job duties.
• Train and guide associates on standard procedures, safety protocols, and laboratory system use.
• Identify and lead site-level process improvements that reduce errors, improve flow, and enhance service efficiency.

Skills

LIMS knowledge

Inventory management

Microsoft Excel

Customer service

Teamwork

Organization

Microsoft Office

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Opportunity

In this role, you will report to the Site Services Supervisor and will work closely with the Avantor’s Lab and Production Services team of over 1,500 on- and off-site expert personnel – and our customers – to perform customized, mission-based lab work and research protocols that help return time back to science.

Hourly Range: $27 - $29 Shift: Monday - Friday, 6 am - 2:30 pm Location: Vacaville, CA

Benefits

• Health and Wellness: Medical, Dental, Vision and Wellness programs (eligible for medical coverage on day 1)
• Time Off: Paid Time Off (PTO), and Company paid holidays
• Financial Well Being: Spending Accounts: Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Savings Accounts (HSA), commuter benefits, 401(k), tuition assistance, employee stock purchase plan discount
• Added Protection Coverage: To include critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident, legal, identity theft protection, pet, auto and home insurance
• Recognition: Celebrate your peers and earn points to redeem on gifts and products.

What we’re looking for

• Education: High school diploma or GED is required.
• Experience: 3+ years of experience in laboratory operations, customer service, or related operations within a research or laboratory environment.
• Collaboration Tool: Microsoft Office suite.
• Qualifications: Working knowledge of laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and inventory platforms. Intermediate Microsoft Excel skills. Demonstrated experience coordinating workflows or directing daily team activity. Strong customer service skills with a professional demeanor. Strong organizational skills with the ability to multi-task and meet deadlines. Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

Preferred

• Higher Education degree in laboratory science, chemistry, biology, business, or a related field.
• Experience supporting research, biotech, pharmaceutical, or laboratory customers.
• Familiarity with GxP, GLP, or regulated industry laboratory practices.
• Knowledge of chemical handling and hazardous materials shipping.
• Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement training.

How you will thrive and create an impact

Avantor’s Lab and Production Services team is a crucial part of the Avantor Services group serving over 500 customers in biopharma, pharmaceutical, educational, industrial, and high-tech industries with customizable, flexible solutions and end-to-end laboratory operations support. In this role you will:

• Coordinate daily laboratory support workflows across the customer site, including glassware processing, media preparation, sample logistics, and equipment monitoring.
• Direct team cadence by setting priorities, sequencing tasks, and balancing workload across shifts and team members.
• Manage laboratory consumables, chemicals, reagents, and customer-supplied materials, including documenting movement and fulfilling customer reporting requirements.
• Coordinate routine instrument maintenance and calibration schedules; escrow complex issues to specialists or vendors.
• Provide daily customer service functions and communicate with customer scientists and points of contact regarding lab operations and service requests.
• Manage purchasing and receiving functions for laboratory consumables and supplies, including order entry, expediting, and resolution of pricing or delivery issues.
• Coordinate sample logistics including receipt, storage, distribution, and shipping in compliance with applicable regulations.
• Handle hazardous materials and prepare shipping documentation in compliance with applicable regulations.
• Utilize Avantor and customer computer systems (LIMS, ChemSW, customer-specific systems) to fulfill job duties.
• Train and guide associates on standard procedures, safety protocols, and laboratory system use.
• Identify and lead site-level process improvements that reduce errors, improve flow, and enhance service efficiency.
• Update and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and document change management.
• Meet safety, performance, and quality goals established for the site.

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this position. Avantor is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

Why Avantor?

Dare to go further in your career. Join our global team of 14,000+ associates whose passion for discovery and determination to overcome challenges relentlessly advances life-changing science. The work we do changes people's lives for the better. It brings new patient treatments and therapies to market, giving a cancer survivor the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle. It enables medical devices that help a little boy hear his mom's voice for the first time. Outcomes such as these create unlimited opportunities for you to contribute your talents, learn new skills and grow your career at Avantor. We are committed to helping you on this journey through our diverse, equitable and inclusive culture which includes learning experiences to support your career growth and success. At Avantor, dare to go further and see how the impact of your contributions set science in motion to create a better world.

Pay Transparency

The expected pre-tax pay for this position is $45,000.00 - $72,450.00. Actual pay may differ depending on relevant factors such as prior experience and geographic location.

EEO Statement

We are an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action employer and VEVRAA Federal Contractor. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/province, or local law. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at [e-mail] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address. For more information about equal employment opportunity protections, please view the Know Your Rights poster.

Privacy Policy

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3rd Party Non-Solicitation Policy

By submitting candidates without having been formally assigned on and contracted for a specific job requisition by Avantor, or by failing to comply with the Avantor recruitment process, you forfeit any fee on the submitted candidates, regardless of your usual terms and conditions. Avantor works with a preferred supplier list and will take the initiative to engage with recruitment agencies based on its needs and will not be accepting any form of solicitation.

Avantor®

Avantor®, a Fortune 500 company, is a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the biopharma, healthcare, education & government, and advanced technologies & applied materials industries. Our portfolio is used in virtually every stage of the most important research, development and production activities in the industries we serve. One of our greatest strengths comes from having a global infrastructure that is strategically located to support the needs of our customers. Our global footprint enables us to serve more than 225,000 customer locations and gives us extensive access to research laboratories and scientists in more than 180 countries. We set science in motion to create a better world.