Laboratory Operations Manager

Hadrian Biodefense; Emeryville (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Hadrian Biodefense seeks an experienced Laboratory Manager to build and operate a new Emeryville facility focused on protective equipment research and development. You will ensure safety, compliance, and readiness to support a rigorous scientific program.

As on-site leader, you will oversee equipment installation, calibration, records, and collaboration with CTO and external partners, driving a high-performance lab culture with autonomy and accountability.

Qualifications

• Six or more years of hands-on laboratory management experience including health & safety responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Lead the physical build-out of the facility, coordinating with CTO, contractors and vendors.
• Own utility and infrastructure readiness (air, electrical, HVAC) and ensure regulatory readiness.
• Serve as on-site operational leader for health, safety, and environmental compliance.
• Develop and enforce standard operating procedures for major laboratory functions.
• Own records for traceability: inventory, chain of custody, LIMS usage.
• Coordinate equipment scheduling across research workstreams and manage external partners.

Skills

Lab management

Equipment installation

SOPs & records

Staff supervision

Regulatory compliance

Communication

Autonomy

Education

Bachelor’s degree in science or engineering

Tools

LIMS

Laboratory instrumentation

Calibration equipment

HVAC controls

Job description

Hadrian is a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that civilization can withstand and recover from severe biological crises, including AI-enabled pandemics.

Hadrian models severe biological crisis scenarios and then delivers the capabilities needed to withstand them, including crisis preparedness and response infrastructure, and highly effective protective equipment, centered on respiratory protection.

Hadrian defends all the systems civilization depends on, serving every level of society, including states, industries, organizations, and individuals.

Hadrian is rapidly building the organization required to deliver this strategy. It has assembled a highly experienced team, is supported by leading experts and a strong ecosystem of partners, has secured substantial funding, and is finalizing the build-out of a cutting-edge R&D facility.

If you want to help solve one of humanity’s greatest problems, work alongside capable and committed colleagues, and grow quickly, Hadrian may be right for you.

About Your Team and Role

Our Protective Equipment function defines and delivers the protective equipment required to maintain critical operations in a biological crisis, centered on respiratory protection. We establish the portfolio of products needed, and are working to ensure its availability before a crisis begins and effective use during a crisis. That work depends on a research facility with the infrastructure and systems to support rigorous scientific testing.

In this role you will build and operate our new laboratory, working closely with our technical leadership to make it safe, compliant, and equal to the demands of an ambitious research program. The protection we are developing has to perform in a real crisis, and the laboratory you run is where we ensure it will.

What You Will Own

Facility build-out

• You will lead the physical build-out of the facility in close coordination with the CTO, contractors, and equipment vendors, including procurement, installation, qualification, and commissioning of a broad instrumentation suite.
• You will own utility and infrastructure readiness including compressed air, electrical service, and HVAC, and ensure the facility meets all applicable health, safety, and regulatory standards before it opens.

Daily laboratory and research operations

• You will serve as the primary on-site operational leader, accountable for health, safety, and environmental compliance as the foundation of every laboratory activity.
• You will develop and enforce standard operating procedures for all major laboratory functions.
• You will own the records that make our results traceable, including inventory, sample chain of custody, and the implementation and ongoing use of the laboratory information management system.
• You will maintain equipment qualification documentation, calibration schedules, and preventive maintenance programs for research equipment, including:
• Automated filter testers
• Respirator fit testing systems
• Scanning mobility particle sizer/condensation particle counter aerosol instrumentation
• Tensile testers
• Prototyping tools
• High-speed video systems and associated infrastructure
• You will support execution of applied research programs spanning filter performance, N95 reusability, respirator fit testing, environmental aging, and aerosol transmission studies.
• You will coordinate equipment scheduling across concurrent research workstreams and serve as the primary point of contact for external partners, vendors, and visiting collaborators.

People leadership and communication

• You will hire, onboard and manage laboratory technicians and support personnel in coordination with the CTO, assigning daily workloads, monitoring progress, providing coaching, and maintaining accountability.
• You will be the CTO’s trusted on-site operational partner and provide regular, candid updates on facility operations, staff performance, equipment status, and research progress. This is especially important because the CTO works remotely.
• You will identify and proactively communicate risks, resource gaps, and operational concerns.

Who You Are

Must have

• Six or more years of hands-on laboratory management experience, including responsibility for laboratory health and safety and for hiring and supervising technical staff.
• Demonstrated experience managing the installation, qualification, and routine operation of complex analytical or testing instrumentation.
• Strong organizational skills and a proven track record of building rigorous operational systems including standard operating procedures, calibration records, preventive maintenance programs, and laboratory information management systems.
• Demonstrated ability to work alongside scientists and engineers, translating research requirements into laboratory capacity, equipment readiness and scheduling.
• Proven ability to manage external relationships, including equipment vendors, contractors, research partners, and visiting collaborators.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a commitment to honest and timely reporting.
• Proven ability to operate reliably and professionally with significant autonomy.
• You demonstrate Hadrian’s values, described on the Careers page of the website.

Nice to have

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant scientific or engineering discipline such as mechanical engineering, materials science, chemistry, industrial hygiene, or a closely related field.
• Familiarity with the Code of Federal Regulations standards governing respiratory protection, including National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 42 CFR Part 84 and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 CFR 1910.134.
• Hands-on experience with aerosol generation and measurement, particulate and filtration testing, materials characterization instrumentation, or related technical equipment.
• Experience in respiratory protection, filtration science, aerosol science, or industrial hygiene.
• Prior experience contributing to a greenfield or startup laboratory build-out.

We assess candidates on demonstrated capability, not on whether they check every box. If you meet most of what we’ve described and believe you could do this work, we encourage you to apply, even if your background doesn’t match the list exactly. Strong candidates often underestimate their fit, and we would rather hear from you than have you rule yourself out.

Your Salary and Benefits

The expected base salary range for this Emeryville-based position is $140,000 to $180,000 per year. Actual base pay will be determined based on factors such as relevant experience, education, and skills.

In addition to base pay, this role is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with company match and flexible PTO.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Hadrian is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression, national origin, age, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, reproductive health decision-making, disability, military and veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), we collect personal information from applicants solely for recruitment purposes and do not sell applicant data.