Laboratory Operations Manager

Aerial Talent; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Aerial Talent is assisting a rising biotech in South San Francisco to fill a Lab Manager or Senior Lab Manager role, owning end-to-end lab operations for an antibody discovery lab (BSL1). This is a sole lab management position with broad impact across research support, facilities, inventory, and EHS.

You will partner with scientists and leadership to optimize workflows, manage purchasing and vendors, and guide the transition into a new SSF lab this winter.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific discipline or equivalent relevant experience.
• 3+ years in a laboratory operations role in a life sciences environment.
• Experience with laboratory equipment, inventory management, purchasing, vendors, EHS, and operational coordination.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Comfortable working fully onsite Monday–Friday in South San Francisco.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day laboratory operations and conduct regular lab walkthroughs to proactively identify and resolve operational needs.
• Partner with scientists and R&D leadership to understand evolving lab needs and improve workflows, organization, and operational efficiency.
• Manage purchasing and inventory for reagents, consumables, and other laboratory supplies.
• Manage relationships with laboratory vendors and service providers, including quotes, orders, service visits, and issue resolution.
• Coordinate equipment maintenance, preventative maintenance, calibration, repairs, installation, and training.
• Support installation and onboarding of new capital equipment and integration into workflows.
• Track laboratory expenses, purchase orders, invoices, and accruals.
• Support lab organization, workspace setup, onboarding, and growth-related activities.
• Identify opportunities to improve laboratory processes and implement practical solutions.
• Support laboratory safety, SOPs, and compliance requirements.

Skills

Organizational skills

Problem-solving

Communication skills

Multitasking

Education

Bachelor's degree in a scientific discipline

Tools

Inventory management systems

Job description

An innovative, well-funded biotech has a full-time opportunity for a Lab Manager or Senior Lab Manager to own end-to-end lab operations for an antibody discovery lab (BSL1). In this small biotech environment, you'll have the opportunity to take ownership, build relationships across the organization, and make a visible impact on how effectively the research team operates.

Onsite Monday–Friday

Direct-hire, Full-time

Company Highlights

• "Best Place to Work" award recipient
• Collaborative, friendly startup culture
• More job stability potential than a traditional biotech
• Recently secured $120M+ in funding

Role Highlights

• Sole Lab Manager with end-to-end ownership of lab ops
• Drive improvements to lab systems, workflows, and infrastructure
• Help lead the transition into a new SSF lab this winter
• Broad impact spanning research support, facilities, inventory, and EHS
• Reporting to the Director of Discovery Research

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day laboratory operations and conduct regular lab walkthroughs to proactively identify and resolve operational needs.
• Partner closely with scientists and R&D leadership to understand evolving laboratory needs and improve workflows, organization, and operational efficiency.
• Manage purchasing and inventory for reagents, consumables, and other laboratory supplies, ensuring materials are available when needed.
• Manage relationships with laboratory vendors and service providers, including coordinating quotes, orders, service visits, and issue resolution.
• Coordinate laboratory equipment maintenance, preventative maintenance, calibration, repairs, installation, and training.
• Support the installation and onboarding of new capital equipment and help ensure equipment is appropriately integrated into laboratory workflows.
• Track laboratory expenses, purchase orders, invoices, and accruals.
• Support laboratory organization, workspace setup, onboarding, and other activities associated with a growing research environment.
• Identify opportunities to improve laboratory processes, systems, and workflows and help implement practical solutions.
• Support laboratory safety, SOPs, and compliance requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific discipline or equivalent relevant experience.
• 3+ years in a laboratory operations role in a life sciences environment.
• Experience with laboratory equipment, inventory management, purchasing, vendors, environment health and safety (EHS), and operational coordination.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Comfortable working fully onsite Monday–Friday in South San Francisco.