Operations Manager — Autonomous Lab Platform

NC State University; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 110,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Childcare benefits

Wellness & Recreation Membership

Wellness Programs

Job summary

NC State University is seeking an Operations Manager to oversee SPEED program operations in Raleigh, aligning facility readiness, staffing, safety, procurement, and user support to keep autonomous experimentation resources reliable and accessible.

The role leads a multidisciplinary team, manages budgets and vendor relationships, and collaborates with university partners and external sponsors to advance SPEED as a national research facility offering remote autonomous laboratories.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience coordinating complex technical operations involving multiple personnel, projects, users, facilities, and competing priorities.
• Experience developing and implementing standard operating procedures, schedules, training processes, and operational documentation.
• Working knowledge of laboratory safety, risk management, equipment maintenance, procurement, and regulatory or institutional compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily facility operations, including laboratory readiness, platform availability, staffing coverage, access, scheduling, and user support.
• Develop and maintain operational procedures for user onboarding, experiment submission, training, platform access, technical assistance, and project closeout.
• Coordinate laboratory capacity and schedules across internal researchers, academic users, government collaborators, and industry partners.
• Monitor facility utilization, experiment throughput, turnaround times, incidents, and user needs to identify and resolve operational issues.

Skills

Operations coordination

Team leadership

SOP development

Budget & procurement

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Physical Sciences, Laboratory Management, Operations Management, Business Administration, or related field

Job description

NC State University is seeking an Operations Manager to oversee SPEED program operations in Raleigh, aligning facility readiness, staffing, safety, procurement, and user support to keep autonomous experimentation resources reliable and accessible.

The role leads a multidisciplinary team, manages budgets and vendor relationships, and collaborates with university partners and external sponsors to advance SPEED as a national research facility offering remote autonomous laboratories.