Technical Operations Director, NIIMBL

University of Delaware; Newark (DE); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Delaware’s NIIMBL program seeks a Director of Technical Operations to lead laboratory infrastructure, safety, and a growing operations team at the Newark, Delaware campus. This full-time, in-person role reports to the Institute Director and directs activities across electronic lab notebooks, LIMS, policies, and facilities, ensuring regulatory compliance.

Strong leadership, project management, and communication skills are required to build cross‑functional partnerships with

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a science or engineering field preferred.
• Minimum 20 years of relevant experience, including GxP operations.
• Experience leading diverse laboratory teams in regulated environments.
• Strong interpersonal, oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to engage with federal and state agencies, academia, and industry.

Responsibilities

• Owns overall NIIMBL Technical Operations portfolio and prioritizes activities with leadership.
• Ensures laboratory safety compliance and training across the team.
• Manages resources and assets: staff, equipment, finances, space, data, IP.
• Oversees electronic lab notebook and LIMS infrastructure and policies.
• Coordinates visitors, tours, and hosted scientists; drives process improvements.
• Advises NIIMBL leadership on technical operations to meet ecosystem needs.
• Ensures compliance with applicable regulations and institutional policies.

Skills

Team leadership

Project management

Laboratory operations

Interpersonal communication

Cross-group collaboration

Regulatory communication

Education

Advanced degree in job-related field

20+ years relevant experience

Job description

University of Delaware

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Delaware is an Equal Opportunity Employer which encourages applications from Minority Group Members, Women, Individuals with Disabilities and Veterans. The University's Notice of Non-Discrimination can be found at http://www.udel.edu/aboutus/legalnotices.html

Job No: 503941

Work Type: Staff

Location: Newark, DE

Categories: Research & Laboratory, Full Time, Program/Project Management

Pay Grade: 90E

Context of Job: Under the limited direction of the Institute Director, the Director, Technical Operations is accountable for all technical operations including laboratory infrastructure, safety, and oversight of a team of individuals. In the future, this team may be working three shifts with 365 day per year operations at the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL). The work involves tactical decision‑making to support safe and effective laboratory operations.

NIIMBL is a large‑scale effort dedicated to supporting the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals, and it is established by a cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as a public/private consortium of a diverse set of member organizations, including industry, academia, non‑profit organizations, state governments, and federal agencies. NIIMBL is a member of the Manufacturing USA network of institutes funded by the federal government to advance United States competitiveness in advanced manufacturing innovation. Institutionally at the University of Delaware, NIIMBL reports to the Vice President for Research, Scholarship & Innovation.

The most high‑profile activities that NIIMBL does are the execution of technical projects to advance the readiness levels of relevant technologies, assays, and methods. These projects include scopes of scientific work that generally include many organizations as partners and collaborators. For example, a project may involve experimental studies, at a level consistent with best practices found in the biopharmaceutical industry, and include scientists from several large and small companies, a scientist from a Federal agency, and a scientist from a University. Many of these projects will be hosted at the University of Delaware in a state‑of‑the‑art laboratory facility purpose‑built for such studies. These projects will involve a diverse set of technologies and approaches and address drug substance, drug product, and analytical needs by the industry appropriate to several types of biopharmaceuticals: vaccines, therapeutic proteins and antibodies, bispecific antibodies, and gene therapy vectors, among others. To accelerate innovation and support standards development, the Tech Ops team hosts and performs NIIMBL technical work that is best done at HQ because the work requires a collaborative environment and is most effectively performed at a neutral site; this is a full‑time, in person, position.

Major Responsibilities:

• Demonstrates NIIMBL’s Core Values in daily conduct and ensures all decisions, actions, and teamwork practices align with the organization’s Business Principles.
• Overall accountability for the entire portfolio of NIIMBL’stechnical operations, including prioritization of activities through dialogue with NIIMBL Leadership and NIIMBL Program Leaders from industry.
• Overall accountability for laboratory safety including compliance and training of all relevant individuals.
• Accountability to manage Technical Operations Resources and Assets including:
  • Staff: professional development and assignment to projects
  • Equipment: commissioning and maintenance of highly valuable and specialized equipment infrastructure
  • Finances: tracking and alignment with available budget
  • Space: effective and efficient use of available space
  • Materials, data, and intellectual property: maintaining access control over valuable assets
• Accountability to manage Technical Operations Activities including:
  • Electronic laboratory notebook system infrastructure
  • Laboratory information management system infrastructure
  • Relevant policies and procedures
  • Visitors to the laboratory including tours and hosted scientists
  • Continuous improvement to increase efficiencies and productivity
• Serve as high‑level resource for NIIMBL leadership in the execution of NIIMBL’s technical operations, ensuring they meet the needs of the biopharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem.
• Ensure compliance with federal rules and regulations in the conduct of sponsored research including conflict of interest policies, research involving human subjects, export control laws, etc.
• Reinforce and advocate for NIIMBL’s Core Values and Business Principles.
• Perform other job‑related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in job‑related field preferred and a minimum of 20 years of relevant experience required including in 21 CFR 58 GxP operations, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience in leading and managing a team of diverse individuals in a laboratory setting.
• Significant project management training and experience.
• Significant experience establishing and growing a laboratory‑based team in an industry or government environment.
• Effective interpersonal, oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse individuals and groups (e.g., federal and state agencies, academic, and industrial communities) both within and outside of NIIMBL.
• Ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with others, both internally and externally, to achieve the goals of the organization.

Notice of Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity

The University of Delaware does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, marital status, disability, religion, age, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law in its employment, educational programs and activities, admissions policies, and scholarship and loan programs as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and University policies. The University of Delaware also prohibits unlawful harassment including sexual harassment and sexual violence.

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