Laboratory Operations Manager

Organization Overview

Consistent with our scientific mission, The Rockefeller University has established a Biotech Incubator to support and help grow biotechnology start-ups. The incubator is located in newly renovated space on the university campus on the Upper East Side of New York City. Providing laboratory and office spaces, shared equipment and meeting spaces, resources, and services, the incubator offers an environment where biotech entrepreneurs can develop their ideas and products collaboratively and cost-effectively to advance their life science ventures.
Overview

Reporting to the Director of Ford Center Incubator, the Lab Operations Manager (LOM) will oversee the technical operations of the Biotech Incubator at large, maintaining the facility’s core operations to meet the needs of the tenants while ensuring tenants operate in a safe manner and in compliance with Rockefeller University policy. The LOM acts as liaison between clients and the university scientific core facilities. As such, the LOM is expected to become familiar with the capabilities of the various scientific cores.

The LOM is assisted by at least one Lab Operations Assistant/Associate.

Responsibilities

This position is responsible for the following but not limited to: 

• Work closely with the university’s Laboratory Safety and Environmental Health (LS&EH) department to ensure that tenants are properly trained, equipped (SDS and PPE), and certified to conduct their work on the premises of the university in a safe manner that is compliant with the incubator’s policies.

• Work closely with the university’s LS&EH department to ensure that hazardous and universal waste generated by the tenants is safely stored and queued for appropriate disposal.

• Maintain strong awareness of all tenants’ activities, ensure tenants’ compliance with incubator policies and, if necessary and when appropriate, professionally engage with tenants directly to provide corrective direction.

• Coordinate with the university’s support departments and third-party vendors to maintain and, if appropriate, certify all incubator-owned shared equipment and maximize equipment uptime necessary to meet the needs of all current and prospective tenants. Manage relationships and service agreements and provide recommendations to the Director regarding equipment procurement and upgrades.

• Maintain a sufficient inventory of basic consumables, inclusive of processing purchase orders, receiving and storing materials, keeping up-to-date records on inventory amounts, and incorporating sustainability initiatives to promote environmentally friendly practices and materials where possible.

• Assist the Director in the on-boarding of new clients to the incubator regarding documentation, policy review, introductions to essential university personnel, shared equipment training, etc.

• Assist the Director in coordinating with the appropriate university departments and personnel to ensure effective and efficient delivery of services to tenants, including but not limited to basic IT/facility/security assistance and fee-for-service scientific contributions, and in doing so, promote positive and productive interactions between tenants and university personnel.

• With the assistance of a technician, oversee the receiving and inspection of all tenants’ packages coming into the incubator via the university’s Receiving and Mailroom.

• Participate in the selection and hiring process for technical staff, ensuring that the team is adequately trained and competent to support the needs of tenants.

• Collaborate with the Director and external stakeholders to develop strategic plans and goals for the Biotech Incubator, contributing to its growth and success.

• Assist the Director with budget management and cost-saving strategies.

• Performs related duties and responsibilities as assigned/requested.

Qualifications

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, chemistry, or a related field is required.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of facility and/or operations management experience in an academic or commercial biotech laboratory setting, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 1 year of staff supervision of non-student role(s).
• Strong knowledge of chemical and biological safety, and best practices for laboratory operations.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including good oral and written communication abilities.
• The ability to work independently and coordinate across a variety of university colleagues, incubator tenants, and third-party vendors/service providers.

• Excellent organizational and record keeping skills, with respect but not limited to e-mail records, inventory records, equipment certification schedules, and material/waste handling records.

• Experience working with multiple capital and operating budgets.

• High attention to detail and the ability to supervise others.

• Proficiency in Excel, Word, and database-driven programs, e.g. Airtable.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Advanced technical degree, including Ph.D. or master’s degree, is preferred., but may be substituted with professional experience.
• Knowledge of techniques, equipment, materials used for biotechnology, including but not limited to the fields of molecular biology, medicinal chemistry, and synthetic biology. Examples of equipment under the purview of this role include cold storage (freezers, liquid nitrogen storage), CO2 incubators, biosafety cabinets, thermal cyclers, RT-PCR, cell counters, centrifuges, microscopes, chemical fume hoods and storage, and standard molecular biology analytical instrumentation.

• Experience with animal use protocols and understanding of IACUC procedures.

• Track record of successfully balancing competing priorities with minimal notice.
• Brief experience in client-facing roles, including but not limited to sales roles and/or the hospitality industry.

The Rockefeller University is an equal opportunity employer – veterans/individuals with disabilities. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to characteristics protected by applicable local, state or federal law, including but not limited to disability and protected veteran status.

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on various factors, including but not limited to organizational budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The hiring range provided represents The Rockefeller University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Compensation Range: Min

USD $110,000.00/Yr.
Compensation Range: Max

USD $130,000.00/Yr.