Lab Manager, Platform

We’re seeking an experienced Lab Manager to own day-to-day lab operations for our platform team. This role is responsible for ensuring our platform lab runs reliably and efficiently as experimental throughput scales.

You’ll take full ownership of inventory/ordering, freezer/sample tracking, and EHS/safety, while coordinating equipment maintenance and vendor relationships. You’ll partner closely with scientists to remove operational bottlenecks in workflows involving protein expression, purification, and screening.

This is primarily a no-bench role, with the option to support light lab work (e.g., preparing stock solutions, maintaining shared reagents) depending on background and interest.

Core Responsibilities

Platform Operations & Inventory

• Own end-to-end procurement and inventory for protein workflows: buffers, media, resins, enzymes, assay kits, consumables, and plastics.

• Build and maintain systems for freezer and sample tracking, including lot/expiry tracking, storage mapping, and chain-of-custody.

• Implement and manage LIMS for reagents, samples, and shared assets.

• Establish pars, forecasting, and replenishment workflows aligned with high-throughput screening and assay needs.

Equipment & Lab Systems

• Coordinate maintenance, calibration, and repair of biology platform instrumentation, such as:

  • Liquid handlers/automation systems

  • Plate readers

  • Incubators and shakers

  • Centrifuges

  • PCR/qPCR systems

  • Protein purification systems

  • Freezers and cold storage infrastructure

• Ensure all equipment is well-maintained, calibrated, and audit-ready with complete documentation.

• Track dependencies such as gases, buffers, columns, and assay materials.

EHS & Safety Ownership

• Own and drive EHS and biosafety practices for the biology labs.

• Maintain SOPs, SDS documentation, and chemical/biological inventories.

• Coordinate safety training, audits, and compliance activities.

• Oversee waste management (biological and chemical) in partnership with vendors.

• Ensure labs meet high standards for safe, organized, and compliant operation.

Vendor Coordination

• Manage vendor relationships across reagents, equipment, service contracts, and waste disposal.

• Negotiate and track contracts, renewals, and SLAs; maintain budget visibility.

Team Enablement & Lab Experience

• Create & foster a high-functioning platform lab environment: clear labeling, organized storage, and intuitive workflows.

• Lead onboarding for lab users (systems, inventory, safety practices, how to get things done).

• Build lightweight SOPs, documentation, and dashboards to support self-service and reproducibility.

Optional Lab Support (Nice-to-Have)

• Prepare and maintain stock solutions, buffers, and shared reagents.

• Support general lab readiness for protein and assay workflows.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, molecular biology, or related life sciences field.

• 5-8+ years of experience in biology lab operations or management, ideally supporting protein/enzyme workflows.

• Strong familiarity with protein science environments (expression, purification, assays, or screening workflows).

• Experience implementing or managing LIMS and/or freezer/sample tracking systems.

• Proven ownership of inventory systems, especially for temperature-sensitive and high-turnover reagents.

• Experience managing lab equipment and coordinating service contracts.

• Demonstrated ownership of EHS/safety programs in a lab setting.

• Strong organizational and communication skills; able to manage complexity across multiple lab locations.

Nice to have:

• Experience in high-throughput or automated screening environments.

• Hands-on familiarity with protein purification systems or assay development workflows.

• Comfort stepping into light lab support when needed.